Try time: Sam Whitelock
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The All Blacks completed an impressive clean sweep in the Rugby Championship on Saturday, overcoming South Africa 32-16 at Soccer City on the outskirts of Johannesburg.
In a performance worthy of their status as the top-ranked team in the world, New Zealand weathered an early storm to overturn a half-time deficit and eventually run out comfortable winners.
The result extends the All Blacks' winning streak to 16 consecutive games, moving them within touching distance of the world record.
The Springboks led 16-12 at the break having dominated for most of the first half but were given a lesson in counter attacking to be outscored two tries to one in the opening stanza.
The All Blacks reversed the trend in the second period, adding two more tries while denying their hosts any points to underline their supremacy.
It was a classic case of shifting momentum - while South Africa started with a bang and ended with a whimper, the Kiwis progressively upped the tempo until there was only one team left in the contest.
The much-vaunted Highveld crowd mirrored their team's effort as they made it very clear to the All Blacks they weren't in Auckland anymore in the early stages but the corridors were filled with fans leaving the stadium with ten minutes left on the clock.
As was the case a week ago, Johan Goosen missed his first two attempts at goal but the hosts would nevertheless open the scoring with a rare sight: A South African try from a set-piece move. Willem Alberts bust through the All Black defence before offloading to Jean de Villiers, who showed off some juggling skills but managed to hold on. Bryan Habana was in space outside his skipper and had an easy run in, scoring behind the posts.
Goosen had no problems with the conversion and could further extend the lead to 10 points at the end of the first quarter when Brodie Retallick was penalised for a dangerous tackle.
The All Blacks had hardly ventured into the South African half but took their first chance to score in typical fashion, with a blistering counter-attack from broken play to send lock Sam Whitelock over in the corner.
If the hosts weren't already alerted to the New Zealand's ability to punish their mistakes, they were given a reminder on 35 minutes. Habana came flying up in search of an intercept, it didn't work, and Hosea Gear ghosted through the gap left in the Bok defensive line before offloading to Aaron Smith, who finished. Dan Carter's conversion gave the visitors a lead that made a mockery of the possession and territory stats.
The Boks were dealt another blow as Goosen was forced off injured but replacement fly-half Elton Jantjies held his nerve with his first kick to put South Africa back in front at 13-12.
Jantjies found the target again from 48 metres with the last act of the half to give the hosts a deserved four-point advantage at the interval.
The All Blacks moved back in front almost immediately after the restart however after Jaco Taute missed a tackle on Israel Dagg, who combined with Kieran Read to set up a try for Ma'a Nonu.
Disorganised defending cost the Boks another try as Conrad Smith touched down to put the visitors ten points clear once Carter had added the easy extras.
Two misses from Jantjies suggested the Boks' woes at the kicking tee were far from finished, prompting De Villiers to turn down a shot at goal in favour of chasing a try. And it nearly paid off, but Habana was not able to hang on when presented with a chance in the corner.
The last quarter was one-way traffic. Carter added a neat drop and a penalty to move his team well clear...in more ways than one.
Man of the Match There were a number of candidates in black but the official award went to Kieran Read, who was once again the ultimate example of a complete number eight as his ball skills matched his contribution in the tight exchanges.
Moment of the match: The All Blacks' second try, scored by Aaron Smith, summed up where these teams are at the moment. An instance of a Springbok trying too hard to do something special was punished by a clinical finish. Give All Blacks scraps, and they will feast!
Villian of the match: The 'fans' who left early.
The scorers:
For South Africa:
Try: Habana
Cons: Goosen
Pens: Goosen, Jantjies 2
For New Zealand:
Tries: Whitelock, A. Smith, Nonu, C. Smith
Cons: Carter 3
Pen: Carter
Drop goal: Carter
Yellow card: Dagg (66th min - offside)
South Africa: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Bryan Habana, 13 Jaco Taute, 12 Jean de Villiers (c), 11 Francois Hougaard, 10 Johan Goosen, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Willem Alberts, 6 Francois Louw, 5 Andries Bekker, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Replacements: 16 Tiaan Liebenberg, 17 Coenie Oosthuizen, 18 Flip van der Merwe, 19 Marcell Coetzee, 20 Elton Jantjies, 21 Juan de Jongh, 22 Pat Lambie.
