The All Blacks finished with a flourish against a vastly improved Springbok combination and came away with a 29-22 win, snatching the Tri-Nations Trophy back.
The match was played this morning in front of an exuberant 94,000 crowd in Soweto. Funnily enough, there didn’t actually seem to be too many Sowetans in the stands and not a vuvezela in sight.
Soweto is not an African name – it’s a shortened version of South Western Township. This Jo’burg satellite city is where blacks were required to live in the apartheid era. Times have certainly changed but I guess they weren’t too big on rugby then either.
The match was one of the best in this year’s series. It was tough, competitive and entertaining.
The All Blacks essentially trailed the Bokke until the 77th minute when McCaw scored a controversial try in the corner to draw level at 22 all.
It was controversial on two levels. The first was that there was a forward pass involved in the leadup which was missed by referee Owens and assorted assistants, and the second concerned whether Richie was in touch before dotting down on the chalk.
The video ref said he wasn’t but for the life of me I couldn’t see how he worked that one out?
Then in the 79th minute, as the Springboks attacked in All Black territory, they got a bit sloppy at the ruck and the Kiwis flooded it, turned over the ball and headed north.
Ma’a Nonu broke a John Smit tackle and put Izzy Dagg into the corner for a seven pointer.
This was a tragedy for Barny who featured in his 100th test match and had tried hard all day. He was a broken man afterwards. His wife looked like she shed a few tears also.
The match highlight was undoubtedly referee Nigel getting down and dirty with all the forwards.
Jimmy Cowan, that nasty little man, used Nige as a human shield to avoid Juan Smith. Smithy instinctively pushed him out of the way but he fell awkwardly and into the bottom of a ruck.
This was just as a group of players were piling in and Nige got absolutely creamed. He didn’t have to go off but he was obviously stunned. The crowd loved it but poor Smithy appeared most apologetic.
The All Black’s expansive style of play is becoming infectious with the Bokke mixing up their game to include some backline movement, in addition to the inevitable bomb. In fact, they looked a bit dangerous with ball in hand.
The highveld appeared to have a minimal effect on the All Blacks except for Dan Carter’s kicks, which would go further.
Smug Ted used his bench exceptionally well to counter the altitude issue and started substituting around the 50 minute mark. The All Blacks finished the game stronger so it obviously was the right tactic.
This was one of the few matches this year that didn’t involve a card. Nige didn’t even have to warn Sir Richie four or five times this week, although his permanent offside ‘stance’ continues to grate.
The All Blacks played with width and are adept at opening up holes and taking advantage. They have the confidence and ability to play ball-in-hand style no matter where they are territorially.
The Bokke were just as competitive and physical at the breakdown as the ABs. Their scrum looked a bit better than the Kiwi version and both lineouts were efficient, minus a few technical hitches.
The other tries were a good forward effort close to the line by Schalk Burger with some assistance from Flip van der Merwe (25 min) and a touchdown by a sea-gulling Myth (38 min).
For the All Blacks, McCaw was again a powerhouse. His support play was outstanding and he was adept at slowing down opposition ball at the ruck.
Others to impress were Keven Mealamu, with a high workrate and impact, Dan Carter (as always) and Mils Muliaina.
For the Bokke it was the loose trio who stood out. Pierre Spies had his best game in ages, Burger was hungry and I thought Juan Smith’s return made a huge difference.
Francois Hougaard at scrumhalf was a real goer, although I’m not that keen on his mullet. If the league scouts come calling at least he’ll have some runs on the board.
The Springboks are a different proposition at home. They weren’t far off beating the All Blacks but this Kiwi side has now shown its real character.
