Ireland used to be a team renowned for their wide attacking threat - South Africa took that mantle last weekend
South Africa's flanker Siya Kolisi running through Ireland's Robbie Henshaw during the first Test in Pretoria. Photograph: Marco Longari/AFP via Getty ImagesPhysically, the hit almost knocked the Irish centre out of the game. The force involved saw Henshaw’s smart mouthguard to call for a head-injury assessment.
Brown is a fervent worshipper at the altar of the four-man lineout. With three forwards in the backline instead of the set piece, two outside the outhalf, one – in this case Kolisi – slightly wider, Brown’s attack has options aplenty which must be respected by the defence. Under Brown, the mastermind of the Japan attack which cut Ireland open at the 2019 World Cup, the Springboks have immediately become a side which loves to go wide. Not as much as their more traditional up the jumper approach, but enough to add another threat to their arsenal.
Despite Kurt-Lee Arendse’s opening try coming from side-to-side openfield play, set pieces were arguably where the attacking discrepancy between the two sides was at its most glaring. A basic plot of where both teams met the defence off the lineout, either an attempted tackle or maul, paints a stark picture.The old adage dictates that you have to earn the right to go wide by softening up the middle of the defence first.
When Ireland couldn’t punch those narrow holes there was no clear plan B. Time and again different plays involving initial carries close to the set piece were utilised. South Africa, by contrast, went early and often to strong runners in good positions in the wide channels.
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