Herein lies the problem for SA rugby. Its taken the Tahs almost a season to understand how to run the ball back at high pace inside their own half. I would argue (Chieka would too, I think) that they've still got a long way to go.
Only the Cheetahs have the faintest notion of what it means to play running rugby; all the other franchises persist with mindless kicking and so when the national team comes up against a lesser nation the backs do not have a clue how to do it. The Saffer coaches and fans pat themselves on the back and talk about the SA way.
Right now the young SA backs are a once-in-a-generation golden era. This is being totally squandered by the four franchise coaches who are training them to kick everything and chase like mad. Steyn is still considered to be the best 10 in SA for this very reason.
It takes time for backs to learn how to run the ball, to catch and pass without dropping it and to start to learn techniques like looping and angle running. You'll never do it in a three week national training camp. These skills have to be learned over at least a season and the young guys like Lambie and Jantjes have gone backward in their skills this year. SARU needs to find a way to change the national phobia about kick and chase or players like Serfontain, Englebrecht, Goosen et al will become just a bunch of chase and tackle merchants. That would be a terrible waste.
Let me explain you two things why we play like we play and why you play like you play.
First off all when we are in the exit zone we use our set piece possession to kick.
NZ and Australia will take it up first to set up a ruck in the middle then launch their kick and chase.
Reason why we do it at set pieces is to minimize errors (Schalk Burger WC quarter final remember?) and because we got a bigger pack of forwards. Big blokes which mean they also will burn more energy quicker than the bit smaller Aussie and Kiwi forwards.
Reason why Australia and Kiwi's run it up first before launching their kick and chase is to have both ends of the touchline to aim at and to drain the energy reserves from the opposing teams bigger forwards (that is us and England normally) before handing the ball over.
So you see there is other elements at play here which tactics will play a vital role.
Also that little law tweak in 2007 mean that we can't kick it directly out from set plays. We have to create space some other way for Steyn to kick in. Fourie Du Preez could kick to the wings so the wingers had to stay up and that created space for Steyn to kick in.
As you will note him gone we struggle as Hougaardt can't box kick and thus the wingers can help cover the back areas. Hence the illusion that Steyn looked out of form.
