Former Springbok coach Nick Mallett believes South Africa’s next generation made a powerful statement in the 80-31 demolition of the Barbarians in Gqeberha.
The world champions ran in 12 tries at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, but according to Mallett, the contest shifted decisively when the bench was unleashed in the second half.
“The influx of the young enthusiastic guys from the bench absolutely changed the dynamic of the team,” Mallett said on the Talking Boks podcast.
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“It wasn’t that the first guys didn’t play well. I think there were seven Stormers players in that pack when they did the full replacement, so there was a lot of understanding and good co-ordination between those players.”
Mallett felt the newcomers immediately increased the tempo and accuracy of the Springbok attack.
“The speed of the ruck ball that they got was so much better.
“Suddenly Faf [de Klerk] and Vusi Moyo looked outstanding. On the front foot, creating opportunities, every ball-carrier was making yards and the Barbarians team really battled.”
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The performance of several less experienced players was one of the biggest positives to emerge from the opening match of the season, with Rassie Erasmus using the fixture to test combinations and expose new talent to the international environment.
Yet despite the emphatic scoreline, Mallett warned that South Africa’s defence still requires attention.
“There were problems on defence.
“We weren’t able to close down their offloading game when they got it going and that is perhaps something we should be concerned about.”
The former Bok coach felt the Barbarians were able to create too much momentum once play became unstructured.
“In broken play, they seemed better at being able to get the ball out of the tackle before setting up a ruck.”
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Mallett also offered a balanced assessment of Quan Horn’s performance in an unfamiliar playmaking role.
“Quan Horn probably made less of an impact than he would’ve liked.
“He certainly played a good attacking, passing game and his kicking was fine, but I thought he’s a better defender than that and it was disappointing.”
Photo: Richard Huggard/Gallo Images
The post Mallett hails Bok bench, worries about defence appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Former Springbok coach Nick Mallett believes South Africa’s next generation made a powerful statement in the 80-31 demolition of the Barbarians in Gqeberha.
The post Mallett hails Bok bench, worries about defence appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
