All Blacks’ ball-stripping defence stuns Springboks in first Test

South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus says the All Blacks’ decision to strip the ball from tacklers was a decisive factor in New Zealand’s 33-16 victory at Ellis Park in the opening Test of the Greatest Rivalry Series on Saturday.

The Springboks enjoyed spells of control but failed to turn their opportunities into points, while New Zealand made the most of the chances that came their way.

Erasmus said South Africa had not anticipated the All Blacks repeatedly attempting to dispossess the ball carrier in the tackle, a defensive approach that disrupted the hosts several times.

One of the clearest examples came when Jordie Barrett stripped the ball from Malcolm Marx as the South Africa hooker was close to grounding it after a maul. The turnover forced Marx to lose control and knock on, denying the Springboks a potential try.

“They had a very clever tactic, 100% legal. They were stripping in the tackle,” Erasmus told reporters after the game.

New Zealand’s technique differed from the methods South Africa had prepared to face, according to Erasmus. He said the All Blacks had generally been expected to use either downward pressure or chop tackles, rather than targeting possession directly.

“They didn’t tackle like we practiced, that we thought they would. They were normally either pushing down or chop tackles. And in this game, they had a lot of strips, even the try or the non-try [Marx’s knock-on], when we mauled, the ball was stripped right over the line. A lot of them are because of the good work that New Zealand did.”

Erasmus acknowledged that the Springboks should have adapted more effectively once the tactic became clear.

“The ball wasn’t slippery; we can’t use that as an excuse. We’re not an inexperienced team that played,” said Erasmus.

He suggested the pressure applied by New Zealand in open play and around the breakdown had contributed to South Africa’s difficulties.

“It’s probably the pressure that they put on us at [in] loose play, breakdowns and so on. So, yeah, we didn’t do well there, and they did great.”

The South Africa coach also praised the All Blacks for the variety and discipline of their defensive work close to their own line.

“New Zealand are great at, is that they really know how to stop you inside the 22 in different ways, be it stripping the ball, be it contesting for the ball on the ground, be it harassing the line within the laws.

“And we couldn’t handle that.”

Despite the defeat, the Springboks will have an immediate opportunity to respond when the teams meet again in the second Test in Cape Town on Saturday.

South Africa will be aiming to level the series at 1-1 after New Zealand established the early advantage with their convincing win at Ellis Park.