Springbok defence coach Jerry Flannery says South Africa have been working as hard on their defence as on their much-talked-about attack ahead of Saturday’s clash against the All Blacks at Eden Park.
The Boks begin their Test week preparations determined to snap New Zealand’s stranglehold at their Auckland fortress, where the hosts haven’t lost for more than 30 years.
ALSO: Bok prop ‘let down badly’ by doctor
Flannery stressed that a watertight defence will be crucial – something that was missing in the back-to-back Tests against Australia, where the Boks conceded nine tries.
“We conceded more tries than we would’ve wanted to, especially in the first Test against Australia. We probably played a bit too much and that sapped the juice out of our legs,” said Flannery.
Currently, the Boks sit bottom of the Rugby Championship in tackle-completion rate, at just over 80%. But Flannery insists the system itself is not the issue.
“It was probably down to some individual errors. With the way we defend, we’ll probably miss a few more tackles than other teams due to our hard blitz. It’s something we’re constantly working on, to improve our tackle-execution.”
EDDIE: Rassie’s Boks like ‘old boxers in the ring’
While the Boks have shifted to a more attack-minded approach this season, Flannery pointed out that growth on attack comes with added defensive demands.
“When there’s more expression in your attack, it means your defence gets tested more – for example when you turn the ball over. But the team has already grown in that department. As our attack develops, our defence needs to adapt as well.”
Even so, inconsistency remains a sore point for the Bok coaching staff.
“We’ve been quite inconsistent so far this year. We haven’t really reached the heights we know we’re capable of and we have to be at our very best this coming weekend.”
Photo: Lubabalo Lesolle/Gallo Images
The post Flannery: Bok attack and defence must grow together appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Bok defence coach Jerry Flannery says they’ve been working as hard on their defence as on their much-talked-about attack ahead of the Eden Park clash against the All Blacks.
The post Flannery: Bok attack and defence must grow together appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
