Craig Dowd: A spaced-out rugby oddity

Ground control to Major Dowd, ground control to Major Dowd … Take your protein pills and put your helmet on; Ground control to Major Dowd, commencing countdown, engines on … Check ignition and may God’s love be with you …

(Spoken): Ten, Nine, Eight, Seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One, Springboks!

What do yer think, Craig? Didn’t our puppet do well?

Now sod off and take your sick prejudice with you while you’re at it. What you have basically said is that if the coach isn’t white he must be a puppet. Forget the fact that he came through the same coaching path (junior Sprinbok teams) as Jake White who won the World Cup.

Choke on that, mate!

All Blacks (15) 28, Springboks (17), 30.

This was another great Test between the two heavyweights of world rugby and, as Graham Henry said after the match, the All Blacks played well. It’s no good worrying about who is missing because any international team will only be as good as the players you can put out on the day. The Springboks themselves can point to the best hooker and scrumhalf in the world who were sitting at home watching.

On the field it was hard and aggressive but without the running battles we witnessed at Wellington. Unlike last Saturday the Springbok forwards were dominant in all phases, which saw the All Blacks looking to spread the ball wide. Their explosive running with the ball was very much in evidence and they were not far short of the Old Blacks at their finest.

Dan Carter with six penalties, a drop and a conversion kept the scoreboard ticking throughout. In return Percy (3), Butch (2) and Francois Steyn with a vital late conversion kicked the Springbok points.

The try count of 2-1 in the Springboks’ favour (JP Pietersen, Januarie; Lauaki) proved decisive in the end.

The Springboks deseved the win but the All Blacks showed why they are consistently at the top in world rugby. They give you nothing; you have to go and wrench it out of their hands.

So it proved in the death with six minutes on the clock and the Bokke trailing by five points and down to 14 men (Matfield yellow). Ricky Januarie broke on halfway, leaving the New Zealanders flatfooted and chipped the last defender, sprinted past, collected the ball and dived over. (I made a mental note to have his children.)

Francois Steyn converted (which 99% of Bok fans probably didn’t see on account of their eyes being closed) and we led by two!

Victory in the House of Pain.

Peter de Villiers, destined to fail in his application to join the great orators’ club, was humble in victory while Bok fans raced to contact any All Blacks fans they could get hold of.

For the religious I’m happy to confirm: there is a God!

Teams
New Zealand: Mils Muliaina, Sitiveni Sivivatu, Conrad Smith, Ma’a Nonu, Rudi Wulf, Dan Carter, Andy Ellis; Tony Woodcock, Andrew Hore, John Afoa, Anthony Boric, Ali Williams, Adam Thomson, Rodney So’oialo (capt), Jerome Kaino.
Replacements: Keven Mealamu, Neemia Tialata, Kevin O’Neill, Sione Lauaki, Jimmy Cowan, Stephen Donald, Leon MacDonald

South Africa: Percy Montgomery, JP Pietersen, Adrian Jacobs, Jean de Villiers, Bryan Habana; Butch James, Ricky Januarie; Gurthro Steenkamp, Bismarck du Plessis, CJ van der Linde, Bakkies Botha, Victor Matfield (captain), Schalk Burger, Juan Smith, Joe van Niekerk.
Replacements: Schalk Britz, Brian Mujati, Andries Bekker, Luke Watson, Ruan Pienaar, Francois Steyn, Conrad Jantjes.

Referee: Matt Goddard (Aus)