New Zealand: 15 Israel Dagg, 14 Cory Jane, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Hosea Gear, 10 Daniel Carter, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw (c), 6 Liam Messam, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Andrew Hore, 1 Tony Woodcock.
Replacements: 16 Keven Mealamu, 17 Ben Franks, 18 Luke Romano, 19 Adam Thomson, 20 Piri Weepu, 21 Aaron Cruden, 22 Tamati Ellison.
Referee: Romain Poite (France), Greg Garner (England)
Assistant referees: Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)
By Ross Hastie at Soccer City
Comments
new_j4a says...
@JayStarr, Apologies. But you just annoy me every time you open your mouth. I'll try harder to ignore you. Can you try harder not to go into ridiculous flights of fancy before games and dispirited castigating of your own team when the rugby reality deflates your overblown predictions after the game? Just acknowledge that the All Blacks are great (they really are GREAT, and the Boks are pretty good, along with a number of other good teams)...and don't make such profoundly stupid claims and predictions before the game. Then we'll all get along just fine.
Posted 17:13 07th October 2012
JayStarr says...
And look, now @ newj4all is picking on @ sandal and @ rugbyphile too..! Who the hell do you think you are!? You're a bitter old bully - that's what you are. Why don't you focus on the rugby instead of trying to make yourself seem smarter/superior to everyone else..?
Posted 16:05 07th October 2012
leebok says...
I must have missed the rule change where you are now allowed to pull down a maul 5m from the line or that you are now allowed to play the ball if you're the tackler or does this only apply if you're wearing a black jersey.
Posted 15:58 07th October 2012
golden_statenba says...
Also I just have to say what fun it is to watch Aaron Smith play
I feel he is a big part of why the back line are playing so well. He has such a quick pass and is like a little general running around conducting play.
To add to your comparisons Toulousain Smith reminds me of a player in the NBA called Rajon Rondo.
Great to see the ABs with another great halfback
Posted 14:34 07th October 2012
Forward_pass says...
Main difference between teams is that the abs much better at tactically fouling than sa, and get away with as much as possible. How can they complain they get pinged more, their style of play is to foul more.
That mentality just about sums up macaws contribution to the sport, which is why people respect him, but don't actually like him.
Posted 14:11 07th October 2012
Rugbymad says...
The Springboks were truly pathetic. The Ab had 4 scoring opportunities and the scored all four at will. This is not a great AB side but they are getting there. This is perhaps the worst Springbok side since 1974. Except for Bryan Havana the entire back line must go-the pathetic Jeande Villiers included . He was no good at Ulster 4 years ago and has gotten worse since. Hougaard should be scrum half where he provides much needed options and not wasted on the wing. Heyneke Meyer hasn't a clue although the forwards did all asked of them the need of a fetcher flank / hooker was badly missed. The AB had this in spades with Hore and Mialamu.
The AB march on but are not invincibles. For the Springboks it was a black day in amen vs boys contest. Disgrace for SA rugby.
Posted 14:00 07th October 2012
Ramage says...
@TVaddict part 2 just to finish your questions yes we are a small country of only 4.5 million people but there is some guts there having stood up to the bullying tactics of the US in our stand over nuclear arms and an arrogant French government who sent its spies into our country to carry out terrorist acts thinking they could get away with it. So in the Rugby side of things we have the players we have the system and we develop the skills with the game we want to play. If you get the chance to watch any of our domestic ITM cup you will see where these running passing skills come from.
As far as hookers are concerned yes we have another on the scene who has been given a run in the All Black training squads set up during the June international window and he is currently playing for the Wellington ITM team and is a very good player who can take the ball up and has also developed some good handling skills. His name Dane Coles currently 26 so yes there is a replacement in the
running. I would need to think about others but he would be the top contender.
