Analysis: Springboks assistant coach Tony Brown's variations will make a traditionally tough tour of South Africa even more arduous, writes Patrick McKendry.
The Springboks' B team scored three maul tries as they out-muscled Australia in Perth — an indication of the strength and depth of their pack as they prepare to welcome the All Blacks for two highly-anticipated Tests.
Scott Robertson and his men will know what to expect in terms of the physicality and intent that's coming in the first Test in Johannesburg on Sunday, September 1 NZT — the onslaught will be as intense as they have experienced this year — but it's the wildcard element of South Africa's new assistant coach Tony Brown that they won't be so sure about.
There will be a feeling within the All Blacks' coaching team that the innovations shown by the Boks in Brisbane during their comfortable victory over the Wallabies in the first Test had former All Black Brown's fingerprints all over them.
There was wing Cheslin Kolbe putting the ball into a scrum and here he was throwing it into a lineout. The Boks also enjoyed success with a double pod system in an attacking lineout, with the second jumper passing to the one in front and setting a driving maul. It resulted in a try for skipper Siya Kolisi.
Elsewhere over the two Tests, backs and forwards operated with a ruthless efficiency in a game designed around relentless pressure and bolstered by contestable kicks.
It is a strategy which puts a premium on set-piece and mauling excellence, all honed, now that the world champions are no longer part of Super Rugby, in the Northern Hemisphere alongside other athletes with the same mindset.
Watch Scotty Stevenson and Pat McKendry break down last night's game on TVNZ+.
All of which means the All Blacks' scrum, lineout and maul will undergo a severe examination at Ellis Park and a week later in Cape Town.
As if that's not enough, the genius of head coach Rassie Erasmus and Brown, who signed with the Boks last year after coaching Japan with Jamie Joseph at the last two World Cups, will give them something else to think about.
It means the shock and awe of the "bomb squad" — a 7-1 forwards-backs split on the reserves bench unveiled last year — has been joined by the finesse of Brown's surgical strikes.
"They've been pretty innovative and have evolved really well over the last few games," All Blacks coach Scott Robertson said a day after his side's 42-10 demolition of Argentina at Eden Park.
"That's the exciting part. You see how Rassie's mind works. He's pretty special — they've got a great group there."
What of the All Blacks' innovations, though?
Robertson's men struggled to counter England's defensive line speed and shape during their victories in Dunedin and Auckland last month which could have gone either way.
Worryingly for the All Blacks, the other international team that defends like England is South Africa.
On the upside, there were a few more kicking variations at Eden Park at the weekend — a perfect chip by Jordie Barrett which found Damian McKenzie, who finished well, and another by McKenzie which sent skipper Ardie Savea away.
The chip kick and the kick-pass are the two easiest ways to unlock a rush defence.
The scrum has been a weapon for the All Blacks thus far, except during the loss to the Pumas in Wellington where there were, bizarrely, only four in total, and the maul has been good (although it conceded a lineout drive try at the Cake Tin when the All Blacks didn't get organised quickly enough).
Otherwise, attack coaches Leon MacDonald and Jason Holland have relied on quick ball and an adherence to the basics as their main strategies.
It all came to fruition in the first half against the Pumas at the weekend when the All Blacks scored five of their six tries.
There will likely be more variations to come from the All Blacks, and they'll likely need them and more to succeed in South Africa against the No.1 team in the world.
Watch Scotty Stevenson and Pat McKendry break down last night's game on TVNZ+.
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