Sam Whitelock still looking for ways to break Springbok hearts

All Black lock Sam Whitelock doesn’t remember specifically watching the Springbok huddle before a crucial lineout late in the 2015 World Cup semi-final‚ but he does clearly remember stealing the ball.

Whitelock nicked possession from in front of Victor Matfield’s grasp at a soaked Twickenham with fewer than eight minutes to play and with two points in the game.

It turned out to be the only lineout steal of a contest that was on a tightrope all the way through. The All Blacks won 20-18.

It was also the last time the Boks were competitive against the All Blacks.

In the three contests since then they’ve lost by an aggregate score of 52-9‚ which included a record 57-0 defeat in Albany three weeks ago.

Part of the Boks’ downfall in the last match was due to their set-piece crumbling.

But it didn’t simply fall apart without reason; it collapsed under severe All Blacks pressure.

And Whitelock was one of the destroyers in chief as the Boks lost five lineouts in Albany.

And it’s a job Whitelock is going to go to great lengths to repeat when the teams meet at Newlands this weekend.

He missed last week’s 36-10 win in Argentina as part of a small‚ crucial group of players that were spared the tough journey‚ coming straight to South Africa last Friday.

Whitelock is well rested‚ acclimatised and ready to go.

And he’s had more time than usual to do analysis. Not a happy recipe for the Boks.

“It would be quite nice to get the Springbok lineout calls‚” Whitelock said with smile. He might not have been joking.

“The past doesn’t really matter in this case.

"You can plan for it as much as you want‚ but there are heaps of ways to win the ball at the lineout.

“Every team has their own style‚ so you have to be prepared to adjust every week‚ firstly for the opposition‚ and then according to what’s happening in the game itself.

"We’re looking to improve on our recent performances‚ and we certainly won’t be sticking to anything that’s worked in the past.

“The Boks should also be better and so it could come down to which team adjusts the best on the day.

“It just shows that it doesn't matter what any team is doing‚ how they are tracking‚ you've got to prepare‚ first of all yourself individually.

“We've had a good look at it and with myself not playing last week I've spent a bit more time trying to work out if we can have a better plan‚ is there a different way of doing it for better results?

“And that's right across the board looking at all the set-piece and all the phase play stuff.

"We're always looking and no doubt they'll be doing the same and looking at us and trying to work out how to play against us and where they'll get the most rewards.

“That's one of the beautiful things about international rugby‚ and any rugby in general‚ there's those little games going on within the mass of things.

"That's something Dane Coles [hooker] and I get to do most weeks‚ trying to work out what they’re going to do and how we’re going to stop it.”