Kiwi scribe begs Boks to bring 'good', not 'ugly' side against All Blacks

A renowned rugby scribe has called on the Springboks to produce their "good" style of play when they tackle the All Blacks in a Rugby Championship Test at Mbombela Stadium on Saturday.

In his regular Rugby Pass column, outspoken Kiwi rugby writer Ben Smith says the Springboks' good side is "great to watch" but their bad side is "ugly and disastrous for the global game".

As examples, he used last year's Rugby Championship encounters between the two nations in Australia.

New Zealand won 19-17 in Townsville before South Africa turned the tables with a 31-29 win in Gold Coast.

According to Smith, the Springboks' performance in the Townsville Test was nothing to write home about as they kicked possession away 38 times.

He wrote: "The first test against the All Blacks in Townsville last year was a new low for South African rugby, in terms of how the game is approached.

"Defensively they were strong, manhandling David Havili in the midfield, ripping apart the All Black maul, and monstering their ruck.

"But it was on the other side of the ball that was concerning. Never before in history has a South African team played like it, yet we were told at the time it was their DNA.

"There was next to zero desire to do anything with the ball with an unhealthy obsession of kicking to the sky. Even on the edge of the All Blacks’ 22, the scrumhalves were asked to launch box kicks."

Smith said the Bok forwards "deliberately slowed down play" and that it was "disgraceful" for the World Cup winners to play in such a way.

Smith insisted this was not the South African way of playing, noting that schoolboy sides in the country did not play this way.

"The elite schools are well coached and want to play with the ball, their top sides in the URC can be