There you are TVaddict when you post without the normal attacks I reply because you show interest and I can reply with civility just to prove your ageist jibes are far from the mark and prove Im not a grumpy old man just a passionate NZ rugby fan.
Ka kite ano.
Posted 13:33 07th October 2012
Ramage says...
@TV addict lol interesting to see my comments must have got to you for there you go again misinterpreting what I said. I never claimed you were an alcoholic all I said that after you told us you posted after 9 pints was that you had posted under the influence of drink. Being under the influence of drink does not make one an alcoholic otherwise many of us will have to fess up and admit to being alcoholics. Similarly Ive been oon holiday so didnt see your last retort to my post. The one where you claimed I was a racist. I reread what I right and apart from claiming your posts were anti AllBlack there is nothing racist in what I said and it is always interesting when the race card is played. i dont know what your background is and I couldnt care it is your views I am attacking and claims you make that you are a neutral. I comfortable with my track record and the knowledge that I am no racist. In fact many of my friends found that comment laughable. However when your argument is weak the racist tag is a good one to play.
Now because you raise some questions which are fair i will try to answer them.
Gear good player simply this whether we agree or not it is a selectorial decision simple as that. Neither of us select the team. However a new young wing has been developed and given opportunities, unfortunately for Gear at his expense. Isnt it great to have players as good as gear who has to fight for his inclusion in the team.
The centre pairing was our first chice pairing before SBW came on the scene simple as that.
NZ has a society where many young men wish to be an All Black and play rugby in some form from a very early age. We have regional Tournaments for Primary School Reps 11-13 year olds, a well developed Secondary System and a system developed that recognises and develops young talent. When young players are developed there are more waiting in the wings.
Posted 13:09 07th October 2012
new_j4a says...
sandal who says..."More significantly, the All Blacks encountered refereeing so hostile as to be almost without precedent" I am not looking for a fight, just the facts from your point of view. Can you please be specific on the ref calls, the Law, and the minute:second of the incident and any counter examples (where Boks were not penalized for the same offense). Thanks.
Posted 11:29 07th October 2012
StunTheMullet says...
Alain Rolland did a poor mans "Barnes".
Posted 11:19 07th October 2012
new_j4a says...
@rugbyphile who says..." When they start to try to play within the rules they...blah, blah" I don't suppose that there is any point in discussing the content of the Laws if you don't even know what they are called?
Posted 11:18 07th October 2012
sandal says...
... In any event, the All Blacks scored four tries before they were granted a single penalty. That is undeniable and it is stunning, the achievement of a truly great team. Has any other team won in such circumstances?
Anyone else having trouble posting? Because of something in the automation, I have had to cut a reasoned argument to two small chuncks.
Posted 10:28 07th October 2012
KiwiLad says...
How Good is King Richie??????
Posted 10:09 07th October 2012
georgesmith says...
Springboks were awful in the second half. What went wrong? Great game though. Kiwi thrived on broken play and the hosts seemed not being able to concentrate at all especially in the second half.
For the record, tis, D. Carter and not R. McCheat, who won it for the ABs.
Congrats ABs and S. Hansen.
Posted 10:08 07th October 2012
JayStarr says...
@ Ramage: A style of play that the Cheetahs and Sharks played last season perhaps..? And if you're watching Currie Cup you'll see Griquas, Lions and Province playing like that too...
Some of our teams do employ that style - and we have a plethora of players who thrive with such a style. PdV wanted to play like that at the start, but then the "senior players" said "no, we play like this". And now HM wants to play his idea of "winning rugby" (which ironically has brought us only 4 wins out of 9 games with him in charge).
There's nothing wrong with our players' abilities - we have players to play every style of rugby you can imagine... It's the unwillingness of the national coach (and the lack of rugby brains amongst his assistants) that keeps us stuck in our comfort zone.
@ BilliMutt2: Don't worry, I said it myself in my post :)
@ newj4all: You know, it's ironic how childish your vendetta against me is, all while you are trying to prove how childish I am. You can be glad I don't give a toss about your incessant whining about the inaccuracies in my posts, because if I had to actually a) read all of yours, and then b) spend my afternoon sifting through old articles to find the posts where you said something contrary to something you're saying now (even going a year back in some cases!), only to... what? "discredit" me in the eyes of the other posters..? Make yourself look smart and superior..? What? What is your motivation for all of this other than just being a w*nker?
