Felix Jones has confirmed that regular dialogue with South Africa's franchise coaches has sharpened the Springboks' tactical picture ahead of their Rugby Championship encounters with New Zealand.
Jones cited ongoing conversations with John Dobson, JP Pietersen, Ivan Rooyen and Johan Ackermann as a key information source, with the franchises having faced the All Blacks recently in the Nations Championship.
"Luckily, we've got a good relationship with Dobbo, JP, Cash and coach Ackers, and all of us chat pretty regularly," Jones said. "It's been good to get their thoughts on their games, but a lot of it has been a confirmation of what we saw in the Nations Championship — how they're trying to attack, how they're trying to defend, what they're doing in their kicking game."
The common thread from franchise feedback centred on two areas: the difficulty of converting maul opportunities close to the All Blacks' line, and the officiating of lineout defence in those positions. The franchises consistently found themselves in scoring range — often within 10 metres — but were unable to capitalise, with Jones pointing to illegal lifting and off-feet infringements at the lineout as recurring frustrations.
"They were frustrated that they couldn't score with their maul and it's tough when there's someone pulling you or trying to lift a leg or maybe just going off feet for a couple of seconds," he said.
Jones framed the intelligence largely as confirmation of existing Springbok analysis rather than new discoveries, suggesting the national team's own breakdown of All Blacks game film had already identified the same pressure points.