Hurricanes assistant coach John Plumtree says the Springboks will have to lift their defensive effort if they want to beat the All Blacks in their Rugby Championship clash in Albany on Saturday.
The former Sharks head coach, writing in his in his monthly SARugbymag column, said that the Bok defence has been "too passive" and that they "sit back too much". This could be a dangerous ploy against the hard-running New Zealanders, who more often than not makes plenty of metres in the carry.
"If you sit back against the All Blacks attack and allow them to play, they will find a way to break you down eventually. The problem with that defensive system is it allows the opposition to keep the ball for a long period of time," Plumtree wrote.
"The All Blacks will be ruthless if the Boks' numbers are down on defence. Against the All Blacks, you have to take a few risks defensively and rush them. But that's not the Boks' defensive system and they won't be able to change it in a short space of time."
Plumtree says Argentina's strategy of getting off the line quickly and putting pressure on the All Blacks' inside backs worked well for them last weekend. But this tactic needs to be employed for the duration of the match, as the All Blacks still found a way to convincingly beat Los Pumas.
The All Blacks always seem to find an extra gear when they need it, so the Boks will have to be on their game from the first whistle to the last. But Plumtree believes even the Boks' best effort on defence and attack won't be enough to beat the All Blacks.
"Argentina's defensive strategy was very efficient as they applied pressure on Barrett and Sonny Bill Williams, and their linespeed gave the All Blacks a bit less time in which to play," he said.
"The Pumas' forwards made good use of the pick and go to get behind the All Blacks pack and create momentum. But Argentina couldn't sustain that effort.
"For the Springboks to beat the All Blacks in New Zealand they will have to produce more than a great 20 or 30-minute patch. They will have to play very, very well with and without the ball for a long period of time, and I'm not sure they are capable of that, to be honest. They're not good enough."