Van den Berg backs Springbok system to nullify Roigard threat
· The South African
Morne van den Berg has called on the Springboks’ defensive system to shut down All Blacks scrumhalf Cam Roigard in Soweto.
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Bok halfback Morne van den Berg is chomping at the bit to front New Zealand’s Cam Roigard in Saturday’s third Test at Soccer City. But unlike the two previous Tests, where Roigard excelled across the park, Van den Bern has backed the Springbok defensive system to neutralise the influential No. 9 this week.
HOW ROIGARD TROUBLED THE BOKS AND HOW THEY PLAN TO STOP IT
Roigard has been a persistent threat across the opening two Tests of this series. He has combined for 13 carries, gaining 74 metres and beating 11 defenders in total. His passing numbers stand out most, with 123 passes completed across both matches. He has also added 15 kicks from hand, two try assists and a try of his own.
Defensively, he has made ten of fourteen tackle attempts, along with a turnover won in the opener at Ellis Park. Those numbers paint a picture of a scrumhalf influencing games in almost every facet of play and it led to him outperforming his Bok counterparts Grant Williams and Cobus Reinach in Tests one and two.
Van den Berg explained that stopping Roigard starts with denying him front-foot ball at the breakdown. That means the Springbok forwards must again win the contact battle, as they did in the first two Tests.
“Cam is a very good player, but we just refer back to our system,” Van den Berg said. “If we are good enough and we get right what we want to get right, then he’s going to have a difficult day behind a slow ruck,” he added.
“As a scrumhalf, it’s really difficult if your pack is going back. For us it’s just putting more pressure on them as a team, rather than focusing on him as an individual,” he explained.
VAN DEN BERG ON TRUSTING THE BOK SYSTEM UNDER PRESSURE
Van den Berg referred to the All Blacks as the most attacking side he has faced in his career and with reason. The Kiwis’ width in attack troubled the Springboks at Ellis Park and DHL Stadium, leading to nine tries scored across those two Tests.
However, the 28-year-old is adamant of the Springboks’ defensive system will be able to nullify that threat in the third Test.
“It [the Bok defence] wasn’t perfect at times, but if you stay in the system, it protects you,” said Van den Berg, who will again play from the bench this weekend.
“Obviously we know what Cam is capable of, but it’s more about shutting the All Blacks down than shutting Cam Roigard down.”