South Africa’s decision to start Grant Williams at halfback against the All Blacks once again handed New Zealand a clear target they knew how to exploit. In the recent Test every one of the All Blacks’ five tries came down Williams’ channel or off his actions, whether through size mismatches on the edge, a perfectly timed charge-down of his box kick, or simple power plays that left him isolated. The visitors repeatedly tested him as the last defender in the Bok system, a role where he lacks the dominant tackling of someone like Faf de Klerk, and their ruck pressure often forced messy ball that disrupted his slower, higher passes and threw the Springbok attack out of rhythm. At the same time Williams delivered the high kicks the coaches wanted and occasionally sliced through with sharp short passes, showing the versatility that makes him useful, yet the overall picture left South Africa’s shape looking clunky when the pressure mounted.
From the All Blacks’ perspective the plan worked exactly as it had at Eden Park the year before, turning a known weakness into points.
The selection of Williams underlines the style Rassie Erasmus’s side is trying to play, but it also shows how quickly that plan can unravel when the opposition homes in on one player with precision and intensity
