Springboks must find ‘plan B’ before Soweto test – former coaches

Former Springbok coaches Pieter de Villiers and Carel du Plessis have urged the Springboks to sharpen their attacking options ahead of Saturday's third Test against the All Blacks.

Both told HotFM's John Walland that South Africa's forward-dominated approach needs a more clinical finish.

The two coaches were speaking after a tense second Test that De Villiers described as a genuine arm-wrestle, with both sides appearing to tire in the second half.

He drew a sharp contrast between the two teams’ mentalities: “To sum up very shortly, while we as a team would do anything not to lose, they will do everything to win.”

That difference, De Villiers said, has defined a series in which the two Tests have looked markedly different from one another. With the sides levelled going into the finale, he echoed All Blacks coach Dave Rennie's description of Saturday's match as “the clincher” – a second chance for both teams to settle what has been billed as the Greatest Rivalry series.

Du Plessis, meanwhile, admitted the Springboks had been caught out in the series opener, having expected to control matters at Ellis Park.

“We were surprised by the All Blacks in the first Test,” he said, though he felt the second Test had shown far greater intensity and commitment from both sides, along with skill from each team expressed in contrasting styles.

On tactics, Du Plessis backed the Boks’ reliance on forward pressure as the correct approach – a view that lands amid ongoing debate between the two camps over allegations that the Springbok pack has been “walking around” in the scrum, a claim Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus dismissed with an expletive at last Saturday's post-match press conference.

Du Plessis was, however, blunt about the need for greater precision in front of the posts.

“We need a plan B,” he said.

“We need to convert pressure into points, and we didn't do that in the last Test,” despite the Springboks spending long spells inside the All Blacks' 22.

He said the Boks’ preference for a conservative, lower-risk game plan built around a blend of power and pace has served the team well, but warned that New Zealand's attacking skill posed a particular threat out wide.

“We have a good mix of power and pace and we prefer to play a more conservative, lower-risk kind of game, which works for us,” he said.

“But we have to be careful, especially in how skill adds to their attacking formations. That will challenge us, especially in our defence wide out.”