Ken Borland

Midfield kingpin Damian de Allende warned on Saturday that the Springbok defence is back at its best, even though the All Blacks were able to just slip from their grasp in the closing moments of their Rugby Championship Test in Townsville, sneaking a 19-17 win through a last-ditch Jordie Barrett penalty.

A stout defensive effort by the Springboks frustrated and harried the All Blacks, who were definitely frazzled and made many uncharacteristic handling errors. It was pressure rugby at its best, but unfortunately South Africa’s lack of attacking intent meant they were unable to capitalise.

“Our defence was much better than in the last two weeks, it was pretty solid and we were dominant in our hits. We got the detail right – they were very good at attacking from set-piece, they move the ball well in contact, but I think we adapted well. New Zealand are a very potent attacking threat but we scrambled well.

“I thought we controlled the tempo of the game quite well, we got into the game nicely, we were dominant. But it was just heartbreaking in the end and I feel we deserved a bit more. But against the Lions we got the last penalty, Australia did it against us and now tonight it’s happened too. But we will keep working hard and hopefully the advantage will turn our way in the next close game,” De Allende said on Saturday.

Kwagga Smith made coach Jacques Nienaber look like a wise old owl with his selection of him as starting flank, the former Springbok Sevens star producing a series of crucial contributions at the breakdown. Smith was at the forefont of a massive effort to restore the pride of the world champions, and All Blacks coach Ian Foster admitted afterwards he was relieved to survive what he called a “ruthless and clinical” onslaught.

Smith promised more of the same next weekend against the same team. “We had real hunger before this game because last week was not a great performance. I think we played well and we were unlucky to fall short. Next weekend is our last game before a break, so I’ll give my all on the field, everyone can leave it all out there,” Smith said.

Duane Vermeulen will be there to check the momentum of the Wallabies, and Faf de Klerk is also back to cause mayhem in defence, but the selection that is most telling in terms of how the Springboks want to nullify Australia on Sunday is that of three loose forwards on the bench.

Marco van Staden, Kwagga Smith and Jasper Wiese, all of whom are mobile enough to play openside flank, are all on the replacements bench named on Wednesday, and coach Jacques Nienaber confirmed this was to counter Australia’s expected efforts to speed up the Rugby Championship game at the Super Stadium on the Gold Coast.

“It’s because of how Australia play – with pace, tempo, massive continuity and an awesome skill-set as they look to stretch you from touchline-to-touchline. It looks weird to have three loose forwards on the bench, but then one of our locks is playing as a starting loose forward in Franco Mostert. So in effect we are starting with three locks.

“We think the Wallabies are going to play a quick, high-tempo game. We have a plan around the substitutions, but things happen in the game and we must adapt. So although Duane will take some time to get used to the pace of international rugby again, the number of minutes he plays will depend on how the game unfolds. But he knows the shortcuts on the field … ” Nienaber said on Wednesday.

While the attacking skills of the injured Cheslin Kolbe will obviously be missed, Sbu Nkosi is back on the right wing and the Sharks star is also no slouch in the try-scoring department. The 25-year-old Nkosi has dotted down eight times in 12 Tests, which compares very favourably to Kolbe’s nine tries in 18 Tests.

“All our players have their own ‘circus trick’, personality and energy that they bring to the team. So when you lose what one player brings, you gain something else from the other player coming in. There’s not that much to choose between our players and we are very fortunate to have that depth. Sbu has scored a few fantastic tries already, like Makazole Mapimpi, he’s also a bit of a try-machine, he knows where the tryline is,” Nienaber said.

Taking over as captain at short notice in a three-match series in which you are already 1-0 down may seem like an unenviable task, but Keshav Maharaj is confident that the Proteas can bounce back as he leads them in the second ODI against Sri Lanka at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Saturday.

Team management confirmed on Friday that regular captain Temba Bavuma is out of the tour with a fractured thumb after an unfortunate incident that saw him struck while batting by an errant throw by a Sri Lankan fielder. It not only crucially halted the Proteas’ momentum as they were well-placed in their run-chase, but has also left their backs against the wall following the 14-run defeat in the opening game.

Left-arm spinner Maharaj, who was outstanding with the ball, will now lead South Africa for the first time. The 31-year-old has only recently been a regular in the ODI side, playing just 12 of the 55 games since his debut in 2017, and the elevation to the captaincy is an amazing turn for this remarkable cricketer.

“Losing the first game is not ideal and we were obviously disappointed. But the morale is still high, we came so close, so just one more step and we are pretty much there. There were a lot of positives, we will reassess and hopefully implement the right strategies. There’s been a lot of reflection, which is good because it shows growth and maturity. As a collective there are good signs.

“But it is a process. We have to fight for World Cup qualification points, but more growth is also important. We have to get back to winning ways, but we need to take it one step at a time and take the learnings from our losses,” Maharaj said on Friday.

This new Proteas white-ball outfit is almost unidentifiable from previous national teams because they rely so heavily on spin rather than fiery pace bowling, which has been the undisputed king in the past. But Maharaj has pinpointed better work by the seamers up front, especially in terms of conceding fewer wides and no-balls, as something within their control. Between them, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje and Andile Phehlukwayo conceded 171 runs in 24 overs.

“It took us a little longer to adapt at the start and we did not limit our extras well enough. Maybe it was a bit of rustiness, but we can be a lot better there. We’ll have to reassess our lines and lengths, but the wides and no-balls we can control. And we also need to make sure we get our fields right for the lines and lengths.

“Spin is generally the way to go in the subcontinent, but the seamers can still do a job and they showed that in their second or third spells. Aiden Markram also did a remarkable job for someone who is not a frontliner, and we are in a good space in terms of bowling resources,” Maharaj said.

Five years ago a young Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg made the brave choice to leave his mom and dad behind in Pretoria and move to France. Now he is back in South Africa and poised to make his Springbok debut off the bench in the second Rugby Championship Test against Argentina at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday.

In three years at the Bulls between 2014 and 2016, he had only played five Super Rugby matches. It was Jake White, ever the sharp eye for talent, who made contact as he was then coaching Montpellier.

Janse van Rensburg’s leap of faith has certainly paid off and White this week fondly remembered the kid who arrived at Montpellier and how much he has now grown.

“I’m very proud and happy for him, he’s gone a different route. He hadn’t really put his hand up here yet, in his age-group there were so many unbelievable locks, so he decided to go away from South Africa and he has really grown up. He made some massive sacrifices along the way, leaving his parents behind, and he first of all just joined the Montpellier Academy as a 21-year-old prospect. He still had to qualify to play senior rugby.

“I still remember when he arrived at Montpellier, this little blond-haired boy from Affies, very quiet and reserved. Now he’s married with a kid. Having been through all that, he did not coast to where he is now, he’s tougher and wiser and I have no doubt he will cope at international level,” White, ironically now coaching the Bulls, said.

Both White and veteran Springbok lock Lood de Jager, who will play his 50^th Test on Saturday and is likely to partner Janse van Rensburg in the second row in the second half, pointed to the two-metre tall, 115kg, 27-year-old’s ability to organise the lineout as being a key strength.

“His point of difference is that he can play lock and No.7, and he calls the lineouts. He’s a hard worker, he’s been playing in a tough league, with and against some of the best players in the world,” White pointed out.

“Nicolaas has been in France for a few years and is now one of Montpellier’s key players, he runs the lineout there. He works hard in training and off the field he does a lot of analysis on the opposition’s lineouts as well,” De Jager, who would have crossed swords with Janse van Rensburg when the Sale Sharks met the French club in European competition, said.