While Adolf Hitler was losing his head at a waxworks museum in Berlin, the All Blacks were keeping theirs and recording a deserved victory in Wellington on Saturday. Not one for the faint-hearted, this Test was not so much ebb and flow but more bleed and go as the two juggernauts squared up. Definitely worth the price of admission — although, as Will Carling pointed out, the sight of empty seats was truly mystifying if not downright worrying. In terms of rugby union, this is as good as it gets.
The first half was an epic scrap with the forwards battling for supremacy. The initial scrums were cause for concern before the Springboks adjusted and started to match the All Blacks.
Tony Woodcock was immense, causing havoc in the early stages. In the line-outs, the Kiwis were tactically superior in ensuring that the first seven line-out throws fell to them. This starved the Springboks of a vital source of clean ball in the first half. As always, Schalk Burger stood out in a pack that did South Africa proud even if we didn’t bring home the bacon.
Daniel Carter, undoubtedly back to his best, gave the All Blacks a 9-3 lead, trading three penalties to a single effort from Butch James. Then came the moment we had been praying for: Adi Jacobs on halfway offloaded to Jean de Villiers, who sent Bryan Habana away. The Blue Bulls bullet was unstoppable as he found the corner for the Springboks’ only try. James failed to convert and the Bokke trailed 8-9 at half-time.
An even contest with much to admire.
What happened next proved crucial. Early in the second half the pendulum swung back in New Zealand’s favour, Carter finding Thorne with a delayed pass who in turn got Jerome Kaino away to crash over in the corner. Carter then extended the lead to 16-8 by nailing a difficult conversion.
Butch James’s failure to get the conversion for a half-time lead — and the Springboks failing to capitalise on the momentum gained by Habana’s try just before the break and Kaino’s try converted by Carter just after — left the Springboks needing to score twice and proved decisive.
It is on “little” things like these that matches turn. When Francois Steyn tried a huge drop-goal attempt after replacing James, it needed the TMO to call it just under the bar. That would have brought the Bokke to within five points and one try of victory. The next score was to come from Carter, who made it 19-8 with a penalty.
That was the ball game.
The Springboks can have no complaints the All Blacks deserved the win. Indeed they were unlucky to have a Conrad Smith try disallowed for offside by a call that was at best marginal and seemed on-side to me.
There were great performances from the men in green and gold. The front row stood up after the initial concerns and John Smit was captain fantastic. Schalk Burger was awesome in the loose. In the back line, the fears that Adi Jacobs would be suspect on defence and that Conrad Jantjes might wither under the high ball proved groundless. The Bokke defended like tigers.
The signs are there. The boys in green and gold won’t lie down for anyone.
Stand by for next Saturday.
New Zealand: Mils Muliaina; Sitiveni Sivivatu, Conrad Smith, Ma’a Nonu, Rudi Wulf; Daniel Carter, Andy Ellis; Tony Woodcock, Andrew Hore, Greg Somerville, Brad Thorn, Ali Williams, Adam Thomson, Rodney So’oialo (capt), Jerome Kaino.
Replacements: Keven Mealamu, Neemia Tialata, Anthony Boric, Sione Lauaki, Jimmy Cowan, Stephen Donald, Leon MacDonald.
South Africa: Conrad Jantjes; Odwa Ndungane, Adrian Jacobs, Jean de Villiers, Bryan Habana; Butch James, Ricky Januarie; Gurthro Steenkamp, John Smit (capt), CJ van der Linde, Bakkies Botha, Victor Matfield, Schalk Burger, Juan Smith, Joe van Niekerk.
Replacements: Bismarck du Plessis, Brian Mujati, Andries Bekker, Luke Watson, Bolla Conradie, Francois Steyn, Percy Montgomery.
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