You see, the point you're missing is that I am just a fan - and I write on this site from that point of view. I get excited like other fans. I talk nonsense like other fans. I am not at university now and you are not my professor... I am not a journalist and you are not my editor. You're nothing but a bitter old bully. So get a life and leave me alone.
Posted 09:46 07th October 2012
olepete says...
JayStarr, agree about Jantjies, who has shown his class in the Currie up for two seasons.
And, with regard to aimless kicking, that is just what the ABs (particularly A Smith) were doing in that first quarter.
Posted 09:38 07th October 2012
bloemboy says...
Awesome Kiwi team. Richie, Read, Carter, Dagg and Smith x 2 all absolutely outstanding.
Really disappointed that the Boks arent fit enough to sustain the intensity, work rate and concentration to compete for a full 80 minutes. Seems to me that many of the players need an extended break. Ruan Pienaar, Kirchner, Hougaard, de Villiers probably long term or permanent break from the Bok team while Alberts, Bekker, Etzbeth, Beast, Strauss all need some serious time off. Lambie on the other hand has been given enough time to lose form it seems.
Posted 09:00 07th October 2012
Toulousain says...
Nice to hear Euskadi! btw, the 20 minutes you missed was a period when Bok spirits were high. it's worth re-watching, but mainly, in hindsight, to see how utterly calm the ABs remain. the Habana try could have de-stabilised many teams. But not this team.
It was like watching a supreme predator observing its prey before carefully choosing how to dismember it.
The word "masterclass" is over-used. But a 20-0 second half, away from home, at altitude, having flown across 6/7 time zones, against the world's no2 team, with the tournament already won. Masterclass doesn't do it justice!
The perfection was such that when Read finally missed the chance for a miracle try from DC's cross-kick, you almost sensed a gasp from the crowd. A mistake! Wow. Finally something to remind everyone the standards the team had been playing at until then. Those standards are barely human, but we come to expect them from this team. No wonder everyone holds their breath every time the ABs have the ball. In other fields, it is comparable to watching Federer or Djokovic "miss" a miracle shot. Or Evgeny Kissin play a wrong note. It makes you gasp!
(a quick look at the first 20 mins of the Arg-Aus game is a good reminder of how mere mortals play)
:-)
Posted 08:53 07th October 2012
ballsyyy says...
well done abs. Am a Kiwi but Dejong should have played 13 and Lambie 10 or my favourite SA 10, Peter Grant. Anyway still a long way to go. Best teams start slow and build from there. Comes the last quater they up the tempo 110%. SA start with a bang and end with what they should have started with.
Posted 08:38 07th October 2012
new_j4a says...
@JayStarr you are starting to sound like georgesmith with all your whinging and recrimination. There is no blame to assign. The All Blacks are simply a better side, head and shoulders above us. So they won because they are better, not because the Boks were poor. There is a significant gap that the Boks need to fill (over many months or years) and there is the potential there for them to do it, but you are hardly the person best positioned to understand this or to point the way: you are the idiot who insisted that PDV was the right coach at the RWC and that Jon Smit deserved his place ahead of Bismarck dP? You jump up and down before the game shouting shrilly that we will win, "BOOOOOFA" this and "BOOOOOFA" that. Aren't you just a little bit embarrassed by this sort of prediction: "..but what you and the All Blacks have not really thought through is that they'll have to dodge Willem Alberts and Duanne Vermeulen first ! BOOOOOOFA!" and this utter tosh: "@ All the people saying the All Blacks will win convincingly: What are you smoking? When last did the AB's beat the Springboks "convincingly" even in New Zealand? Now you excpect them to do that on the highveld after flying back from Argentina? You're saying people are getting carried away after the Boks' performance against a weakened Australia - how about you getting carried away after the AB's performance against a tired Argentina?"
Posted 08:02 07th October 2012