Victor Matfield believes the All Blacks’ clash with the Stormers has given them a valuable taste of the rush defence they can expect when they face the Springboks in Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series.
Many of the All Black players would not have faced South African opposition regularly since the country’s franchises left Super Rugby, meaning New Zealand have had limited exposure to the defensive system that has become a trademark of the Springboks under Rassie Erasmus.
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The Stormers are the only South African franchise involved in the All Blacks’ tour that employs a similar rush-defence system to that implemented by defence guru Jerry Flannery at the Boks, with Matfield saying the Bulls, Sharks and Lions use different defensive philosophies.
Matfield believes the lessons learned from the Stormers clash will therefore be particularly valuable for New Zealand as they prepare for the Springboks.
“It will help the All Blacks to play these games before they get to South Africa. We don’t play each other in Super Rugby anymore, so there’s a lot that we don’t get that we usually would have got playing Super Rugby against each other,” Matfield explained on the Rugby Rivals podcast.
“For them, feeling that pressure (is good); it’s one thing to make plans against that push defence.”
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Matfield knows exactly how difficult the system can be to deal with, having experienced it during his playing career when the Springboks faced Wales under Shaun Edwards.
He remembers how the pressure of the rush defence could force attacking players into decisions they were not accustomed to making.
“I remember the first time when I played against it, it was the Welsh who started it under Shaun Edwards, and we thought we had plans, but I mean it’s just in your face,” he said.
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“As you want to make a decision, someone is coming from the outside where you’re used to everything coming from the inside, and it’s difficult. But they get opportunities now to face it; they will feel it. It’s about getting a rhythm against it and just feeling that pressure now to handle it,” he said.
Photo: Roger Sedres/Gallo Images
The post Big Vic: Stormers gave All Blacks vital Bok lesson appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Victor Matfield believes the All Blacks’ clash with the Stormers has given them a valuable taste of the rush defence they can expect when they face the Springboks in Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series.
The post Big Vic: Stormers gave All Blacks vital Bok lesson appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
