’Boks benefit from isolation, says Norton

Press, 18 June 1986, Page 68

’Boks benefit from isolation, says Norton

By

PETER COMER

Far from having suffered from a lack of international rugby, the Springboks may instead have benefited from it. That was one of the impressions gained by the former All Black hooker and captain, Tane Norton, during the Cavaliers’ tour of South Africa* Mr Norton believes the Springboks’ 3-1 win in the “test” series against the Cavaliers was a fair result

“They definitely have not suffered from a lack of International competition. That’s a myth. You have either got it or you haven’t, and at the moment I don’t think there is a side to compare with the Springboks round the world,” he said.

The ’Boks had had ample opportunity to study other teams from afar, and still to play their own game. “A lot of rugby round the world is getting a bit stodgy, especially round the scrum,” said Mr Nor-

ton. “The Springboks could have fallen into the trap but they didn’t “When they did move the ball, intentionally or not they looked very, very good.” The 1986 Cavaliers had run up against typically hard South African rugby, said Mr Norton, who twice toured the republic during his playing career. The Springboks had been the better team, but in a different way than when Tane Norton toured South Africa with Andy

Leslie’s All Black side of 1976.

“They had better backs this time than in ’76, but they were not as good in the forwards,” he said.

“Their forwards were bigger in 1976. They had a small front row against the Cavaliers, but they were not very mobile in spite of their build. “Although they dropped in size and height, I thought they were very cumbersome round the paddock,” said Mr Norton.

In view of the speed and talent in the Spring-

bok backline, he thought it a pity that it was not used more against the Cavaliers.

“They said they would use their backs, but they didn’t,” he said. “I don’t think Naas Botha knows how to, because their play is based so much round the five-eighths, but the backs went really well from broken play,” said Mr Norton. “When a situation was looking good for us and Botha didn’t want the ball, he would flip it on almost without touching it or looking where it

was going. Just about every time his outside backs would turn it into gold.” Compared with the ball-starved Springbok backline, Mr Norton believes the Cavaliers suffered from a general lack of pace in the outside backs. “They appeared to me to be really struggling there, but some of the defence was excellent. Craig Green pulled off many superb tackles, but he wasn’t getting the ball on the front foot the way he can use it best,” he

said. However, like most observers, Mr Norton believes that the Springboks were well outgunned by the Cavaliers up front. The South Africans had no answer to the Cavaliers’ driving play and skill at keeping the bail alive and moving it through mauls. “They didn’t know how to begin to stop it,” said Mr Norton. “In my book the Cavaliers drove and set up as well as any All Black side of recent times.”