The Elephant in the Room

Given NZ’s scrumming and mauling issues throughout the series, this is an interesting finding:

In pounds:
Team Test 1 Test 2 Test 3 pack weights:
Springboks 2,022 lb 2,081 lb 2,108 lb
All Blacks 2,044 lb 2,037 lb 2,037 lb

….the Boks have bulked up by 10 lbs a man, while the ABs are slightly down. Teams playing the Boks seem to be avoiding the elephant in the room….you are going to be tested for physicality. NZ’s issues are far deeper….they need 4 props who can stand when the chips are down. That’s not Lomax, definitely not Newell, they have been found wanting many times. But the props they have would surely benefit with a bit more power behind them.

So that brings us to the underlying NZ strategy that’s driving this….mobility, ball in hand, creating space…and probably the thought that moving the Boks around may diminish the physical edge.

That was evident in the second half, when with a strong wind behind them, the ABs kept trying to run from deep. They literally ceded the wind advantage.

So hats off to them for finding ways to hurt the Boks…..but the basics are off….physicality, one on one defence in the third test, lineout security and even tactics. It’s a team that has exposed some Bok weakneses. But in the final analysis they have the same fundamental problems that bedevilled Razor.

And hats off to the NZ rugby community who have been very complimentary of the Bok’s, particularly of their play in the second half… the few reviews I have watched have been ruthlessly honest.

We should probably enjoy the fact that pack weight still matters while it does, because as World Rugby slowly erodes the value of the scrum, the knock-on effects will go far beyond scrums. Once the big, powerful specialist is no longer rewarded enough for the trade-offs that come with size, teams will start selecting lighter, more mobile forwards, and that'll change the ecology of the entire game. From there, the pressures on every other position change too. You risk setting off a chain reaction that changes the kind of players rugby rewards altogether. I'm very worried that that is where we are headed.

The Boks are certainly bigger and one can’t take the pack weights at face value as they are so inaccurate at times

For decades stats have had Eben at 117kg, the weight he was when he played for the Baby Boks - it’s a joke.

I recall an interview with him where he stated his weight fluctuated between 130 and 135kg which makes complete sense when you look at him

I think a big factor in how better our scrum has become is down to scrum coach Daan Human. All the forwards praise his methods - from the machines he designes to the scrum sessions he holds which the players say are tougher than any test match they play in. Seeing stars appears to be the norm during those scrum sessions

Was enjoying listening to the current Bok strength and conditioning coach - a Pom who now lives in CT, with his wife and 2 kids, one being SA born. He was approached by Rassie thanks to Schalk Brits’s recommendation - he was the Sarries S&C coach

The scrum is inherently rugby union. It's a massive Springbok strength and it will be completely biased by World Rugby if scrums get removed or watered down.

There's already talk of Oz and the Kiwi's pushing for changes, including proposals that could see scrums replaced by mauls, to speed up the game.

SA Rugby CEO Rian Oberholzer has said it feels like World Rugby changes laws to target the Springboks specifically, as World champions.

If Scrums gets taking away, rugby union will lose popularity overnight and go bankrupt shortly after, I think.

World Rugby says de-powering the scrum "isn't on the table" but they've already admitted resets are "one of the most frustrating things for fans" and they're looking to take that away.

French Rugby Federation has raised concerns about potential damage to the sport's DNA. So the Frenchies get it.

Scrums are for the big Boys, while the backline is for the fast guys, that's what makes rugby unique. Take that away and you might as well watch Rugby league.

And trust me, nobody wants to watch rugby league, it's way past idiotic!!

"And hats off to the NZ rugby community who have been very complimentary of the Bok’s, particularly of their play in the second half… the few reviews I have watched have been ruthlessly honest."

Not the whole community...some bitterballe on social media... they've got their fair share of one eyed nutters....PS...Moolaa has been the only one of our local board Kiwis who's shown his face since after the second test...

We weren't always the best at the scrum and NZ always put a decent pack out. I do think they are short on decent locks. You need a powerful 4 lock