All Blacks icon John Kirwan has pleaded with the Springboks to play a more expansive style if the defending World Cup champions want to beat France on Sunday.
The Boks are prepared to dominate the set-piece and physical battle against tournament hosts France in a blockbuster World Cup quarter-final in Paris on Sunday night.
But, speaking on the latest episode of Sky Sports’ ‘The Breakdown’, Kirwan suggests that the South Africans must adopt a ball in hand, rather than their expected territorial kicking gameplan for the last-eight clash with Les Bleus, and unleash the likes of wingers Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse more on attack.
“The reality is we know how the South Africans are going to play, and I think they’re a way more complete side than they show,” the World Cup 1987 hero said.
“We know they’re going to kick it high, we know they’re going to chase it down, we know they’re going to maul – we know they’re going to do all that sort of stuff.
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“But they don’t play an expansive style, and you can’t criticise them for that because they win rugby games doing it.
“However, I think against France you’re gonna have to have an expansive game, and you’re gonna have to do that earlier than you might want to.
“Because if they [France] match you physically, and if they’re good receiving the ball and have a good kicking game back at you, then you need to look for other stuff.
“My problem with South Africa is their DNA is to go to what they know, but I still think they’ve got this amazing backline that is incredible in its own right but they don’t go to them until the game is sort of won.”
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Photo: Sylvain Thomas/AFP