All Blacks v Springboks - Eden Park, Sept 14th 2013

[RoffsChoice]

Earlier this year I said how screwed the Boks were, playing us in Brisbane and the All Blacks in Auckland. Now this is shaping up to be the game of the year.

For mine, the winner of this game wins the rugby championship.

Boks will probably be unchanged, their forward pack worked very hard and very effectively while the backs had great combination. Putting le Roux back on the wing was one of the best decisions Meyer has made.

Luckily for the All Blacks their best players have refound their form, but newcomers will be in for a hell of a game. Sam Cane and Francis Saili are the ones who will need to step up as they're replacing two great players. There's also news that Messam is fit to play but I don't expect to see Luatua dropped.

I'll wait until I see the team lists to make a prediction, but I feel either way will be justified.

 

[Sidbarret]

Earlier this year I said how screwed the Boks were, playing us in Brisbane and the All Blacks in Auckland. Now this is shaping up to be the game of the year.

For mine, the winner of this game wins the rugby championship.

Boks will probably be unchanged, their forward pack worked very hard and very effectively while the backs had great combination. Putting le Roux back on the wing was one of the best decisions Meyer has made.

Luckily for the All Blacks their best players have refound their form, but newcomers will be in for a hell of a game. Sam Cane and Francis Saili are the ones who will need to step up as they're replacing two great players. There's also news that Messam is fit to play but I don't expect to see Luatua dropped.

I'll wait until I see the team lists to make a prediction, but I feel either way will be justified.

The Springbok bonus point in the last game was huge. Though I would prefer to beat them over there, splitting the series should be enough to take the Championship.

 

[Muttonbird]

4-try bonus points in NZ are hard to come by given the state of the weather. It puts the All Blacks at a real disadvantage.

 

[Dan54]

4 try bonus points be buggered Mutton, it's the Boks ,I will just be delighted if we can beat em!!! This could go either way, but I can handle any result, just stoked it an AB/Bok test coming up, All due respect to Wallabies these are tests I long for!!!

 

[Muttonbird]

I don't expect the All Blacks will beat the Springboks with a 4-try bonus point. I was just pointing out the ABs are at a disadvantage because all their home games are played in NZ conditions which are not 4-try bonus point material. If it's ok for South Africans to use travel as a factor then it's ok for me to use the weather.

 

[Sidbarret]

Just checked pick and go.

Rather amazingly, South Africa will go top of the IRB rankings if they win this weekend.

 

[FrankLind]

Just checked pick and go.

Rather amazingly, South Africa will go top of the IRB rankings if they win this weekend.

I checked that too. It said SA must win by more than 15 points.
If they win, but not by more than 15 points, NZL are still top.

 

[Sidbarret]

I checked that too. It said SA must win by more than 15 points.
If they win, but not by more than 15 points, NZL are still top.

The IRB site hasn't been updated yet, as soon as it is SA will be on 88.9something. Any win will see them go top.

 

[PaarlBok]

Forget the rankings, beating the All Blacks in NZ is top class!

 

[Bon]

Aye, I'm looking forward to this game.

 

[Muttonbird]

There is a fair bit to not like about the ranking system. One of them is the extra weighting given for a 15+ point win. I mean, is a 15 point win really worth an extra 50% of ranking points over a 14 point win? Some sort of sliding scale wouldn't go amiss.

 

[Dan54]

Yep Mutton, not sure I too worried about them as I don't think it makes too much difference if it 14 or 15 point win. Like Paarl, Bon and no doubt yourself ,I just happy to be playing Boks, 1 point win will do, and as I said if we lose , I can handle that too----just. Mind you only because it the Boks and they are still the team for me.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

After so long at the top, with dominance over all and sundry including many victories over the Bokke, it seems rather incredible that losing one home game to the #2 rank team is enough to lose the top place.

Tin Foil Hat time: Still the best outcome for World rugby may be for the Bokke to tank and let the AIG's win. With 760 or so days to go to RWC 15, we should be trying to avoid giving NZ any decent chances to rebuild, rethink, and reorient before the RWC. Let then think that they are the undisputed champions until it is too late.

As it stands, losing top spot on IRB rankings this weekend coming may just be the wake up call that may make them invincible in 2015, after they make whatever changes they need following a downgrade.

 

[PaarlBok]

Would have been nice if we could have a 4 test series against the All Blacks in NZ right now. That would have spin some money!

Regarding the test I am not confident at all. Know we have the cattle but I am a bit worried about their heads after the big win against the Wallabies.

All Blacks by 55, sorry 50 with McAwe down.

 

[Dan54]

Sorry Paarl, the mocker gods don't accept such blatant baiting!!!

 

[ACT Crusader]

Yep Mutton, not sure I too worried about them as I don't think it makes too much difference if it 14 or 15 point win. Like Paarl, Bon and no doubt yourself ,I just happy to be playing Boks, 1 point win will do, and as I said if we lose , I can handle that too----just. Mind you only because it the Boks and they are still the team for me.

If we lose I certainly won't be handling well. I believe the AB's should win on home soil.

We have been building throughout the campaign so far for this test match. We've had some set backs with injuries - Romano, Nonu, McCaw, O. Franks, Carter, Cruden, Barrett, Messam, Coles - but we've also been pleasantly surprised by the emergence of Luatua, the continued improvement of Retallick and the blooding of Crotty, Taylor and Saili.

 

[Dan54]

Hey ACT, didn't say I would be happy, just I wouldn't commit sideways!!

 

[Muttonbird]

Hey ACT, didn't say I would be happy, just I wouldn't commit sideways!!

Agreed. If the ABs lose I won't be throwing myself off a footstool or anything. I'll stop and think about what Hughjarse said. It's better to lose games against your nearest competitors now, rather than in two years time.

 

[PaarlBok]

Agreed. If the ABs lose I won't be throwing myself off a footstool or anything. I'll stop and think about what Hughjarse said. It's better to lose games against your nearest competitors now, rather than in two years time.

As long as you dont throw it to the TV. Still All Blacks by 50, so no worries Boet.

 

[Ash]

I reckon that all the Boks need to win the RC is to get a bonus point here and stop the ABs scoring 4+ tries, and then win the remaining games at home (vs Wallabies and ABs).

SA are on 14 points with a large point differential, NZ on 13 points.

In the above scenario, NZ get 4 from Auckland, may get 4 or 5 in Argentina, then, say, 1 from SA leaving them on 23 at most.

SA get 1 in Auckland, 4 or 5 at home from Aus, 4 at home from NZ, leaving them on 23 at least.

SA then take it on superior point differential.

However, ignoring all this, I'm really, really looking forward to this game.

How do you guys think the scrums are going to go? I think there's a real chance of SA getting the upper hand there.