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Ruan is a ray of Bok light

Comment: Rob Houwing, Sport24 chief writer

Cape Town – At least one positive aspect emerged from the wreckage of the Springboks’ second successive defeat to the arch-enemy All Blacks on Saturday: Ruan Pienaar providing some much-needed second-half snap, crackle and pop at scrumhalf.

When the Sharks player entered the fray in the 54th minute of the Vodacom Tri-Nations match, which the now thoroughly resurgent home side won 31-17 at Wellington, the first thing he did wasn’t promising – he badly over-cooked a kick out of hand, directly into touch, as play was frustratingly called back from a Bok point of view.

But as he gradually warmed to his on-field presence, so too did the South African all-round game suddenly – and arguably for the first time in two Test matches – discover a bit of front-foot vibrancy and thrust.

Let this be said: the much-maligned Ricky Januarie hadn’t had an awful game up to his substitution in a general visiting display that was, at least, a notch or two higher than the more serious flop at Eden Park.

He was sometimes poorly protected at the breakdowns, where New Zealand again tended to get better numbers faster and with a lot of on-the-deck policing leniency from Alain Rolland to aid their cause.

Occasionally, too, the bald-headed customer had to make other peoples’ tackles for them -- Januarie has never lacked anything in attitude and spirit, of course.

But he also continued to be more erratic than you would ideally like of a No 9, was eclipsed overall by opposite number Piri Weepu, and has a glaringly laboured pass which only swelled the problem of the Bok backline looking overly flat-flooted and toothless for long periods when in possession.

And that is where Pienaar made a noticeable difference: the Boks began to look less predictable as they strove to make up lost ground and at least provided some reminders that they can, indeed, still be dangerous and decisive with ball in hand.

Coach Peter de Villiers has had long-time personal faith – some would brand it an obsession – with the Stormers’ mostly second-choice scrumhalf, but if he has any sense and wants to recapture some slightly lost ground in his win-loss ratio as Bok mastermind, Pienaar should be given a start against Australia in Brisbane next Saturday, where the Boks must prevail to have any chance at all of retaining their Tri-Nations crown.

It is a stark fact that, whatever the furore over Rolland’s refereeing, South Africa were again outplayed for the most part by an All Blacks side benefiting from their pack working as a mobile, smothering machine in open play and also from a veteran like Mils Muliaina at fullback giving the backs a thrilling extra dimension in attacking raids.

New Zealand have 10 log points to nil from the two home meetings against the Boks, which is a lot of turf to make up for the World Cup champions, and also boast a try-scoring supremacy of 8-2, food for lengthy thought for De Villiers and company.

Apart from Pienaar providing some belated urgency, the Springbok set-piece – both scrum and lineout – was another reason for hope: it was altogether more efficient than it had been in Auckland.

That was the case even with tighthead CJ van der Linde not reappearing through injury for the second half (he has a mounting legacy of this problem, doesn’t he?) and BJ Botha doing a credible job as replacement.

Among the loose forwards, Francois Louw went a fairly long way to atoning for his anonymous showing last Saturday, while Schalk Burger inspired his team-mates by “going” for fully 80 minutes in a praiseworthy show of defiance.

But there remain matters for head-scratching elsewhere.

Pierre Spies did some good things at No 8 but still shows some vulnerability in defensive chores near the Bok line, while the positions of Wynand Olivier at No 12 – just not quite enough “oomph” or X-factor – and Jean de Villiers out of his natural habitat on the right wing must be under threat for the Wallabies match.

The latter, like Van der Linde, did not come back out of the tunnel after half-time and was visibly hobbling just before the break, so an enforced change is possible anyway.

The once-revered Bok defence, broadly, is creaking a little – certainly there were missed tackles galore as substitute Israel Dagg slithered over for the All Black bonus-point try.

It is not quite the Armageddon yet, but Bok supporters are fully entitled to start asking really searching questions now as to why last year’s Tri-Nations efficiencies and sharpness have gone AWOL thus far in the 2010 version …
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