NZ beat Boks in intense test
Brad Morgan
26 June 2007
The Springboks suffered their first defeat of the international rugby season in the second match of the Tri-Nations Championship when New Zealand inflicted a come-from-behind 26-21 defeat on South Africa in Durban on Saturday, thanks to two late tries.
The Boks' victory over Australia the previous weekend had taken its toll, with a number of injury-enforced changes made to the South African line-up, including captain John Smit missing out on the game after 46 successive tests as captain, and the late withdrawals of Juan Smith and Pierre Spies, after both had been named in the starting 15.
On the field, the effect of the bruising 21-19 win over the Wallabies didn't show up until the second half of the match against the All Blacks. Only when South Africa lost a player to the sin bin did the tide truly turn and from that point on it looked as if the team lost its composure, which ultimately cost it the game.
Controversial
decision
In the aftermath of the loss, the South African selectors took a controversial decision to send what amounts to a second-string squad to Australasia for the two remaining tests in the Tri-Nations, with an eye being cast towards the World Cup.
It is a move that has angered both the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) and the Australian Rugby Union (ARU), especially, as they have insisted, the South African Rugby Union (SARU) had assured both it would be sending SA's best possible team on tour.
The fallout of SARU's decision is yet to be fully revealed and understood, but rugby fans, among others, are feeling cheated. Tickets have been bought in advance to see South Africa's best against New Zealand's and Australia's best. No longer will that happen and the question needs to be asked: just how important are the fans to the game? In the professional era, one would imagine they should rate near the top of the list.
Watered-down
line-ups
Another concern is how much emphasis is placed on the World Cup, a tournament that takes place every four years over the course of approximately a month, in relation to other tests. For the rest of that time, the big guns of the game often send watered-down line-ups into matches in the hopes of identifying players to contest the World Cup. Seldom are test matches battles fought out between the best players of the opposing countries, and this is worrying.
Is this approach to the game not destroying the wonderful history of the great clashes between the giants of rugby?
At least, in Durban, for once, two of the world's greatest rugby powers put their best sides out on the field.
Better start
It was the Springboks, led by Victor Matfield, who made the better start, putting the All Blacks under pressure by forcing a scrum five metres from the Kiwi tryline early on. After winning a penalty, South Africa drove at the
New Zealand line before passing the ball wide left where Bakkies Botha was bundled into touch.
The All Blacks, however, had slowed the ball down at the ruck by using their hands and a penalty was awarded to the Boks. Percy Montgomery coolly knocked the kick over to put South Africa 3-0 ahead.
In the ninth minute, South Africa came close to scoring, but Bakkies Botha was held up over the tryline, resulting in a five metre scrum. Bob Skinstad, playing at eighthman, botched the feed to scrumhalf Ruan Pienaar and the New Zealanders stopped the SA attack.
New Zealand had an opportunity to draw level after 12 minutes, but Daniel Carter's penalty kick at goal, after Schalk Burger had been penalised for not rolling away at a ruck, was off target.
Further ahead
Five minutes later, South Africa went further ahead when Montgomery slotted a second penalty. It came after a swarming defensive effort trapped Mils Muliaina on the ground where he
held onto the ball. 6-0 South Africa.
After 28 minutes the All Blacks finally got onto the scoreboard through a penalty from Carter. South Africa conceded the kick after using hands at a ruck and this time the New Zealand flyhalf, who had a less than impressive day, was on line with his kick.
The visitors appeared to have found their rhythm and they quickly swept back onto the attack. Pienaar was caught on the ground, holding onto the ball, and the Kiwis were awarded another penalty. Carter, though, missed the chance to level the scores.
Scores level
Six minutes later, he got it right after the Boks were once more pinged by the referee for using their hands at a ruck. 6-6.
Just before the break, a good kick from SA flyhalf Butch James forced All Black fullback Mils Muliaina to carry the ball over the sideline, just five metres from his team's tryline.
