Flyhalf Handre Pollard has offered an emphatic riposte to continued questions around the Springboks’ style of play.
Although the Boks have backed up their 2019 World Cup triumph with a famous 2-1 series win over the British & Irish Lions, some critics – many from the northern hemisphere – have continued to suggest the Springboks still aren’t playing with enough freedom.
Just earlier this week, former Lions and England flyhalf Stuart Barnes labelled the Springboks as the “bad guys” with their reliance on a defence designed to slow the opposition down.
“As a fan, I hate to see how the Boks are stripping the international game back to its barest essential when they have so much more to offer in the way of talent,” he commented.
Yet, the facts remain that the Springboks have lost just two Tests in their last 17 appearances, while conceding a measly four tries in their last 10 internationals.
In the last two years, the Boks have added the Rugby Championship, World Cup and Lions series silverware to a once empty trophy cabinet.
“It is what it is. Everyone has got their way of playing rugby that they think is the right way of playing,” Pollard said.
“For us, it is not about entertaining, it is about winning … Test match rugby is about winning. At the moment, we are doing pretty well, so for now, if it’s not broken, there’s no need to fix it.
“We’ll just keep doing what we are doing and people can criticise as much as they want. We believe in it, and that’s the only thing that matters.”
COLUMN: Bok defence the best in the business
Photo: EJ Langner/Gallo Images/Getty Images
