Posted in Springboks, Tri-Nations by Jon Cardinelli | www.keo.co.za
An average All Blacks outfit scored a comfortable 19-0 victory over the world champions in Cape Town on Saturday.
This was to be the watershed, the fixture that would separate the 2008 Tri-Nations contenders from the also-rans. For the Boks, they could not want for inspiration as a capacity Newlands crowd’s rendition of the national anthem would have galvanised them beyond measure. The All Blacks threw down the Kapa o Pango, a haka reserved for special occasions. Those in the ground who didn’t feel the intensity must have been completely drunk or dead inside.
Everything pointed to a classic Test match, but when you look at the game over 80 minutes, it was nothing more than one anticlimax after another.
Butch James booted the first kick-off straight into touch, and this set the tone for a string of unforced Bok errors. The hosts’ tactical game was hopelessly below par, the box kicks and probes for space finding well-placed All Blacks attacking players. Several kicks from Bok territory also dribbled dead meaning the Boks not only surrendered possession, but a significant amount of territory as well.
But this wasn’t the most disappointing aspect of the Boks’ performance. South Africa were not dominant at the lineout but still managed to secure the majority of their own ball. The Boks were impressive at the scrum but despite these platforms, South Africa spurned opportunity after opportunity. They looked a better side when they kept it tight and should have been ahead of the All Blacks at half-time. The option-taking was poor and the dismal execution was inexcusable.
It has to be said that the New Zealanders weren’t too flash either. Richie McCaw kicked a great grubber that Conrad Smith chased successfully to score, but Dan Carter’s errant boot saw the All Blacks miss out on 11 points (one conversion and three penalties) in the first half. While the All Blacks never looked dominant, you would have expected them to take these points.
The battle at the breakdown was fiercely contested with the Boks holding the ascendancy in the initial stages. However, the Bok tactics of committing too few players to the rucks began to backfire. This was exacerbated by referee Matt Goddard’s leniency when it came to All Blacks players off their feet. It was a far from a clinical performance from the Boks, but they will lament Goddard’s officiating at the tackle point.
Playing in his 100th Test, Percy Montgomery didn’t cover himself in glory when he missed a penalty attempt early in the second half. Montgomery missed a sitter moments later, and with 48 minutes on the clock, the Boks were yet to open their account.
James had an ordinary match but provided a neat nudge behind the All Blacks defence that was well chased by the Bok backs. The hosts won the five-metre scrum after sacking a retreating defender over his own tryline, but the subsequent attack again came to nil when the ball was slowed and eventually turned over. There’s no other way to describe it - it was painful to watch.
The Boks’ awesome defence is what kept them in the game, as the All Blacks struggled to get over the gain line. Replacement prop John Afoa thought he was over in the 55th minute until Montgomery effected a heroic tackle in the corner.
But Percy was a clear indicator of how inconsistent the Boks were – he’d make a good tackle one minute and then boot it out on the full the next. The crowd showed him due respect for his long service when he was subbed late in the game, but it was a forgettable performance for the centurion.
Time rolled on, and so did the South African error count. The Boks conceded possession and the All Blacks finally managed to launch a multi-phase attack. The hosts’ defensive line was good, but the relentless Black wave finally breached when Carter fought his way through. The masses of Kiwi support in the Danie Craven stand went gaga as the try took the visitors to a 12-0 lead with less than 15 minutes to play.
Ricky Januarie lent the Boks some urgency in the final quarter, but again it was the poor execution that cancelled out the linebreaks and broken tackles. The Boks preferered to play without structure for much of the game, but their support lines and offloading let them down to an alarming degree.
A desperate and speculative pass by Jean de Villiers was intercepted by replacement hooker Keven Mealamu in the 76th minute. It allowed the All Blacks to finish with a flourish and further embarrass the errant Boks.
South Africa will have to cope with the fact that they are all but out of the Tri-Nations. They will have to cope with the fact that they scored zero points in a home match where they were slight favourites. Worst of all, they will have to cope with the fact that they were beaten by an average New Zealand outfit and were ultimately undone by their own incompetence,
Springboks – None.
All Blacks – Tries: Conrad Smith, Dan Carter, Keven Mealamu. Conversions: Carter (2).
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