Schalk Burger Warns Springboks Must Fix Attack or Defence Before 3rd All Blacks Test
- Schalk Burger identified specific weaknesses in the Springboks' attacking game ahead of the decider at FNB Stadium
- New Zealand outscored South Africa nine tries to four across the first two Tests in the Greatest Rivalry series
- Burger and Hanyani Shimange debated whether the Boks' possession statistics told the full story of the series
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Former Springbok flank Schalk Burger has warned that South Africa must address either their attacking fluency or their defensive structure before facing the All Blacks in the series decider at FNB Stadium on Saturday.
The Springboks levelled the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series at one Test apiece after a 33-26 win in Cape Town, having lost the opening match 33-16 at Ellis Park. Despite squaring the series, New Zealand have crossed for nine tries to South Africa's four over the two Tests.
Burger Pinpoints Attacking Weaknesses
Speaking on The Verdict podcast alongside former Springbok centre Jean de Villiers, Burger acknowledged that South Africa's physical, direct approach had worked effectively in stages, but said the team loses conviction when attempting to play wider.
"Areas, on attack especially, where I think we are still weak is that we don't have that fluency," Burger said.
"You could see every time we try to pull it out the back, the error came."
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He also flagged slow organisation as a concern, particularly when South Africa transitions from defence to attack.
"We don't set fast enough on those transition plays," he said.
"It's almost like for a few weeks now, the focus is somewhere else instead of an all-out attack going."
De Villiers pointed to handling errors as an additional problem, noting South Africa conceded 15 turnovers in Cape Town and continues to make "a lot of handling errors."
Shimange Cautions Against Misleading Statistics
Former Bok hooker Hanyani Shimange offered some context around the possession and territory figures that favoured New Zealand in the second Test. He argued the numbers reflected contrasting tactical approaches rather than a straightforward performance gap.
"We are never going to make more passes than New Zealand," Shimange said, explaining that in the middle third of the field, the Boks prefer to kick contestables after one or two phases rather than build through multiple rucks.
Shimange also noted that New Zealand's statistical dominance in Cape Town was partly a consequence of trailing 24-14 at half-time, which forced them to chase the game.
Despite the differing perspectives on the statistics, Burger was direct about what the third Test demands. With New Zealand having scored four and five tries in the respective matches, he believes South Africa cannot afford another defensively porous performance.
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Source: Briefly News
