Concerns for Henry
20 Aug 2011
GARETH DUNCAN writes that only a few All Blacks second stringers would’ve satisfied Graham Henry in Port Elizabeth.
Henry’s main priority was to give all his players a chance to put up their hands ahead of the World Cup. With nine big names left behind in New Zealand (including skipper Richie McCaw and Dan Carter), this was the fringe players’ opportunity to impress before the announcement of the final All Blacks’ 30-man World Cup squad.
The spotlight was always going to be on Colin Slade, who will be Dan Carter’s understudy at the tournament next month. In only his sixth Test (and third start), the 23-year-old had a satisfactory opening 15 minutes. He played a role in two early try-scoring opportunities but he failed to make a lasting impression during the rest of the match. Slade’s tactical kicking was particularly disappointing overall while he also missed two goal attempts before limping off with injury in the 60th minute.
Stephen Donald was failed experiment at Test level over the past several seasons. When he was axed from the provisional squad this year, Slade was seen as a promising replacement. However, Slade’s performance in Port Elizabeth confirmed that there’s still a lack of quality to back up Carter, meaning the All Blacks’ World Cup hopes will depend largely on the latter’s fitness and form.
Elsewhere, the All Blacks’ most impressive forwards were lock Sam Whitelock, No 8 Liam Messam and flanker Jerome Kaino, who carried the ball well and hassled the Boks at the rucks. Adam Thomson was expected to play a ‘McCaw type’ role at openside flank, but his performance was sub-standard as he failed to make any impact at the breakdown. He also conceded too many penalties and Morne Steyn duly punished.
In a pre-match interview, Henry stated that the spots still undecided in the All Blacks’ starting line-up are in the back three and in the midfield. Fullback Israel Dagg was the only standout performer in the backline as he was solid in his return from injury. Wing Isaia Toeava had a few telling runs early on, but failed to replicate the form he showed in the first half of Super Rugby.
19 Comments
20 Aug 2011, 19:12 pm
Green DRAGONS!!!!
20 Aug 2011, 19:13 pm
Hope Lambie’s shoulder and Victor’s hammie ain’t too bad!!!!
20 Aug 2011, 19:22 pm
Smit in a scrum going forward, I have never!!
20 Aug 2011, 19:23 pm
Good article. Congratulations to South Africa. I hate to see the All Blacks lose, but to South Africa its alright, you guys are a rugby nation and I know we did our best which wasnt good enough today.
Seriously, good luck in the group stages of the World Cup, I really do hope we see you at Semi Final time when it comes down to old foe against old foe.
Kia kaha
20 Aug 2011, 19:23 pm
Hello Brussouw, goodbye Smit… John Smit
20 Aug 2011, 19:26 pm
Must say I’m no Morne fan but you won it for us. As we have no attacking plan we need you.. C
20 Aug 2011, 20:32 pm
Henry will frown? Do you think he is worried? The ABs breached the gain line at will and were unlucky to have that try disallowed. The Boks got nowhere near the tryline. Our attack is completely impotent. The ABs were a 2nd string side that hadn’t played together before yet they were creative, intelligent and unpredictable. If it wasn’t for desperate defence by Bok players who were literally playing for their careers we would’ve lost. The ABs made us look slow, unimaginative and so predictable. Not one try. I’d be worried if I was PdV.
20 Aug 2011, 21:32 pm
4. Thanks Maori, good luck, hope we do meet in the semi
20 Aug 2011, 22:32 pm
@Samba Bok(JayDaFiveOh: no luck involved in having that try disallowed…clear forward pass. Score was a fair reflection of the game. Nzl made lots of mistakes and Rsa were impotent on attack…
20 Aug 2011, 23:01 pm
They’re young. They’re only dirt-trackers now. They’re covered in rust and are thrust together in infrequently-tested and experimental combinations against the Bok A team with more collective test experience than any side ever and one without a single test win all year and with the desperation of 9 trinations defeats out of their last 10 trinations tests.
And yet they suffered only a narrow defeat and they scored the only try of the match.
Their future’s bright. The NZ A-team will win RWC2011 and this team (bar a few oldies) will win RWC 2015.
21 Aug 2011, 05:09 am
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-10:
Hey, I think I saw you in the crowd. Colored with an AB jersey on sticking his tongue out traditional maori style with the NZ flag wrapped around him. Hope you got spat on.
21 Aug 2011, 10:44 am
Since the 2007 RWC we have played NZ 12times winning 5 times including 2 victories on NZ soil,no other rugby nation can come close to that record.So watch out Blacks a close tight Semi-final with your RWC choking record I’ll bet my fortune on the BOKS.Go BOKKE……Brussouw,Bismark,Jaques Fourie,Victor,Schalk all the best in there positions we stand a great Chance BOKKE!!
21 Aug 2011, 10:52 am
@AssassinWP(Ashraf Ismail)-12: um let me get this right now, you are saying that 5 from 12 equates to what exactly? 42% win ratio is good in what way exactly?
21 Aug 2011, 11:00 am
Also don’t forget a RWC semi will not b a high tempo,running rugby affair ask the NZ teams of 2003,2007 in close defensive,kicking game this Bok team is up there with the best.Go Bokke
21 Aug 2011, 12:09 pm
impressive game from Dagg back from injury. Kahui also played well. one thing this match confirmed is the ABS have no backup for:
McCaw
Carter
Read.
Owen Franks
bit like the boks with brusouw, matfiled, FDP (when on form) and Bissie (unless they go with Smit).
a couple of injuries to key players for either team, and they’re significantly weaker. lets hope we see all teams field their strongest team for the whole tournament.
21 Aug 2011, 13:33 pm
Only concern that Henry should have is if something happens to Carter. He ignites the AB’s and is so fundamental to their game. If he goes through unscathed, the AB’s have to be clear favourites to win the RWC. If Carter injured, BIG problems for the AB’s, McCaw or no McCaw.
Boks getting better and the hard pool games (Wales, Samoa, Fiji) will get them ready for Semi with AB’s and get them to peak at the right time.
Should be interesting!
21 Aug 2011, 14:47 pm
@fromthecouch(fromthecouch)-13: its much better than Australia’s or England’s 1 in 10 record an it basically means we have the best record against NZ of the contenders an have a great chance of beating them in a tight,defensive Semi-final,does that make sense to you………..
21 Aug 2011, 19:38 pm
@AssassinWP(Ashraf Ismail)-17: It also shows that the ABs aren’t THAT much better as everyone else sees them. 7 for them, 5 for us. I’d say that’s a pretty close scrap really… They’re ahead, but not by much.
22 Aug 2011, 05:23 am
@AssassinWP(Ashraf Ismail)-12:
Is this counting the B boks sent over this year? If you count the awful Januarie side of 2010 it also puts things into perspective. That’s 3 games won against poor bok sides.
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