Peter Stringer lauds Springboks’ defensive mindset

Former Ireland halfback Peter Stringer has lauded the Springboks defensive mindset after their fourth Rugby World Cup final win.

SPRINGBOKS DEFENSIVE MINDSET HAS NO EQUAL

Stringer feels that the Springboks belief carried them through the tournament.

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“The Rugby World Cup final was always going to be close given the way the rest of the tournament has gone, but it was a really absorbing, edge-of-the seat kind of game,” Stringer wrote in a column for Betway. 

“I don’t think you can have any argument in terms of the team that won the competition. It was just another masterclass from South Africa. As a unit, they looked very comfortable in defence. They didn’t allow New Zealand any penetration through their line at all. 

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“Even during the moments when they were down on numbers, you had guys like Faf de Klerk, Cheslin Kolbe or Pieter-Steph du Toit coming out of the line and making really good decisions to stop the attack and not allow Richie Mo’unga or Beauden Barrett any time on the ball. 

“New Zealand came back into it and had a little bit more territory and possession, but you just never felt like they were dominating the game. They were relying on something special from a creative player like Mark Telea to beat three or four defenders. 

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“South Africa’s defensive mindset, the level of aggression and relentless pressure of their line speed, is really something to admire, and you always felt they could go up a gear if needs be. 

“New Zealand missed a couple of kicks and, if one of them goes over, it’s potentially a different game, but there just seems to be an unbelievable belief in that South Africa team that, when the chips are down, they can just go and score when they really need to.”

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PETER STRINGER GIVES WAYNE BARNES THE GREEN LIGHT

Stringer also praised the performance of referee Wayne Barnes.

“The yellow and red cards obviously had a big influence on the game, but both were the right decision,” Stringer added.

“There was no late change of movement from Jesse Kriel, so the picture didn’t change for Sam Cane. You need to be seen to get your body height down and dip and Cane was always upright. With Siya Kolisi, his back is nearly parallel to the ground, so he’s made the effort to get into the correct tackling position. 

“There was a big directive from World Rugby coming into the tournament around head contact and people were wondering which way it was going to go, but there’s not been many talking points around cards, which has been great. 

“What’s pleasing from my point of view is that the referee and TMO are in constant communication. He’s always in the referee’s ear, so there’s no cause for to stop the play, deliberate over decisions and frustrate viewers.”