Five things the Boks learnt from their two matches against the All Blacks

The Springboks would have taken a few key points from their two Tests against old adversaries the All Blacks.

Here we list five:

1. The Boks have richly profited from their forward-orientated game that incorporates the use of contestable kicks and an offensive defence.

They don’t have many gears but they purr along at such consistently high revs that they usually beat off their challengers. They won a Rugby World Cup, the Rugby Championship and a series against the British & Irish Lions by employing that game plan.

However, when they don’t get forward dominance, or their box kicks drift astray, their attacking options are severely compromised and they have precious little by way of Plan B or, heaven forbid, Plan C.

They have been schooled so vigorously in that way of applying pressure that different avenues to make an impression on the scoreboard don’t come to them naturally.

As much as their “stop us if you can” attitude does wonders for their self-belief, it would be more reassuring if they developed a thicker playbook. Springbok rugby has, however, been at this juncture before and they usually plough straight ahead.

2. The Springboks were reminded of the limitations of the six/two split on the bench. Going with a forward-heavy substitutes’ bench has provided them a point of difference over the past few years, but it comes with inherent risk.

They walk a tightrope by having only two backline players as backup, but the Bok brains trust has carefully weighed up the risk and reward ratio.

Over the past few years they have largely been spared angst on that front, but in both Tests against the All Blacks they lost backline players to knocks to the head early on. Faf de Klerk was a first-minute casualty in the first Test while Jesse Kriel also departed the scene inside the first 15 minutes at Ellis Park.

Kriel’s departure meant a major reshuffle that did little for the structural integrity of the Springbok defence. To abandon the six/two split and the benefits of the Bomb Squad should not be on the table, but the Boks may need to review their contingencies.

3. The Bok brains trust has increasingly shown a penchant for spurning conventional wisdom, especially when it comes to selections. They went a bold, almost devil-may-care route in the second Test against Wales in Bloemfontein and came up short, and there were hints of a similar “well, we know better” attitude in some of their selections against the All Blacks.

Joseph Dweba’s elevation to the starting team at hooker for the second Test against the All Blacks invited criticism before and after the match. He fell short of the mark, as did Duane Vermeulen, who was required to play in the Ellis Park cauldron in his first game after surgery.

Those players are at opposite ends in their international careers and if they are still earmarked for the World Cup, confidence levels, especially in the case of Dweba, need to be restored.

4. In scrumhalf Jaden Hendrikse the Boks have a backup more than capable of filling the boots of the irrepressible De Klerk. The latter, who got injured inside the first minute of the Test in Mbombela, also missed the second Test as he yielded to head injury assessment protocols.

He should be ready to take his place against Australia, but if he is not, Hendrikse offers the Springboks a good alternative. He has quickly tapped into the rhythm and tempo of the Springbok game plan while his defence has drawn wide praise.

Sure, things did not entirely go his way at Ellis Park with some box kicks failing to find the depth to earn the Springboks the field position they craved, but Hendrikse, like any young player fresh to the international arena, is a work in progress.

5. The Boks would also have been reminded that a week can be a long time in international sport. They would have left the lowveld on an absolute high after their impressive 26-10 win at Mbombela Stadium. Their experience on the highveld a week later, however, would have had the opposite effect.

They are now the team that has to deal with the pressure of a must-win encounter when they clash with the Wallabies in Adelaide next week. The fact that they have not won against the Wallabies on Australian soil since 2013 will only increase the heat on them to restore their Rugby Championship credentials.

By losing to the All Blacks at Ellis Park, the Boks lost ground to their arch-enemies who now boast an away win in the competition. International rugby’s swings and roundabouts can be dizzying.