Smith: Bok backline like schoolboys

Cape Town - Former Springbok flank Juan Smith feels the biggest problem with the current team lies in the backline.

In an interview with Netwerk24, Smith said the current Springbok backline looks similar to a schools team.

The Boks failed to cross the whitewash in their last two Rugby Championship games - against Australia in Pretoria and New Zealand in Durban.

They beat the Wallabies 18-10, but came badly unstuck against the All Blacks, losing by a record margin of 57-15.

In fact, Bryan Habana's try in the 18th minute of South Africa’s 41-13 defeat to the All Blacks in Christchurch on September 17 was the last time the Boks recorded a five-pointer.

Forgetting injury-time, that's a 222 minutes without a try.

“Our set pieces, the scrum and lineouts were not bad this year. The big problem lies with the backline,” said Smith.

“They aren’t running good lines, no one is taking gaps. There is no one who is keeping defences guessing at the back and it looks like there’s no plan.”

Smith, who played 70 Tests for the Springboks between 2003 and 2014, also went on to say he felt there was no real game plan at the Boks and that the younger players were not receiving the necessary guidance.

The 35-year-old is currently plying his trade at French club Toulon, where is contracted until June 2017.