South Africa won the throw-in and set up a driving maul. New Zealand
tried to hold the Bok push for line up by collapsing the maul but, with the referee's hand out for a penalty to the Springboks, Schalk Burger forced his way over for the opening try of the contest.
Halftime
Montgomery hooked his conversion attempt and the halftime whistle sounded with South Africa 11-6 in front.
Only two minutes after the restart, Aaron Mauger pulled the New Zealanders to within two points by dropping a goal. South Africa 11-9.
Two minutes later, though, Mauger turned from hero to villain for the Kiwis when, after being tackled, he tried a pop pass while lying on his back on the ground. James intercepted it and ran through to score under the uprights from 30 metres out.
Big lead
Montgomery popped the conversion over to extend the home team's lead to nine points at 18-9.
With just over 50 minutes played, SA coach Jake White made his first substitutions. Francois Steyn replaced
Butch James, who had tweaked a hamstring, while CJ van der Linde came on for Os du Randt, and Pedrie Wannenburg took over from Bob Skinstad.
In South Africa's first three matches of the international season substitutes had played an important role in the Springboks' successes, but this time around it didn't work.
Steyn dropped the first pass he received and his afternoon didn't get much better after that.
Sin-binned
Wannenburg was then sin-binned for a professional foul and Carter kicked the penalty to make the score 18-12 to the Boks.
Wannenburg's absence left South Africa with a seven-man scrum and New Zealand immediately took advantage of this by dominating the set pieces. The Springboks were forced to play on the back foot in their own half, and their game lost shape and composure.
Despite this, South Africa was next on the scoreboard when, after a rare attack, the All Blacks conceded a penalty for entering a ruck from
the side and the reliable Montgomery kicked another penalty to make the score SA 21, New Zealand 12.
New Zealand try
Four minutes later, in the sixty-eighth minute, New Zealand scored their first try of the match. Steyn launched a high-up-and-under onto Rodney So'oialo, but the kick went too far and the eighthman had time to field the ball and find a gap.
He raced through the South African defence, covering 40 metres, before passing to his fellow loose-forward, Jerry Collins. New Zealand was stopped just short of the South African tryline and, after a couple of bashes at the SA defenders, captain Richie McCaw picked up the ball and drove over the line.
Carter converted to bring the Kiwis within reach of South Africa's score at 21-19.
Fortuitous bounce
Two minutes later, a fortuitous bounce saw the All Blacks take the lead for the first time in the test; it was all they would need to win
it.
Running out of defence, Mauger grubbered a kick that deflected off a Springbok. Left wing JP Pietersen was wrong-footed and the ball bounced off of him to Leon MacDonald.
The New Zealand substitute ran up the field with options to his left and right. He elected to pass right to Joe Rokocoko, which was the correct decision, and the Kiwi flyer coasted through to dot down to the right of the poles.
Carter added the extra two points, putting New Zealand in the clear at 26-21.
South Africa tried desperately to come back, but the New Zealanders' late push, which included upping the tempo of the game, had left the Springboks looking flustered and out of ideas. The contest had opened up and New Zealand had grabbed the upper hand.
More mistakes followed for the Boks as they tried to reel in the Kiwis and the visitors went on to a 26-21 victory.
'Intensity'
New Zealand coach Graham Henry commented after the match: "The
All Blacks haven't played a Test match of that intensity since... probably since last year's Tri-Nations".
His point emphasised just how many matches are played by rugby powers without their best lineups because of the focus on the World Cup.
Henry reckoned both New Zealand and South Africa struggled to adjust to the intensity of the clash, but added: "It's great to get back to that quality of rugby again."
Never-say-die
South African coach Jake White praised the All Blacks for their never-say-die approach, saying the New Zealanders took the game away from the Springboks in the second half.
"All credit to the All Blacks," said White, "they never gave up. They kept coming at us and there is no doubt we were found wanting at the end."
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