Mike Tindall reckons the Springboks have “cracked the code” by being attritional and expansive, yet the ex-England star wonders if South Africa could adapt to a scrum law change.
Tindall was speaking on The Good, The Bad & The Rugby XTRA podcast, reflecting on a Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series the Boks won 3-1 with a 43-28 win over the All Blacks in Baltimore almost two weeks ago.
The scrum was a contentious issue throughout the series, with the likes of former Bok hooker Hanyani Shimange accusing rivals of trying to depower South Africa’s set-piece dominance.
Tindall chose to highlight the physicality that separated the teams across the four-Test battles.
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“The games were great. The best team in the end won, and they just showed that they can get the job done,” he said. “You’ve just got this sort of big beast that just keeps leaning on you, and it leans on you a bit harder in scrum time … and eventually you just can’t take the weight of it.
“In bits, I thought New Zealand looked outstanding – some of the tries they scored – but then South Africa get a 5m lineout and just wear you down and beat you up.”
The Boks are gearing up for a one-off Test against the Wallabies in Perth on Sunday. Asked whether rivals can find a way past Rassie Erasmus’ world champions, Tindall noted the evolution of South African rugby.
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“There was a bit of bickering [during the series], and then pundits in New Zealand going, ‘Oh, we need to speed the game up’. Well, no, the game is the game. You’ve got to control it,” the 2003 World Cup winner said.
“South Africa have cracked the code of rugby being attritional and doing it both ways. You’ve got that unbelievable try from [Kurt-Lee] Arendse [in the fourth Test]: turnover, New Zealand on the back foot, boom – gone.
“It would be interesting if there was a law – it wouldn’t be interesting for South Africa and they’d hate it, because the scrum is a contest – but if you took away a penalty at scrums and it was a free kick and you had to just play it, it changes the focus of what’s needed.
“But at the same time, the scrum is a skill set and an art form, and they’ve just got it smashed at the moment.”
Photo: Floris van Schouwenburg/Gallo Images
The post Tindall: Boks got the game unlocked appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Mike Tindall reckons the Springboks have “cracked the code” by being attritional and expansive, yet the ex-England star wonders if South Africa could adapt to a scrum law change.
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