Gary Gold and Kevin Foote agree the Springboks’ current defensive approach will inevitably concede tries, but argue its pressure and work rate make it worthwhile.
Former Bok assistant coach Gold and Junior Springboks head coach Foote were guests on the Boks Unpacked X The Verdict podcast after South Africa’s 42-38 defeat by the Wallabies in Perth on Sunday.
The world champions have conceded 22 tries in their last five Tests, and ex-Bok and host Hanyani Shimange asked whether this is a problem.
“The South African team have made a choice: they want a high-risk, high-reward defensive system. That means you’re going to make mistakes, and they accept those mistakes,” said Gold, who focused on implementing a rush defence system when he was brought into the national setup in 2004 by Jake White.
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“You can’t say to a team: ‘I want you to get off the line, I want you to exert maximum pressure on the opposition – and, by the way, you’ve got to make every read perfectly.’
“But where the Springboks bail themselves out is their work rate off the ball to help each other, which is exceptional. So, no, I don’t think the defence is a problem, in my opinion. Would they want to tighten it up? Of course they would.”
Foote, who previously held defensive coaching positions with the Force and Rebels, added: “What our defence gives us is their errors, which puts our scrum into the game.
“When you’re making line speed like that, and they get spooked and make an error, we’re going to get a scrum.”
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Centre Len Ikitau scored two of Australia’s five tries on Sunday, dotting down under the posts from a lineout move before he struck again when Joseph Suaalii outjumped Bok fullback Aphelele Fassi to gather a Ryan Lonergan box kick.
“What Australia showed is that triple stack,” Foote continued. “They don’t stack vertically – they’ve got guys in behind them. And when that comes in, if you’re a line-speed team and you can’t land on a man, then they’ve got the ability to play around you.
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“I agree with Gaz – this is our DNA. We’re not going to go away from it. We’re going to put a lot of errors on you, but every now and again they’re going to get a linebreak.
“It’s high risk, high reward.”
Photo: Antony Dickson/Gallo Images
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Gary Gold and Kevin Foote agree the Springboks’ current defensive approach will inevitably concede tries, but argue its pressure and work rate make it worthwhile.
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