Mallett hits out at Springbok critics

Former Springbok boss Nick Mallett has taken on the numerous critics of the current South African game-plan.  

The Boks are ranked number 1 in the world and have despatched the British & Irish Lions and Los Pumas in recent weeks but have been labelled ‘boring’ in many rugby circles. 

The criticism has irked Mallett who has pointed out that Test rugby is about posting wins. 

Mallett coached the Boks between 1996 and 2000 and guided them to a world record-equalling 17 successive Test victories.  

 “Test matches are there to win, and what Rassie and Jacques have done is they have gotten the team to win,” said Mallett, speaking on Super Sport. “The Springboks play within the laws, we were penalised far less than Argentina, even with the passion with which we play the game. 

“So don’t criticise South Africa for playing this type of Test match rugby when they can win. If they lost, then you can criticise them. 57-0 in 2017 against the All Blacks, 38-3 against Ireland, with exactly the same group of players. 

“In 2017 we suffered humiliating losses when we tried to run the ball, it didn’t work much. Now we’re beating the teams that beat us by plenty before by playing to our strength. 

“It is not up to us to change the way we play because it’s not attractive. You play the way you play best in order to beat the opposition. If people want to change the way we play, they have to change the laws. Because we’re the best at what we do.” 

Fans the world over are eager to see the old, brutal rivalry between the Springboks and All Black reignited, and what makes the spectacle all the more appealing is the fact that the conservative approach of the men in green will be tested against the flashy running All Black game. 

“So let’s get New Zealand over here, they’re the best at running the ball. We’re the best at tackling people who run the ball and turning them over. 

“We’ve got a far better set-piece than them, we’ve got a better maul than them, we’ve got a better kicking game than them. It’s a clash of two different styles of play.” 

The future of the current Rugby Championship is currently under a cloud of uncertainty as the powers that be grapple with the decision to call the tournament off due to Covid-19 complications.