Last weekend on the banks of the murky Brisbane River, known to all as the Brown Snake, astonishingly the Springboks ran the ball.
For the rest of the rugby world this is a deeply ominous turn of events, because the South African attack was sensational in the Suncorp Stadium.
Across the ditch, in windy Wellington, the Pumas stunned the men in black with an innovative, high tempo and tactically astute performance. It was laced with passion, drama and courage, making the opening games of the Rugby Championship simply superb.
The influence of Tony Brown, the newly-appointed Springboks attack coach, cannot be overstated. Last week’s dramatic change in their attacking play was not an evolution, but a revolution.
While the Boks still used their boring but effective across field kicking game, it was interspersed with wonderful passages of running rugby. Full of skilled passing and power running from Pieter-Steph du Toit, Siya Kolisi, Eben Etzebeth and Kwagga Smith.
And their outhalf, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, had the commentators’ tongues and the Wallaby defenders similarly twisted as they struggled to cope with his command of the new Springbok attacking structure.
Brown’s vision of how to play the game empowered the Springboks centres, Jesse Kriel and Damian de Allende to run the ball in a wonderful fashion new to the Boks. They displayed what destructive attacking weapons they are, proving that if the South Africans ran the ball they have such high-quality athletes that no team on the globe will be able to touch them.
Sadly, for the Wallabies, I was right.
The match also highlighted a great coaching truth. When quality coaching is combined with excellent playing talent, magic can be created. Without the required playing talent, good coaching has a limited effect.
This current generation of Wallaby players are not as skilled as the other teams in the Rugby Championship, so the effect of a quality coach such as Joe Schmidt is limited.
Australia conceded 13 first-half penalties. While the word discipline was constantly being used by the commentators, the truth was that the Wallabies skills buckled under the enormous pressure applied by the Boks. Especially at the breakdown. These penalties invited the Springboks into the Wallabies half again and again and again. This allowed Brown’s new attacking structure to strike from close range.
Like Prometheus in ancient Greek mythology, who is chained to a rock for eternity and daily tormented by a ferocious eagle who feeds on his liver, Schmidt is chained to this generation of Australian players as the Springboks, Pumas and New Zealand feed on his Wallabies.
In Wellington, the rookie Puma coach and former Leinster great Felipe Contepomi produced a game plan full of innovation and wonderfully executed tactics. Led by an inspirational performance from their captain Pablo Matera, the Pumas were simply brilliant.
The quality of the game in Wellington also showcased common sense from the Australian referee Angus Gardner. He displayed great rugby intellect in his interpretation of the advantage law, which empowered the skills of both teams to such an extent that not a single scrum was set until the 60th minute.
The wisdom he displayed in interpreting the accidental shoulder to head contact of the Ethan Blackadder tackle, as he was pounded by the attacking Puma prop Joel Sclavi, is a great example to all referees and was applauded by everyone who has ever laced up a boot. The contact was clearly an accident caused by the Puma ball carrier and Gardner got it right.
The first week of the new trial laws showed they were also highly successful in both matches.
With the defending scrumhalf now unable to follow the ball through on to the attacking side, the Wallabies used what is termed ‘channel one ball’. This is when the hooker strikes the ball so it exits the scrum between the left flanker and the number eight. This technique takes about two seconds for the scrumhalf to feed the scrum and then regather the ball. The giant Springbok pack hardly knew the scrum had started before it was over. This resulted in zero scrum penalties on the Wallabies feed and their backline repeatedly received possession from their scrum.
Both huge gains for the game.
The ability of coaches to exploit loopholes in the laws was also on display. With the new shot clock for all kicks at goal set at 60 seconds, the captains on all four teams theatrically delayed their decision on whether to kick for touch or to take a shot at goal.
Their aim was to give their kickers and forwards more time to catch their breath. The referees must start the 60 seconds shot clock immediately after the penalty has been awarded.
The second round will see the Pumas examined at rugby’s ultimate testing arena, Eden Park, against a New Zealand team hell bent on revenge.
This week in Perth, in front of tens of thousands of expatriate South Africans who now call Western Australia home, the Springboks have insulted the Wallabies in selecting what is close to their third XV. They have even reverted to a 5-3 split on their bench, defusing their own ‘bomb squad’ and empowering their backline players.
For the Boks, it will feel like a home game against a humiliated Wallaby team. Expect a fiery opening 20 minutes as the wounded Wallabies are not happy about the Boks’ selection of an understrength team.
The Springboks, once lost to the joys of the running game, are now found. Finally seeing the light of rugby salvation, transformed from a wretched dependence on scrums and a 7-1 bench, to finding themselves as the unlikely heroes of the running game and returning the rugby world to a state of Amazing Grace ... at least for this weekend.
