Boks bruise All Blacks' egos
The Springboks produced their best performance of the season by some distance with a fantastic 18-5 triumph over the All Blacks in the Tri-Nations in Port Elizabeth on Saturday.
All South Africa heaved a collective sigh of relief. It wasn't 40-7 and it wasn't six tries to one. It was 18-5 and no tries to one, but nobody cared. The Springboks had one. The World Cup was no longer a frightful prospect. Part of the relief was avoiding the embarrassment of losing to the weakened New Zealand team.
Relief there may be but the Springboks are not in a secure position. They did not really look like scoring a try while the All Blacks did and they did it several times, the first time in the first minute. In the second half in which the only points were a Morné Steyn penalty, the All Blacks actually got over and only a bit of 'extra' advice from the TMO prevented a try.
The All Blacks were able to find space for their runners - Israel Dagg, Isaia Toeava, Richard Kahui, who looked the best back on the field, and Hosea Gear. But then they are primed to run. The Springboks kicked downfield and there would be three of four All Blacks in position to run it back. Vice versa and there would be a lone Springbok.
There were two areas of vast improvement for the Springboks. First of all, outscrummed last week, they outscrummed the All Blacks this week, shoving them back, even winning a tighthead. And then there was the tackle. The thief in chief was Heinrich Brüssow but generally it was a much better collective effort from the Springboks who won 11 turnovers to three against the All Blacks. 11-3.
Crucial tackling was much, much better but they still missed 31 of 126 while the All Blacks missed 23 of 101.
Pleased with the victory, Victor Matfield said: "It wasn't our best yet." But it was a whole lot better, the nation sighed, and if the best is yet to come, the World Cup may not be an impossible dream.
In the first minute Steyn kicked and the Springboks missed four tackles. Dagg raced through a gap and played inside to speeding Jimmy Cowan who looked as if he must score till Bryan Habana felled him five metres from the goal-line. New Zealand won the ball and went right but Jaque Fourie intercepted and saved. He did it twice more in the match in which his defence was magnificent. It was soon after this that the All Blacks attacked and a second Fourie intercept saved the day.
Instead it was the beleaguered Springboks who scored. Sam Whitelock was penalised at a tackle and from a long way out Steyn goaled. 3-0 after 7 minutes. Two minutes later the Springboks shoved the All Black scrum to bits, John Afoa was penalised and Steyn made it 6-0. It was certainly against the run of play.
At this stage, after 11 minutes, Brüssow made accidental contact with Fourie du Preez's boot and bled profusely. He got back on eventually to continue his heroics, the bloodstained hero of the evening - Grecian in his heroism.
The All Blacks went through phases with lots of quick ball and Kahui and Gear were close but Adam Thomson went in the side of a tackle and the Springbok goal-line was relieved. Thomson was again penalised at a tackle in his own half and Steyn again goaled. 9-0 after 17 minutes.
On the other hand Colin Slade, who had an erratic game, missed an easy penalty.
Patrick Lambie, looking disconsolate, left the field with a sore shoulder. François Hougaard came on and went to wing with JP Pietersen at fullback. Hyperactive Hougaard had a splendid game.
Isaia Toeava raced for the line but Pietersen and Fourie got him, and then Springboks had a penalty-created five-metre line-out and went on all-out attack with Gurthrö Steenkamp prominent. Whitelock was penalised five metres from his line and Steyn goaled the easy kick. 12-0 after 26 minutes.
This was the Springboks' best bit of the match as they got more and more on top. Back they came and Steyn coolly dropped a goal. 15-0 after 31 minutes. (He had an easier attempt later in the half but missed.)
Jannie du Plessis, who scrummed magnificently, was twice penalised at tackles. The second one produced a line-out on the All Black left. They went right. Sonny Bill Williams played inside to Gear who immediately gave to Kahui who reached the line despite the attentions of Pietersen and Habana. 15-5 after 34 minutes, the half-time score.
The All Blacks turned with the freshening breeze at their backs and they nearly scored. In fact perhaps should have been credited with a try as Dagg raced downfield. Tackled just short of the line by Hougaard he popped a pass to Cowan who was over. The referee consulted the TMO who said that there was nothing wrong with the grounding but asked the referee if he wanted 'any other information'. The referee said he would like such, and the TMO's reported that Dagg's pass was forward, which it was. Justice, but perhaps outside of the IRB's protocol.
In this half - into the wind! - the Springboks kicked more which left them defending more. But when they won a tighthead off the All Blacks, Thomson was penalised and Steyn scored the only points of the half.
Both sides made changes, e.g., Piri Weepu at flyhalf for Slade. And John Smit replaced Bismarck du Plessis who went off looking miffed.
New Zealand countered and Toeava and Andy Ellis made for the line but just short of his line Brüssow won another turnover.
The Springbok defence at this stage was magnificent.
Man of the Match: Heinrich Brüssow. He had the biggest impact on the game, blood or no blood.
Moment of the Match: One is tempted to say the final whistle with the glee it brought but really it was Israel Dagg's first break and Bryan Habana's decisive tackle on Jimmy Cowan.
Villain of the Match: Nobody.
The scorers:
For South Africa:
Pens: Steyn 5
DG: Steyn
For New Zealand:
Try: Kahui
Teams:
South Africa: 15 Pat Lambie, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Willem Alberts, 6 Heinrich Brüssow, 5 Victor Matfield (captain), 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Gurthrö Steenkamp.
Replacements: 16 John Smit, 17 Tendai Mtawarira, 18 CJ van der Linde, 19 Danie Rossouw, 20 Ashley Johnson, 21 François Hougaard, 22 Butch James.
New Zealand: 15 Israel Dagg, 14 Isaia Toeava, 13 Richard Kahui, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Hosea Gear, 10 Colin Slade, 9 Jimmy Cowan, 8 Liam Messam, 7 Adam Thomson, 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Ali Williams, 4 Samuel Whitelock, 3 John Afoa, 2 Keven Mealamu (captain), 1 Tony Woodcock.
Replacements: 16 Andrew Hore, 17 Ben Franks, 18 Jarrad Hoeata, 19 Victor Vito, 20 Andy Ellis, 21 Piri Weepu, 22 Cory Jane.
Referee: George Clancy (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Andrew Small (England), Carlo Damasco (Italy)
TMO: Johann Meuwesen (South Africa)