Last night I finished watching episode 3 of Chasing The Sun 2 which is an in depth behind the scenes documentary filming the Springboks at the 2023 Rugby World Cup. I have seen other documentaries that follow sports teams, but nothing comes close to what they offer here.
As you all know SA went on to win the Rugby World Cup and it is interesting to see how they achieved this by doing things differently. The management team believed that the most important game in their pool was the Scotland game and even if they lost to Ireland it made no difference because the run in to the final was just as tough either way.
What I enjoyed the most was the tactical meetings because there is nothing hidden from the viewers. They know letting these secrets out will not alter things because some of the management team would be involved with other teams next time around.
The one key piece of technical equipment which I think other teams will no doubt be trying to get their hands on is a rugby simulated computer game. This is next level stuff and I will explain how this works.
The 15 players who are playing the next match all have their own controller that depicts their jersey number and position on the field. The program of the opposition is fed from all previous matches so they kind of follow a pattern of how that team will play.
During one of these computerized sessions the players noticed a weakness in the French Rugby teams game pattern and planned a set move called Purple. They scored two tries from this move in the quarter final and shows why they are World Cup Champions. This type of game has been used by the South African team for about 6 years now and is a valuable piece of technical planning. The players know exactly what to do through moving their player around the screen and where they need to be.
This type of advantage has a short window however and expect the England team to be using this within the next 12 months. South Africa's defensive coach has joined England and expect that is one of the reasons why they wanted him so badly. One can expect England to improve considerably in time for the next World Cup because they will be more prepared than ever before.
Another important fact that came out was SA using so many players leading up to the tournament and during the tournament. Rotating players meant other teams would struggle forming a game plan not knowing who is playing and who was not. South Africa knew the French game plan and knew what to expect.
The last time they played France there was only 1 scrum in the match and the French would run 3 moves and then kick the ball deep expecting it to be kicked out giving their large forwards a minute or two to catch a breather. SA's game pan worked on tiring their forwards out and 1 scrum which are energy sapping would not tire them out quick enough. This is why the team called for a scrum from a mark even though it cost them 40 meters of field position. This is not normal and had the French asking if it was legally part of the rules and it is. This they had never planned for and had caught them out wrecking their own game plan.
Ig you get a chance to see this series I highly recommend you do even if you are not a rugby fan. This is just out the box thinking all the way through and is refreshing to see in this day and age of professional sports.