First of all, a mea culpa. Last week I asked whether defence really does win championships. On Saturday night in Yokohama, South Africa’s response was emphatic. As England battered away for 26 phases just after the half-hour, being shunted back further and further from the Springbok line, it was clear that South Africa’s defence was not going to be breached. Rassie Erasmus was rightly named World Rugby coach of the year for the transformation he has overseen in the last 18 months – although Jamie Joseph would have been an equally worthy winner. And it was no surprise when reports surfaced that as Erasmus prepares to revert to a director of rugby role, his successor is set to be his defence coach Jacques Nienaber. Initially a physio, Nienaber has stepped into the defence coach role and served as Erasmus’ right-hand man with the Cheetahs, Stormers, Munster and now the Boks. The two go way back, all the way to their time in the army together, and as the players reflected on what it meant to win a World Cup, Nienaber’s name came up time and again. Francois Steyn, who joined Os du Randt as the only South African two-time winners, said: “I know Rassie because I played against him when he coached the Cheetahs. All the credit must go to him and Jacques, they have put together an amazing team. I just want to thank them for bringing me back and making me part of the team. They are awesome coaches. “Jacques wants us to take chances. I think the more chances you take, the better you will get at making reads and the better you will be.” It is interesting that Steyn talks about taking chances. Nienaber’s defensive system seems so suffocating at times that everything is run like clockwork.
