During the podcast, de Villiers illustrated the Springboks' superior form, noting they shattered defensive lines 11 times and led in post-contact metres during their last clash in Baltimore. He posed to Fleck that perhaps it’s no longer accurate to label the South African team as merely a set-piece force after they ramped up their scoring from one try in the series opener to six in the decisive fourth Test.
"We certainly have grown, not just in this series but over the last 12 months, since Tony [Brown] has come in. He’s brought a different sort of mindset: a bit more possession, ball in hand, an extra pass here or two, especially on the front foot. That allows our runners to isolate defenders, hence the post-contact metres. We get into one-on-ones instead of double tackles, so we started to get in behind defences. In that first Test, we showed a little bit of it, but we turned over too much possession. As the series went on, especially in this fourth Test, you saw that."
Fleck further detailed advancements in the team's turnover attacks, referencing Kurt-Lee Arendse’s try as a pivotal moment that mirrored a tactic long used by the All Blacks against them.
Hlungwani then revisited the All Blacks' initial match against the Stormers, where the tourists were penalized 11 times at scrum time. He observed that although the All Blacks seemed to improve against the Lions and Bulls, their scrum vulnerabilities resurfaced in subsequent games against the Springboks.
"But when they started playing the Springboks again, the scrum showed that they still haven’t solved those problems. One game is not enough to actually say you’ve solved it,"Hlungwani expressed, suggesting that the Springboks could still exploit this weakness with more play.
The Stormers' forwards coach also mentioned that exposure—or the lack thereof—to prolonged scrums, mauls, and box-kicking in Super Rugby highlighted areas the Springboks capitalized on effectively against the visitors.
Through strategic shifts and exploiting opponent weaknesses, the Springboks' recent performances paint a picture of a team that's rapidly evolving, challenging old stereotypes, and potentially changing the dynamic of their historic rivalry with the All Blacks.
