World Cup winning coach Jake White believes the Springboks need to be more attacking on their away legs of the Tri-Nations championship but still backs them to get the job done against the All Blacks and Wallabies.

The Boks have used a kick and chase game to win their three home matches, twice pressuring the All Blacks into losses in Bloemfontein and Durban and using the same formula to dismantle the Wallabies in Cape Town.

That has them sitting top of the table and eyeing just their third Tri-Nations title as they prepare to head to Australasia to face the Wallabies twice and the All Blacks in Hamilton.

White dished out plenty of praise for the way his successor Peter de Villiers has kept the Boks at the top of world rugby but believes they will need a bit more adventure to succeed on the road.

"We did a lot of kicking in the last three matches, but that is understandable. You can't afford to take risks at home, so the conservative approach is justified. We played to our strengths, won the penalties and kicked the penalties," White told The Mercury newspaper in South Africa.

"Overseas, however, we may need to be a little more daring to get the results going our way. We're not going to be awarded as many penalties overseas as we were in the last three matches. It's just the way it is.

"The home team usually wins the penalty count, so the Boks are going to have to do a bit more than rely on Morne Steyn's kicking boot. If the Boks can score two converted tries in each match and kick at least two penalties, that gives them 20 points.

"Now even if that's not enough to win the game, I doubt New Zealand and Australia have it in them to score 28 points against our defence. That means even if the Boks lose, they'll be good enough to collect bonus points."

The rest of the rugby world might see White as a voice of reason. It's alarming that after the IRB put so much effort over the past two years into trying to find a formula to liven their game, the most successful side right now has based it winning way around a one-dimensional approach more akin with dinosaur rugby.

It should also be remembered that while White is correct with his current observations his side won the World Cup without scoring a try in the final.

Still, White felt there was much to admire in the Springboks side he had taken to the world title in 2007 and the way they had evolved since then.

"By and large this Bok group has remained the same for the past six years," White told The Mercury.

"It's taken them that long to gel into the formidable unit that they now are, but it is very pleasing to see that they have achieved what I always knew they could become, that is the best team in the world.

"Congratulations to Peter de Villiers, I am really happy for him. He has a wonderful record now that reads, played 19 won 14. It is a record any coach would want.

"It is truly great that we have maintained – and built on – the respect we gained in 2007."

White isn't alone in his belief that the Boks will need to show a bit more if they are to keep setting the pace.

Wallabies coach Robbie Deans says it's only a matter of time before opposition manage to counter the Boks' successful tactics of hoisting high balls to applying pressure in the danger zones.

Deans admitted the Wallabies failed to counter that in Cape Town but says things might be different for the rematches in Perth and Brisbane.

Speaking in the wake of last weekend's loss in South Africa, he said: "When they get that kick-chase game going it's extremely difficult to counter, and credit to them, they haven't put a foot wrong in their execution for some time now.

"But in the modern game, with the amount of analyses available to sides, it's inevitable that you will be worked out if your approach remains unchanged for an extended period of time.

"The Springboks have the players to play in a number of different ways and they need to explore all their options to make them an even better side."

And in reality that is the worry to the pack of teams chasing the Springboks right now – they do have the personnel to get better.

They have some outstanding runners in their backline who have the potential to be match-winners with the ball in hand rather than simply being chasers who apply pressure, such as the role that has been handed to wings Bryan Habana and JP Pietersen right now.

If the ball isn't being hoisted by halfback Fourie du Preez then it's going up via the boots of first fives Morne Steyn and Ruan Pienaar.

RUGBYHEAVEN NZ