Tactical mischief and a ‘six-three’ bench: how Springboks are evolving

Legacy is sure to be a driving force for the Springboks as they hunt down the unprecedented achievement of a third consecutive World Cup triumph.

In 2023, Jacques Nienaber continually referenced the fact that South Africa, then tied with New Zealand on three World Cups each, were hoping to pull clear of the All Blacks. They did so, thanks to a hat-trick of one-point wins in the knockout rounds.

Some cite sporadic lapses and tight victories rather than blow-outs as evidence that the Springboks are not as dominant as other great sides. The Rugby Championship, which starts on Saturday at Ellis Park in Johannesburg against a Wallabies outfit that will be buoyant from beating the British and Irish Lions in the final match of the series, feels like an opportunity for consolidation in that regard.

South Africa are holders. Remarkably, though, they have never retained this tournament or its predecessor, the Tri Nations. Indeed, they have only five titles from 28 campaigns since 1996. New Zealand, on the other hand, have 20 from 29. Only once, in a Tri Nations purple patch for Australia (2000 and 2001), have the All Blacks gone two years without lifting the trophy.

All roads lead to Eden Park on September 6 when the Springboks will bid to snap New Zealand’s 50-Test, 31-year unbeaten run at that venue. France’s victory over Ireland during the Six Nations was enthralling, while the Lions and the Wallabies served up an epic in Melbourne.

But that game in Auckland, and perhaps South Africa’s autumn trip to Paris, are this year’s most seismic Test matches. Rassie Erasmus is preparing accordingly, by striving to keep his team ahead of the curve.

Tactical mischief

Last year it was Cheslin Kolbe feeding scrums and an aerial transfer between two lifting pods against Australia:

Five weeks ago, in their second Test against Italy, the Springboks unfurled an even funkier play. Borrowed from Paul Roos Gimnasium, whose exploits in a school fixture whirled around the internet, it began with a reasonably routine set-piece. Ruan Nortje is the jumper and André Esterhuizen spears over the gain-line:

On the following phase, though, Grant Williams bounces in the opposite direction. Nortje is stationed in a conventional first-receiver role, where he is hoisted by Ox Nché and Wilco Louw. Nché lifted Nortje at the initial line-out, whereas Louw began concealed behind Esterhuizen in midfield:

Italy concede a penalty advantage for collapsing the maul and Canan Moodie scores off the back of Grant Williams’s lateral run:

Much later, in the second period at closer range, Malcolm Marx finds Nortje slightly further towards the tail. Esterhuizen sets a target again…

…before Nortje is lifted by Marco van Staden and Nché. This clip gives a great view of how three more forwards – Pieter-Steph du Toit, Salmaan Moerat and Marx – are poised to establish the drive:

Italy infringe once more, though that does not stop Marx from completing a pushover:

With that, South Africa put away this trick and did not use it against Georgia.

This is not inane gimmickry. Two tries from two attempts obviously represents an impeccable strike rate. Establishing a maul with a lift from open play is perfectly legal provided that defenders are not obstructed before it is formed and that the jumper is brought down safely.

The area between the 22 and the try-line becomes very crowded very quickly and this practice mitigates variables such as disruptive jackallers. Breaking down a defence over multiple phases requires coordination, concentration and stamina. A maul re-sets the sequence. If the drive is stopped, backs can run a strike move from a solid base.

Certainly, it was more successful than a different ploy from the opening seconds of the same match. No longer able to elect for scrums from free-kicks, as they did at the 2023 World Cup when Damian Willemse called for a mark against France, the Springboks attempted to manufacture one from the kick-off.

They did so, with Esterhuizen intentionally jumping the gun to gather Manie Libbok’s kick and referee Andrew Brace blowing for an Italy put-in:

A mischievous smirk from Rassie Erasmus in the coaching box spoke a thousand words:

As it happened, South Africa conceded a free-kick for an early push and would not have a chance to repeat the trick because they won 45-0 and did not have another restart. World Rugby subsequently clarified that Brace should have penalised the Springboks for a deliberate infringement.

Even so, the episode underlined that Erasmus – humble and curious enough to appropriate the mauling idea from a school team – is always pushing the boundaries to keep rivals on their toes. He has Jaco Peyper, the former international referee, on his staff to help interrogate grey areas.

Frankly, coaxing other teams to spend even 20 minutes on possible curveballs in training might be viewed as a win for Erasmus.

Attacking ambition and flouting convention

South Africa can always fall back on blunt-force trauma and primal intensity. Erasmus is a master at rallying his players behind their nation’s cause and they have the capacity to squeeze teams with territorial pressure and a suffocating set-piece.

They have, however, gradually expanded their horizons. The arrival onto the staff of Tony Brown, a Kiwi attack coach known for his ingenuity and ambition, has expedited this process. Since 2021, a year in which the Springboks implemented a pared-down game plan – partly out of necessity because of chaotic preparations – they have gradually moved the ball more to feed their speed out wide.

According to Stats Perform, their average number of passes per match has risen year-on-year from 93 in 2021, at 1.4 per ruck, to 145 last year, at 1.75 per ruck. In 2024, they averaged 7.9 offloads per match, up from three in 2021.

