It takes a big man to admit it when he makes a mistake. It takes an even bigger man to then act on his admission of guilt and then do the opposite of what he believed to be the right thing in the first place.
So this week, I tip my hat to our Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber for realising that sometimes you just have to be brave and tweak what has worked for you in the past.
I am of course referring to the coach changing his bench tactics for this week’s Rugby Championship Test against the All Blacks.
We’ve become so used to the Springboks using a 6-2 split - six forwards and two backline players on the bench.
The 6-2 split, with the forwards making a massive impact off the bench, has generally become known as the Bomb Squad. However, the Boks initially referred to their entire bench - including the two backs - as their Bomb Squad.
Anyway, the split didn’t work out well in the Tests against the All Blacks at home, with Faf de Klerk getting injured in the first minute of the first Test and Jesse Kriel in the ninth minute of the second Test. I believe this is where the Boks lost that second match to the All Blacks - when Nienaber then reshuffled his hele backline because of the injury.
I had my say on the matter last week and I just want to commend the coach for having the balls to change this plan and do away with one of the team’s biggest strengths -the forwards replacements - in favour of a more rounded approach with five forwards and three backs.
By now you are probably wondering what the hell is wrong with me, considering that I have not yet highlighted my latest issue with the Springbok team. So here it goes - the timing of their team selection.
As a rugby writer, I am a big fan of the Monday or Tuesday team announcements - it gives us a lot to write about for the rest of the week.
As a fan of the Springboks, I am a bit worried.
I’d imagine opposition coaches waiting for the Boks to make their announcement before finalising their squads. That’s certainly what I would have done.
It’s also the feeling I got when New Zealand brought in Caleb Clarke to start for them in the first Test against SA - I thought he was fast-tracked to combat the far lighter and inexperienced Kurt-Lee Arendse.
I’d also imagine that it left the New Zealand coaching team with a lot more time to plan on how they wanted to destabilise Joseph Dweba in the second Test.
Nienaber doesn’t see it that way. Instead, he is so confident in his squad that he only considers them.
Asked about whether naming his squad early could give opposition teams the edge, Nienaber said earlier in the week: “It’s probably something you have to ask the opposition. I feel we’ve got a pretty good idea of who’s going to play against us.
“You probably wonder about one or two positions - in terms of that, coaches normally have a good idea of who’s going to play against us.
“If we have announced it to the players, we don’t feel that keeping it under wraps is better for us. Players can settle and start training.”
The problem with this is, the opposition then get to adjust their plans to counter what you put out on paper.
Anyway, it’s worked for them thus far, so who am I to complain?
As for this coming weekend in Adelaide, I expect the Boks to break a 13-year-losing streak in Australia.
dudley.carstens@inl.co.za