Former All Blacks and Wales standout Shane Howarth recently praised the Springboks for their superior performance in the aerial game. During the highly competitive Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series, which the Boks clinched 3-1 with a decisive 43-28 win in Baltimore, their skillful handling of contestable kicks was on full display.
Howarth, in an interview with Sport Nation, expressed his amazement at the Springboks' consistent recovery of high balls. He was especially taken aback by their performance in the latest series.
"Their dominance under the high ball is frightening. It would be great to get an insight on how the hell they are that good at getting their kicks back because it was phenomenal,"
He noted that despite his team's efforts, they were unable to secure possession from the Springboks' kicks.
"I don’t think any kick they put up we won, and it wasn’t because we weren’t giving it a crack; they were just winning it back."
The tactical shift by the Boks during the first test in Baltimore was particularly noteworthy. According to Howarth, the game began with an open style, but soon changed.
"Just looking at the first five or 10 minutes, the Boks threw the ball around, we threw the ball around, so I thought, ‘OK, here we go, it’s going to be a bit of an exhibition match’."
However, Howarth highlighted a strategic pivot when the Boks recognized their opponent's threats.
"But once the South Africans realised we could probably hurt them on the edges, they reverted to type and they’re bloody good at it."
Aside from their commanding presence in the scrum, Howarth emphasized that it was their aerial control that made a significant difference in the outcomes of the matches.
"Can we get a spy cam or something and see just what it is they’re doing? I’ve never seen a team in international rugby put kicks up and retain every single kick they put up. That’s what they did in Baltimore and that’s frightening."
As the Boks prepare for their final World Cup warm-up, the lessons from this series, particularly in mastering the high-ball, will likely play a key role in their strategy moving forward.
