Springbok assistant coach Mzwandile Stick said his team planned to deny France’s two playmakers time and space before their Nations Championship match at the Stade de France on Friday night, IOL reported.
Stick spoke on the eve of the game. He said France coach Fabien Galthie’s choice to play Antoine Dupont at flyhalf next to scrumhalf Maxime Lucu posed a different kind of threat.
“It’s not a secret how we operate and defend,” Stick said. “If you’re going to play against the best in the world, guys like Antoine Dupont and Louis Bielle-Biarrey, if you give those guys time and space, they will punish you.”
Earlier in the week, Galthie said South Africa’s rush defence made it very hard for teams to move the ball wide. Stick said stopping France’s dangerous outside backs, including wing Louis Bielle-Biarrey, was central to the Springbok plan.
Stick said Dupont was hard to stop when he had momentum and made good decisions under pressure. He said Lucu was one of the best at managing a game and had a good kicking game.
“Both packs want momentum and both packs want to dominate, and that’s going to set the platform for both backlines,” Stick said. “If we also get quick ball, with the backline players that we’ve got, we’ve also got the potential to punish France.”
The Springboks were again set to rely on eighthman Jasper Wiese to win front-foot ball. Wiese stood out against Italy the weekend before with his strong ball carries and a no-look inside pass that opened up the Italian defence.
Stick joked that he is not usually a fan of no-look passes. He praised the freedom that Rassie Erasmus’ coaching team gives forwards to back their instincts when there is space.
“We’ve got different personnel and philosophies among our coaching staff, with the likes of Tony Brown and Felix Jones, and we always try to complement each other,” Stick said.
“Jasper is one of the most physical guys who gives us momentum, but when the gap is there, he’s got the freedom to take the space,” he said. “Am I the biggest fan of the no-look passes? Not really. But if you can execute it like he did every day to score seven points under the poles, I’m not complaining at all.”
Captain Siya Kolisi said Wiese’s main value was his physical edge. Kolisi said this would decide the result in Paris.
“He doesn’t care whether there’s someone in front of him or no one in front of him, he finds us momentum when we need it,” Kolisi said.
Kolisi said Wiese was not the only one. He named Pieter-Steph du Toit, Lood de Jager and centre Damian de Allende as players who also bring that power.
“We know the French team love the physical side of the game, so we know tomorrow that we all have to do our part, because whoever wins the physical battle will probably win the game,” Kolisi said.
Source: this article is based on reporting by IOL Sport. Image: IOL Sport. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice Sports desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Tiyani Mathebula writes about sport for Tzaneen Voice. Tiyani covers Bafana Bafana, the Springboks, the Proteas and the PSL, along with athletics, tennis and local club sport. Match reports and previews focus on results, team news, fixtures and what each game means for South African teams and fans.