Richie Mo'unga will start at first-five in the second test. Photo / Photosport
Richie Mo'unga will start at first-five in the second test. Photo / Photosport
OPINION: Former Springboks assistant coach Alan Solomons analyses this Sunday's second test at Ellis Park.
The Springboks have made five changes to their starting side for the second test against the All Blacks. In the backline Jaden Hendrikse starts at halfback while Jesse Kriel comes onto the wing.
In theforward pack, Joseph Dweba replaces Malcolm Marx as starting hooker, Ox Nche joins the front-row brigade and the talismanic Duane Vermeulen returns to the lineup after knee surgery.
Dweba, parachuted into the starting line-up 24 hours after Bongi Mbonambi was named in the run-on XV, is a good player but is not at the same level as Mbonambi and Marx. Losing Mbonambi is not helpful to the Springbok cause and it may assist the All Blacks.
Meanwhile, not having Marx — who is the best hooker in the world — starting the game is definitely a factor. He was named man of the match in his 50th test and I'm of the view that you want him to be playing at least 60 minutes. Marx was influential in forcing four turnovers in the first test.
The All Blacks struggled with the pressure the Springboks put on them at the breakdown and Marx was one of the key protagonists. His athleticism, immense physical presence and rugby intellect makes him so effective. He may well come on at halftime but I don't understand the thinking of not starting him at hooker this weekend.
Malcolm Marx will start the second test on the bench. Photo / Photosport
With Faf de Klerk out with concussion, the spine of South Africa's side at No 2 and No 9 is not as strong as it was last week. For Hendrikse this game will be different in a way. He may have run on after only 43 seconds but he didn't come into the first test thinking he would start. It will be an interesting 80 minutes for him at Ellis Park. I thought Hendrikse did well but this is a big test for him.
In terms of Vermeulen, he has outstanding experience and provides good leadership but it will be a big ask starting the second test. In fairness to Jasper Wiese, he had a good test match and acquitted himself well. Having recently returned from injury, I don't see Vermeulen lasting beyond halftime.
The All Blacks will be desperate to prevent three consecutive defeats to the Boks and two on the spin. The big work-ons for the All Blacks are aerially — they only won five of 15 aerial contests — they need to be more effective at the breakdown and they need to try to get on the front-foot.
They battled aerially in the first test and whether they can improve in that area will come down to the composition of their back three. In terms of the All Blacks' attack, it looked sterile because they were unable to generate quick front-foot ball against a swarming South African defence. The Springboks stopped them at source by dominating the first collision, and the All Blacks couldn't get over the gain-line.
When dealing with the Boks' pressure defence, the ball carriage is very important and the All Blacks need to get over the gain-line early and particularly from first phase. If they don't, they are going to have a problem and they are set to remain on the back-foot and be outplayed as they were.
The All Blacks flourish when getting quick front-foot ball and taking advantage of counter-attacking opportunities but the Springboks play quite a structured game which doesn't allow for broken field. As evidenced in the first test, their suffocate and strangle tactics make it very difficult. Defensively the Springboks closed the All Blacks down well and the latter couldn't get their attack moving at all.
Richie Mo'unga will start at first-five in the second test. Photo / Photosport
In terms of how the All Blacks can turn the tide in Johannesburg and ask more questions of the Bok defence, playing Richie Mo'unga at first five-eighths can change the dynamic on attack. He takes the ball to the line well and the Boks will know he is a threat himself. Moreover, he is a good game manager and hails from a Crusaders stable where they play more conservatively and he is a good kicker — to touch and at goal.
When it comes to the set-piece, it's important for New Zealand to pick up where they left off when defending the maul. The key for them is to obtain parity at set-piece and again defend the maul well. The All Blacks' maul defence was good and they know the only way to stop it is to kill it at source.
• Alan Solomons is a former assistant coach of the Springboks
