Boks restore spring in their line-out

The Springboks' foibles at line-out against the All Blacks have been addressed, lock Lood de Jager assured ahead of Saturday's Rugby Championship Test against the Wallabies in Adelaide.

The All Blacks proved major disrupters of the hosts’ line-out ball in their 35-23 victory at Ellis Park earlier this month, but De Jager, who calls the shots in that department for the Boks, believes it is a platform that can be restored to an area of strength.

De Jager explained while the Kiwis cut the Bok line-out down to size, the home team failed to troubleshoot.

“Credit to the All Blacks, they brought something we have not seen before. The lesson we took is that we have to have a Plan B. We have to be able to fall back onto something else. We worked on that to be more versatile,” said De Jager.

The line-out is a key area of the Springbok attack. Much of their forward grunt is channelled through their aerial efficiency and it is from that platform that they launch their much-vaunted maul. Without an unfettered stream of line-out ball, one of their few avenues of attack effectively becomes a cul-de-sac.

Against a well-drilled and predatory Wallabies team the Springboks will look to keep the ball under the protective blanket of their forwards for longer. That means their ability to deliver in the primary phases has to be beyond reproach.

Just like the line-out, the scrum offers them a potential foothold in the game, but what the Wallabies want for grunt there, they make up in pluck and craft.

“Australia have a good pack and a good front row,” reminded substitute Bok prop Vincent Koch. “Our focus is on us and what we've learnt and how we want to improve from the New Zealand Tests. We must deliver what we trained,” insisted Koch.

De Jager is in full anticipation of a Wallaby team desperate to bounce back from their chastening 48-17 defeat at the hands of Argentina in their last match.

Don't expect the home team to take a step back to the Boks. “They are more physical under Dave Rennie,” De Jager observed. “Maybe that is his way of coaching. His teams have always liked the physical confrontation. That is the thing we've picked up under him.”

With the Wallabies set to put their bodies on the line it will be up to the Boks to keep bashing away. This week they go into battle with just five forwards on their bench, but Koch was clear roles and responsibilities remain the same. “Each one in the bomb squad has a role. The dynamic won't change much. It is up to us to keep the intensity where starters left off.”

The Bok substitutes however, did not see through that brief against the All Blacks. While they did well to help get the team into the lead they fell off the pace in the closing minutes at Ellis Park.

“We proud ourselves to make impact,” said Koch. “We have looked at where we can improve as the Bomb Squad. It is important to keep that intensity. We know what is expected of us.”

Rennie clearly wants a positive response after his team's defeat in San Juan and to that end he has made six changes to his side.

Noah Lolesio will start at flyhalf, Hunter Paisami is back in the midfield, Reece Hodge is now at fullback, Matt Philip is recalled at lock, while at tight head Allan Alaalatoa is back in at the expense of Taniela Tupou.