Springboks Kicking Game Leaves All Blacks at a Loss

(Photo by Duif du Toit/Gallo Images/Getty Images)

The All Blacks succumbed to a heavy loss in Durban at the weekend and were made to look bereft of ideas and short on confidence by the imposing Springbok power game allied to a formidable kicking artillery.

With the addition of Morne Steyn, South Africa have assembled the best kicking lineup in world rugby and the efficiency of their aerial play forced the Kiwis to play from deep in their half.

Heyneke Meyer touched on the All Blacks' reluctance to embrace a kicking game stating that: "One of the reasons New Zealand haven't won a World Cup for so long is their weakness in this area," while he also emphasised the kicking potency of the South African halfbacks, saying: "In the modern game you can't outrun a team - especially a team with a halfback duo like the one South Africa has."

The New Zealand back three are all exceptional attacking players and their threat on the counterattack was realised when Isaac Ross touched down for the first try after a sweeping move from deep but they are not the finest kickers with Rokocoko and Sivivatu being prime examples of 'non-kickers'.

It may seem churlish to criticise such fine rugby players for lacking a basic and mundane skill when they are blessed with such an abundance of offensive ability but when faced with the prospect of kicking the ball directly to the siege gun boot of Francois Steyn, the New Zealanders shied away leading to a litany of mistakes, handling errors and bizarre decisions such as Rokocoko running the ball from behind his own goal line.

The South African gameplan may have lacked the ambition of the All Blacks but the sheer range of their kicking game from Du Preez's towering box kicks to the huge up and unders and range kicks of the two Steyns meant that New Zealand forsook their own kicking game and attempted to run from everywhere.

The All Blacks began to play like they were 30 points down when they were only 9 and the game was still within reach.

The demise of the All Black second five-eight has also decreased the potency of their kicking; Ma'a Nonu is a phenomenal threat on the gain line but neither he or Conrad Smith are reliable kickers and it could be argued that the All Blacks are yet to replace the reassuring presence of Aaron Mauger in their three quarter line.

The reintroduction of Luke McAlister could provide another kicking option in either the 12 or 13 position but this would have to be at the expense of either Smith or Nonu.

The All Blacks are capable of astonishing attacking rugby and the handling ability of their forwards was in evidence when Kaino slipped the try scoring pass to Ross.

But it would appear that they lack a strong kicking game and the composure to win in inclement conditions against a powerful pack.

As for South Africa they could power to the Tri Nations title but the demotion of Ruan Pienaar removes the inspiration from their attacking play whilst the possibility remains that if a side can match the South African forward power, as the Lions team managed on occasion earlier this year, then the Springboks will require more than a rangy kicking game to win a tight contest. 

The conservative decision to confine the team's wide play and relegate Habana and JP Pietersen to chasing kicks could yet come back to haunt South Africa.

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