Tick, tick, boom . . . the bomb squad is gone.
It has not exploded. Instead, like a piece of unwanted detritus, it has been washed away in the tsunami of running rugby that has uplifted all four teams in the Rugby Championship.
The sole purpose of the Springboks’ creation of the 7-1 bench was to place unbearable scrum pressure on opposition packs in order to gain penalties. Then either take the three points or kick for touch and maul. Either way, there was no backline play and zero running rugby.
The style of rugby the 7-1 bench created was a blight on our game. Thankfully, that appears to be in the past. During an enthralling Rugby Championship, an attacking mindset of highly creative play has exploded inside the Springboks.
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The ball is actually coming out of the Boks’ scrum and reaching their exceptionally talented backline players.
Hallelujah and praise the rugby gods. Scrum ball into the hands of the Boks’ backs. Before my very eyes, miracles roam our world.
Against New Zealand in Wellington, with a 5-3 bench, the Springboks’ attack was mesmeric.
Much of the credit for the seismic change in South Africa’s attacking mindset must be attributed to their attack coach, former New Zealand international Tony Brown.
Close observation of the style of rugby being produced by the Springboks since his arrival clearly shows that he has been working to move them away from the grindingly ugly play that drove the selection policy of 14 forwards. They are headed towards a place where the exceptional athletic capabilities of the South African players can be moulded into entertaining running rugby that wins Test matches.
What a joy it was to watch this version of the Springboks compared to their gameplan from the recent past, which more resembled MMA than rugby.
Two weeks ago in Wellington, in the 110th Test match of what the Kiwi commentators called “rugby’s greatest rivalry”, the Springboks’ running game inflicted humiliation on the New Zealanders.
They condemned New Zealand to their greatest defeat, not by endless scrummaging for penalties and boring the backsides off all who watched, but by playing sensational ball-in-hand, attacking rugby.
In a highly ironic twist, the Springboks backs proved that backline attack loves scrums. This is because they provide the greatest attacking platform in our game.
With 16 of the big fellas bound together in the scrum, the Boks liberated possession from the scrum and empowered their athletic three-quarter line to attack the acres of space that are on offer at every scrum.
In the seven years since Rassie Erasmus took over as head coach of South Africa, the team has ignored all of that sumptuous empty space provided to the attacking teams at every scrum. They have taken the beast-of-burden option and pushed for the scrum penalties.
Don’t start me on why World Rugby’s lawmakers consider being pushed off the ball during a contested scrum to be worthy of a penalty in the first place.
Let us simply be thankful that in Wellington, the South Africa backs got the ball and ripped into the space across New Zealand’s defensive system.
The spectacular and relentless attack stunned the Kiwis. Unbelievably, in the final 20 minutes, the players wearing that famous black jersey were bereft of answers to the Boks’ awesome attack.
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Two years out from the 2027 World Cup and once again, the Springboks are ahead of the rugby-thinking curve. They are attempting to place themselves in a position where the rest of the world must try to counter their tactics.
Erasmus has empowered Brown to unleash the vast attacking potential inside these talented Springbok players.
That is wonderful news for our game and bad news for every other national team that has to face the Boks. It also points to great coaching.
South Africa’s performance in Wellington and Australia’s success at Ellis Park are warning signs to the northern hemisphere. The international game is changing and evolving. Attack coaches with high rugby IQs are being empowered by their head coaches to be brave.
A 20-point lead at half-time is no longer a match-winning margin. Attack is dominating defences.
What a joy it is to write those words and watch these teams play.
The ramifications of this evolution for Ireland are immense. History tells us that the season after a Lions tour can be difficult for the tourists. The physical fatigue, mental drain and emotional toll of a long season followed by the rigours of a Lions tour have negatively affected players in the past.
With Ireland supplying so many players to the Lions squad – and Leinster in particular – the lead-up to the November internationals is going to be more than tricky for Andy Farrell and his staff. As Lions coaches, they have already had an exceptionally long and tiring season.
In only four short weeks, Ireland will assemble to face an angry New Zealand at Soldier Field in Chicago. The following week against Japan may be Ireland’s only window to experiment before meeting the unpredictability of an improving Australia. Then, in what appears to be the ultimate challenge of November, Ireland must tackle a herd of running Springboks.
Looking a little beyond that, it is worth noting that Ireland take on France in Paris in the first round of the 2026 Six Nations. It all makes for an exceptionally challenging schedule.
The last time Ireland assembled as a full squad was on March 15th in the final match of the Six Nations, while Farrell has not been in charge since November last year.
These are unique challenges that Irish rugby has never been confronted with in its history.
This weekend in Durban and Auckland, in round five of a fascinating Rugby Championship, the game will continue to evolve before our eyes.
International rugby has changed and Ireland have little time to adapt. To those who fail to adapt in an evolving rugby environment, the consequences are always the same. They suffer the pain of defeat.
