Ball Security at Breakdown
This was the biggest problem and was the reason the All Blacks struggled to get anything going. They were not committing enough numbers to the breakdown and were too slow getting there. Argentina were able to pile in and either turnover or disrupt All Black ball, preventing them from building pressure and mounting a serious attack.
The Springboks are very good over the ball and will look to smash through the All Black forwards if they are not there in numbers. If the All Blacks are to win next week, they are going to have to commit more than two players to each ruck, because they will just get pushed off their ball otherwise.
Catching High Balls
Undoubtedly the conditions played a part in this, but the All Blacks struggled under the high ball against Argentina, with all of the back three dropping balls at different stages. If the Springboks notice a weakness under the high ball, Morne Steyn will just put up bombs all day. It is all very well being so lethal on the counterattack, but you have to be able to catch the ball first. Let us hope it was just a bad day in difficult conditions.
The Scrum
The scrum was under pressure yet again from a powerful Argentine pack, conceding penalties after being pushed backwards on multiple occasions. It is such a fundamental source of possession and conceding penalties in your own half is as good as giving up three points with Morne Steyn in the opposition.
Be Physical
You know the Springboks are going to come out and try to smash you up front every time you playthem. That is a given. You just cannot let them get the upper-hand, which means meeting them in the battle. In the first game between the two sides this year, the All Black pack did a good job of muscling up and were every bit as physical as their opponents. Kieran Read, Brodie Retallick and Liam Messam led from the front and took the sting out of the Springbok onslaught.
Playing them at Ellis Park is a different beast though, as they will be that much more hyped up, particularly after the controversy of the last game.
Defend
Not that the defence was overly bad against Argentina, but the All Black defence will have to be top notch next week. The Springboks will likely play a relatively open game and take a few more chances than usual, given that they need a bonus point win to top the Rugby Championship. They have a team that is capable of doing this too, with the likes of Bryan Habana, Jean de Villiers and Willie le Roux all players who pose real threats on attack. If they are given a platform to attack from, they will be very dangerous. Defending well will be key, just staying organised and making tackles, it is that simple.
