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Cape Town - Former Springbok coach Nick Mallett says South Africans can learn from the way the Hurricanes play rugby.
It was a sombre year for South Africa in Super Rugby this year, with only the Stormers making the playoffs - courtesy of them finishing on top of the South African conference.
The Hurricanes surged into the final with a comprehensive 29-9 annihilation of the Brumbies in Wellington at the weekend.
They will face the Highlanders in an all-New Zealand final after the men from Dunedin upset the defending champion Waratahs 35-17 in Sydney.
Mallett, speaking in the SuperSport studio after the game, said:
“The reason there were so many missed tackles from the Brumbies (32) is that the Hurricanes are a team who stay on their feet, offload in the tackle and take the ball away from the defensive structures as opposed to attacking them. They encapsulate the New Zealand rugby philosophy and South Africans can learn from them.
“The key is they don't coach according to areas of the field... that you're in your danger zone so you've got to kick, or you're between the 22m lines so you've got to kick an up-and-under. They look at the situation and coach the situation. If they get a turnover or a poor kick they immediately look for a two-pass policy. They move the ball into the middle of the field and suddenly from being on their 22 they have possession on their 10m line and are looking to play again. The Hurricanes also understand when it's on to move the ball wide or when they've got to set a target.”
