Kings Park in Durban, with its high-summer atmosphere in the middle of winter, is renowned for the best after-party in world rugby.
Following a major fixture like Saturday’s test between the Springboks and Ireland, thousands of braaivleis fires light up the outer fields as the revelry continues deep into the night.
Dubbed the “last outpost of the British Empire” by former Springbok number eight and captain Tom Bedford, one of Durban’s favourite sons of yesteryear, the Kings Park bash always had a distinctly British and, indeed, Irish feel.
During my frivolous youth in Durban, we used to ham it up post-match to sing-a-long medleys by the Blarney Brothers, fronted by the legendary McIlroy siblings from Antrim in Northern Ireland.
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This past Saturday night, Irish eyes were smiling more brightly than ever at Kings Park and the chief party instigator was a lad from Skerries, br.
The rangy, ginger-haired substitute outhalf needed only 10 minutes to immortalise himself in Irish folklore by knocking over a pair of prodigious pot shots, both from more than 40 metres out, to steer Ireland to an epic 25-24 defeat of the reigning Rugby World Cup champions.
“It’s great play to put pressure on where it needed to be at the end of a Test match like that, but you still need guts,” acknowledged Ireland coach Andy Farrell.
“He had the guts in the first place to do the first dropped goal and then I thought it was immense how he had the courage to take it [the winning drop] early, so fair play to him.”
It was only the second time South Africa and Ireland had clashed at Kings Park. The previous occasion was 43 years ago, in 1981, when the boot was on the other foot with Springbok sniper Naas Botha banging over three dropped goals to edge out Ireland 12-10.
Significantly, Ireland’s recent triumph at Kings Park marks only the second time, after the heart-stopping 18-15 feat by the British and Irish Lions in 1997, a British or Irish side could see off the Boks in Durban.
The Lions secured the rubber with that coup, also courtesy of a last-gasp drop. Jeremy Guscott broke South African hearts on that occasion with his field goal at the death.
“We can sit here with a sad face and think of excuses, but the best team won on the day,” said Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus in the aftermath of the recent loss. “But, in that last minute, they were better than us.”
Last-minute moments often create rugby history.
However, it doesn’t necessarily require a memorable try or pressure penalty goal to leave a lasting legacy. Frawley nailed that point home over the weekend.
Botha, who nailed Ireland’s coffin shut in 1981, amassed 312 points in only 28 tests, due to South Africa’s sporting isolation during apartheid, with two tries, 50 conversions, 50 penalty goals and 18 dropped goals.
He agrees that the drop kick might have become somewhat undervalued as a winning weapon.
“I don’t think it is a question of the drop being ignored, but instead that players are so engrossed in a specific pattern that they’d rather set up another play than attempt a pot,” Botha says.
“But what can be easier for a fly-half, or fullback, when there’s only one or two points in it, than falling back into the pocket and going for a drop?
“Perhaps it has to do with a fear of reproach, that if the kick doesn’t go over people will ask: ‘Why didn’t you pass?’ Nobody, though, should ever blame you if you have a go.
“My argument is if a team can’t score a try after five to 10 minutes of trying, why not drop for a goal and let the scoreboard tick over?
“I guess there are many variables and it’s difficult to put one’s finger on it. Perhaps it’s simply that the technique is not properly embedded.
“One could see on Saturday that Frawley played the scoreboard; he knew exactly what was required. Often these days, teams don’t play the scoreboard, they don’t play the clock. Instead, they opt to stick to the pattern.
“Drop kicks are part and parcel of rugby. It is one of the few facets of the game where one can sacrifice three points without having done anything wrong, without having conceded a penalty or missed a tackle.
“It’s something to think about.”
One of the most famous dropped goals of all time, which highlighted South Africa’s Nelson Mandela-inspired walk to freedom 30 years ago, remains the one in extra time with which Springbok outhalf Joel Stransky clinched the World Cup title against New Zealand in the unforgettable final of 1995.
“The late Kitch Christie [coach] cornered me at lineout practice the week before the final, as I was busy practising my place-kicks,” Stransky recalls.
“’Why not try more drop kicks?’ Kitch asked. He believed that one should take advantage of the fact that drops provide an easy form of putting points on the board.
“That planted the seed and I spent more time on it.
“I had already succeeded with one earlier in the final when we had that scrum set up in the 12th minute of extra time and with the scores locked at 12-12. A backrow move was called involving number eight Rudolf Straeuli picking up off the base and utilising his explosive power on the blindside.
“As I looked up, however, I saw that the All Blacks were on to us, so Joost van der Westhuizen [scrumhalf] and I changed the call. Joost passed to me and the kick went over.
“It was a matter of playing the situation and executing it.”
According to Stransky, though, the drop kick is not such an easy skill to acquire.
“There’s quite a bit to it. It’s not only about dropping the ball correctly and aiming right but also about handling pressure and avoiding charging players. Thus, there is an element of risk associated with it, which is probably why it is not used more often.
“There’s no doubt, however, that in a brutally tight contest, like the one on Saturday, one can accumulate crucial points through dropped goals.
“Defensive structures are normally not set up to charge down drop kicks, as it is unlikely for a player to run from deep in the pocket. They tend to ignore the kicker, defend the wide channel and aim to rush teams behind the gain line.
“However, if one or two drops do go over, the opposition become forced to adjust their defensive structure.
“With Ireland’s first drop, Frawley had tons of time, but the second was under more pressure yet Frawley executed it brilliantly.”
With his execution of the Boks at Kings Park, Frawley not only ensured a drawn series but also closed the gap between Ireland and South Africa on World Rugby’s rankings.
While the chances of Rassie Erasmus’s side slipping up against Portugal in Bloemfontein are remote, it will be interesting to see what the top two spots on the rankings look like following the upcoming Rugby Championship, where the Boks will twice do battle with each of Australia, New Zealand and Argentina.
I wonder how many of the above encounters will be influenced by the revived art of drop-kicking?