Across the three Tests so far this year, South Africa have recorded 165 passes and almost 94 attacking rucks per 80 minutes. Such figures reflect a side that has become more comfortable in possession.

RG Snyman unsurprisingly leads the 2025 offloading charts with four. This effort against Georgia, in the build-up to a try for the quicksilver Kurt-Lee Arendse, was extraordinary:

Earlier in that 55-10 triumph came a mesmeric team move finished by Moodie. It begins with Cobus Wiese carrying off the shoulder of Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu after a five-man line-out:

The next phase features six passes as Williams wraps around two forwards before feeding Feinberg-Mngomezulu behind the run of Damian de Allende:

From the next breakdown, Williams scoots against the grain in a manner that is becoming his trademark. Remember how he sliced apart England last November? Here, he links with Edwill van der Merwe in open space. Nortje, part of the loop on the second phase, and Aphelele Fassi keep the move going. Moodie then arrives to finish:

Two rucks, 12 passes, one memorable try. And while South Africa have reduced their kicking – putting boot to ball around 25 times per match last year compared to 30 in 2021 – there is more variety. They possess a fleet of clever kick-passers including Libbok, Handre Pollard, Willie le Roux, Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Damian Willemse, allowing them to hit touchlines and open up the pitch in the blink of an eye.

In the second Test against Italy, from an opposition restart, Esterhuizen stood at first-receiver and poked a shallow kick over the top. Du Toit and Moodie clattered Ross Vintcent with Makazole Mapimpi swooping to force a breakdown penalty:

Attacking kicks are a prolific weapon, with Faf de Klerk’s hooked chip setting up a roaming Van der Merwe against Georgia:

Amid these developments, there is little danger of the Springboks forgetting their foundations.

Prop farming

Whether via the two Chasing the Sun documentaries or though the X account of Erasmus, the Springboks know how to build narratives and offer up morsels of insight. Daan Human, their scrum coach, is one imitable character in the fascinating blend of their back-room team.

This year already, he has invited Jan-Hendrik Wessels and Asenathi Ntlabakanye to stay at his farm in the Free State, coined as “Kamp Daandraad” by Erasmus, to work on scrummaging specifics including conditioning and technique.

Human insists that scrum machines have limited value, but does seem to swear by one old-school contraption that looks like a medieval torture device, complete with chains and a rotating buffer to bind on. Ntlabakanye, a hulking tighthead prop with dainty footwork in the carry, is said to have lost around 18 kilograms thanks to his visits to the farm.

He still weighs around 140kg (22st), and is bound for a second cap from the bench against Australia this weekend.

New blood from Baby Boks

Another theme of the current World Cup cycle for South Africa is their quest to broaden their pool of internationals. They used 50 players in 2024 while winning 11 of 13 matches. Australia (52), France (61), Scotland (65) and Wales (56) selected more, but the Springboks are still introducing new faces into a gnarled squad at a healthy rate and have handed out 19 Test debuts since the beginning of last year.

In Van der Merwe, starting this weekend, they have blooded a wing with similar characteristics – swivelling hips, explosive acceleration, low-slung power, scrum cap – to Kolbe and Arendse. Lood de Jager, who traded Sale Sharks to join a host of compatriots in Japan with the Saitama Wild Knights, appears to be putting his injury worries behind him, which is a fantastic bonus.

Senior figures are coveted and veterans have a path into the fold, but Erasmus could not be accused of stagnating. He is fixing the roof while the sun shines. He brought three stars of the South Africa’s Under-20 World Championship victory directly into a senior conditioning camp at the end of July. They are all potentially generational talents. Haashim Pead, an electric scrum-half, Cheswill Jooste, an evasive wing, and rollicking back-rower Bathobele Hlekani have produced jaw-dropping highlights for the Baby Boks.

One clip circulated by Super Sport saw Hlekani undertaking a combative contact drill in which South Africa appear to place great stock. Jasper Wiese could not strip the ball from him, but the tenacious Pead managed it. All the while, Felix Jones was keeping an eye on the finer technical details and geeing up Hlekani. Irishman Jones’s return from a brief stint with England is another fillip.

Hybrid for hidden six-three split

Esterhuizen took on a hybrid role. From defensive scrums, he stayed in the backline as the Springboks trusted six forwards to hang tough. South Africa maintained width in the backline so that their defence, now overseen by Jerry Flannery, could still impart pressure. Moodie immediately blitzed up from this position…

Esterhuizen, a hefty athlete and an excellent jackaller, moved to flanker for his team’s own put-in, and helped muscle this penalty straight away:

From line-outs, he stayed in the backline to play pull-back passes from first-receiver such as this one:

Starting at inside centre against Australia in the absence of De Allende with the versatile Willemse among the replacements, Esterhuizen could move into the pack late on. In that respect, the five-three bench that Erasmus has selected – and announced on a Monday – might as well be a six-three.

Siya Kolisi, who usually occupies the 15-metre channels in attack, starts at the base of the scrum with Williams and Libbok as a speedy half-back pairing and Fassi at full-back. The plan, seemingly, is to run the Wallabies off their feet, though there are still bruisers such as Eben Etzebeth, Du Toit and Marx set for the physical battle. Undoubtedly, the goal will be a ruthless performance and a statement result to begin the Rugby Championship.