Robertson must persuade sceptics, Erasmus wants to tinker

New Zealand and South Africa have different priorities ahead of the Rugby Championship

Coach Scott Robertson speaks with media during the New Zealand All Blacks Squad Announcement Photo by Joe Allison/Getty Images

An evolving New Zealand squad will be under pressure to challenge South Africa for Rugby Championship silverware amid growing impatience with progress under Scott Robertson.

After dominating the southern hemisphere tournament from 2021-23, the All Blacks surrendered last year's title to the Springboks in Robertson's first season in charge.

Two losses to South Africa and a home defeat by Argentina showed the New Zealanders struggling to move on from a post-World Cup exodus of senior players.

The All Blacks have since won seven out of eight tests, including a 3-0 whitewash in the home series against a depleted France in July.

However, home media remain sceptical about their regeneration mid-way through the World Cup cycle.

"I think it’s a team that's really trying to find our identity this year," prop Fletcher Newell told New Zealand media in Cordoba.

"I feel like we showed glimpses of it against France but we want to build on those areas.

"We want to play fast and to be really strong in our set piece, and pride ourselves in those areas."

The All Blacks may be glad to start their Rugby Championship campaign with a two-test tour of Argentina where they have never been beaten by the hosts — despite losing to them at home and in Australia in recent years.

They will hope to build momentum before a pair of all-important home tests against Rassie Erasmus's Springboks in Auckland and Wellington next month.

While Erasmus is eager to build depth to reinforce an ageing Springboks squad before their World Cup title defence, Robertson has tinkered at the edges of his roster while keeping the core intact.

He unveiled a couple of tactical shifts against the French, shifting centre Rieko Ioane to the wing to make way for Billy Proctor while moving Tupou Vaa'i, who played mostly as a lock, to blindside flanker.

But after cycling through his entire squad of fit players against France, Robertson included only one uncapped player in his 36-man Rugby Championship squad -- the big and bulky loose forward Simon Parker.

To the chagrin of some rugby pundits at home, Robertson will again be relying on familiar names and veterans, like hooker Codie Taylor and flyhalf Beauden Barrett, who will be 36 during the World Cup.

The squad is laden with injured players who will miss a test or two at the start, including loose forward Wallace Sititi, prop Tamaiti Williams and scrumhalf Cameron Roigard.

Robertson will hope his squad can avoid further damage on tour against Argentina before the looming showdown with the Springboks.

Meanwhile, while top-ranked South Africa will be seeking to keep up their winning ways in the Rugby Championship, their six matches over the next three months will also likely be used for experimentation.

Erasmus has made no secret of his desire to freshen up his ageing squad and keep the Springboks on course for a third successive World Cup title, when the next tournament is hosted in 2027.

He has suggested that he might prioritise handing vital international experience to a new crop of emerging players ahead of the outcome of the Rugby Championship tests, although given his relentless competitive streak, this is only likely to be in extreme circumstances.

There is guaranteed to be more of the out-of-the-box thinking over the next few months that has turned Erasmus into a figure who deeply divides opinion. Some see his tactical manipulations as innovation, others as borderline cheating, but Erasmus’ Machiavellian moves are changing some aspects of rugby.

None more so than his loading of the replacement bench with forwards to bring on more muscle at vital junctures of the game. The uneven split between substitute forwards and backs has been quickly adopted by other test teams.

More recently, South Africa used the tactic of lifting a jumper, usually reserved for line outs, in open play to force a maul and use their power to push their way over the opponent’s goalline and score a try. It garnered both applause and derision but is not stopping Erasmus.

“I think one must be constantly thinking of new plans because if you keep doing the same old stuff, you’ll never get any advantage,” Erasmus said ahead of this weekend’s kick-off of the southern hemisphere tournament.

“We’ve got one or two other things we want to try out,” he added, creating some suspense for the upcoming clashes.

But priority for the Boks is ensuring a potent squad for the World Cup in two years. The majority of the World Cup winners from 2023 are over 30, and Erasmus is conscious that many might be past their peak in 2027.

“It’s not easy to predict who is going to be available, and that’s why we’ve been working with an expanded squad of 45 players,” he explained.

Recent tests against Italy and Georgia saw several new caps.

“We won’t be throwing the old guys away, but we need to give as many chances as we can to up-and-coming talent,” he added.

Reuters