Why run when you can walk

The Springbok’s are being castigated for their style of Rugby so far in this year’s Tri-Nations. That’s right, despite cleaning up the Lions, beating the AB’s on successive weeks and making a mockery of the Wallabies, they are being slammed by Aussie and Kiwi press and pundits (check out these links alone: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/best-of-rugby-analysis/news/article.cfm?c_id=1502181&objectid=10589722 and http://www.nzherald.co.nz/best-of-rugby-analysis/news/article.cfm?c_id=1502181&objectid=10589708).

Now call me old fashioned but I believe that Test Rugby is about results. I for one don’t care about the style Rugby being played so long as my team is winning. Indeed, if I want to see attractive Rugby I go and watch schoolboy Rugby or park footy, but if I pay top dollar for a test match ticket, I want a fuckin’ result and I don’t care how many drop goals Morne Steyn has to punt to get it.

Aussie commentators are particularly severe on the Boks, so much so that I watched the second half of the test with the sound down. While they begrudgingly acknowledge that the Boks are simply making the best of the current Laws of the game, they are very critical of the Boks for not sending the ball wide at all. My question is: Why would they? They have a formula and it works, it gets results. Why risk it? In saying that I also believe that this Bok team has the capacity to play a more expansive game if need be, but again, why bother if you don’t have to?

My Aussie friends will argue that it ruins the game as a spectacle and that people will stop watching Rugby. I counter that by saying “not in South Africa they won’t”, especially if the Bok’s are winning. While I too would prefer a bit more running Rugby I think that it is important that those outside of SA understand the psyche of the country. Unlike in Australia, and to a lesser degree NZ, Rugby in SA does not have to compete with League or AFL (In Aus only) or Basketball or even Football (Soccer) for a share of the market. Rugby in SA earns its share of the market by winning games, especially games against the AB’s and the Wallabies. Doesn’t matter how they are won as long as they are won. Nothing affects revenue faster than a weak Springbok team, and Rugby fans in SA are happy to watch a kick fest if they know that eventually the team in Green will emerge victorious.

I would also like to point out that the Bok’s are playing what Eddie Jones tagged as “culturally specific” Rugby. That is, they are playing to their strengths, which is this case is their forward pack. It has always been a Springbok strength and probably always will be. It’s worth noting also that they do not have a flyhalf in the guise of Dan Carter, and perhaps if they did, they will keep the ball in hand a little more.

The Springbok’s circa 2009 are a very good team. They grind out wins much to the disgust of their antipodean cousins. As I have said, I believe that they could adapt their game plan if they had too and still succeed but neither the AB’s nor the Wallabies have been good enough to force them to do so.