John Dobson is happy to share any insight the Stormers gleaned from Friday’s clash with the All Blacks that might benefit the Springboks in the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Tests.
Dobson’s charges were beaten 38-21 by New Zealand at Cape Town Stadium, and Rassie Erasmus and his Bok coaching staff would’ve been watching the action with keen interest.
The Boks face Los Pumas in Argentina on Saturday in a one-off Test, before the first of four Tests in the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series against the Kiwis begins on 22 August at Ellis Park.
Dobson told reporters post-match on Friday night there has already been dialogue between the domestic and national camps.
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“We had a chat last week, just normal alignment. We’ll probably give feedback later, nothing formal,” the Stormers boss said. “We’re South African teams, they’d be interested in our feedback. I don’t think that’s unusual.
“We shared some thoughts during the week. It was actually really useful, nice alignment between us and the Springboks. It’s cool, we haven’t done that before. It was actually nice.”
Turning to the wider narrative of the tour, Dobson expects contrasting styles to define the series between the world champions and their fiercest rivals.
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“There’s quite a nice level of alignment in South African rugby. The old days were very different: Western Province players had long hair and threw the ball around, and the very nasty Afrikaans people up in Pretoria who didn’t pass it! That was the cliché.” he joked.
“Now we’re all very similar. The All Blacks will not change. They’re not playing contestable kicks. They’re moving the ball really well. We’re really going to the URC-World Cup model … everything is a set-piece and a contest.”
Friday’s clash offered plenty of evidence to support that view, with the All Blacks’ scrum coming under repeated pressure, and New Zealand’s maul defence also exposed by a well-worked Stormers drive.
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Dobson admitted he can’t wait to see how the contrasting approaches play out over the course of the eight-match tour, which concludes in Baltimore on 12 September.
“I’m absolutely convinced that the All Blacks will not change, they can’t change. It’s too late. They don’t want to,” he added.
“Dave Rennie is a really good coach. He’s absolutely committed to that style of rugby. That ball fizzed out there in those first five minutes, it’s good.
“We have a clear DNA. I don’t think the Springboks are going to say that we want to entertain or we want to chase. The Springboks want to win.”
Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
The post Dobbo ready to feed Rassie intel appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
John Dobson is happy to share any insight the Stormers gleaned from Friday’s clash with the All Blacks that might benefit the Springboks in the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Tests.
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