Split with Springboks and Sergio Parisse.
On the day that World Rugby announced that 142-time capped former skipper Sergio Parisse will be inducted into their Hall of Fame, the Italy legend joined Planet Rugby to discuss the honour of the award and also his secret admiration for the way that South Africa are raising the bar in all aspects of Test rugby.
Hall of Fame
“Firstly, I can’t describe what an honour this is and how much it means to me. John Eales contacted me a couple of months ago to tell me they were inducting me and they’d announce it in November, so it was hard to keep the news a secret!” Parisse confessed.
“All of the names on that list – you feel as if you’ve joined the rugby Gods – everyone a champion, and then there’s little old me who lost the most games in Test history,” he quipped.
“But it was always about how I played the game that mattered to me. Being different, changing perceptions of the position of the eighth man and approaching it in a way that challenged the opposition and the role itself. I wanted to be a forward known for a skill-based perspective in the way I approached my game and I feel I managed to do that.
“On top of that, consistency and quality were my goals. Did I achieve all of that? It’s not for me to say. I didn’t win many Test matches but I think I won the respect of my opponents and of the rugby fans, and that means a lot to me.”
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Pushing the envelope
“As a coach now, I enjoy bringing my perspective and my thoughts to the Top 14 and beyond. I have learned from so many during my career and, as with all in life, even now after 142 caps and 23 years in the top flight of the game, I learn every day,” he observed.
“Rugby is in a very interesting place. I have to admit to my admiration of the Springboks and how they’re pushing the envelope of the sport forward in such a positive way.
“They are an immensely complete team and what always resonates with me is that they are so unstressed and unflustered, whatever comes their way.
“They have an ability to cope – it doesn’t matter what you throw at them, they will normally find a way to deal with it. They’re not unbeatable- Argentina proved that in the Rugby Championship – but to overcome them you have so much to deal with.
“From a coaching perspective, you look at the weakness of the opposition and where you can exploit an advantage, and then you also look at the strengths and plan how you overcome them. With most sides, it’s fairly obvious to work out those areas, but with the Boks, it’s so much harder as they’re incredibly complete.”
“To beat them, you have to be perfect in every aspect. If you focus on scrums, then they’ll beat you in the air. Focus on attacking wide and they’ll attack you down the middle the moment they get a transition moment,” Parisse continued.
“And, every tackle MUST stick. Their post-contact metres are phenomenal. In the middle of the pitch, they’ll use power and kicking to soften up their opponents. South Africa aren’t a hugely structured side running the ball in phase waves in a traditional manner. What they do is use forward after forward off nine or ten coming around the corner until your defensive line is short of numbers. They win probably 70% of the collisions in the game and that reduces defensive numbers as players are out of the game, forced to double team the tackles and as a result, losing bodies in the line.
“Then they attack in arrow-straight lines or with the kicks with huge pace from their back three. This season, we’ve seen them employ their back-rows in the wider channels, and especially with the escort law changing the aerial dynamic, this has been super effective for them – and they have the athletes to do it with comfort.”
Changing the threat
“There are other sides that can match various aspects; Argentina’s back-row is every bit as big as the Boks and every bit as good. The All Black scrum isn’t far behind South Africa’s, but the rest of their game is behind. France have skill levels and half-backs to match, but can’t maintain the 80-minute intensity that the Boks can.
“So you find yourself beating them in one area and losing in four others! Their tour has been like this big green machine literally ploughing through everything that’s come their way and I fear for Wales this weekend as we may see a big score against them should things get messy.
“I mentioned their calmness; at the helm of their ship is Rassie, and he has an ability to empower belief in all around him. Listen when he speaks to players- they hang on every word. He has weaponised their emotions and the multicultural nation of South Africa as a country and he then gives them such clarity of their mission and emphasises the weight of expectation their jersey holds. Rassie has a degree in rugby players and the connection he creates within the squad is quite remarkable.
“For a coach like me, although I am just at the beginning of my journey in that aspect, there’s so much I learn from watching these guys and speaking to their players.
“I think it’s absolutely fantastic that, at a time when I’m honoured in the sport by my award, that the game is, on the pitch, in such a healthy condition and I hope that the Boks, along with others, continue to raise that bar of innovation, intellect and passion that meant so much to me during my career as a player,” Parisse concluded.
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