Are the Springboks and co tackling the entertainment out of Test rugby?
Coach Rassie Erasmus is a bit conflicted on the gritty nature of the Rugby Championship this year.
Beauden Barrett of the All Blacks clears while Handré Pollard of the Springboks tackles him during the 2019 Rugby Championship Test Match between New Zealand and South Africa at Westpac Stadium on July 27, 2019 in Wellington, New Zealand. (Photo by Mark Tantrum/Getty Images)
The attritional nature of this year’s shortened Rugby Championship to date has a few observers wondering if international defences are becoming so tight that it’s impacting Test rugby’s entertainment value.
While the structure of 2019’s edition is wholly different to one in a World Cup-less year, it’s notable that the world champion All Blacks have only scored 36 points in their opening two games.
That’s in stark contrast to 2018’s 78, 2017’s massive 89 and 2016’s 71.
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In fact, only 14 tries have been scored in four matches to date – that’s just over three per game.
Encouragingly, the Springboks have dotted down six times.
Yet coach Rassie Erasmus isn’t worried about the low scores currently being seen, especially since the World Cup looms large.
“Well, in years gone by, the scores in a Test were 12-10,” he said.
“That’s how Test match rugby went. That’s why it’s called Test rugby. It’s a level of the game where games are supposed to be only decided by three points, for example.”
While the sheer complexity and ruthlessness of defensive patterns certainly play a part – the Springboks have already completed a competition-high 299 tackles – the gritty nature of the matches are perhaps more down to a “playoff mentality” before the showpiece in Japan.
That trend was already evident in this year’s Super Rugby final, where the champion Crusaders scored the only try of the match.
“Both teams had different linespeeds on defence (during the past weekends’s 16-all draw in Wellington),” said Erasmus.
“New Zealand, for example, come much harder off the line. I guess it’s a new trend, most international teams are trying to do it. Test rugby usually only featured one or two tries being scored.
“Playoff-type games don’t encourage a flowing game. I’m not sure if that’s the right way the game should go, but it’s definitely the way it is going when you’re under pressure. I still felt (the Wellington Test) was enjoyable, it was intense.”
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