Blacks within reach of rugby heaven
16 Oct 2011
RYAN VREDE watched the All Blacks take a step closer to ending their World Cup misery with a 20-6 victory over Australia at Eden Park.
Surely now. Surely the suffering will end. Surely the team that has so often betrayed the faithfulness of their long-suffering fans, nay, disciples, will claim the one prize they most covet.
France lie in wait in the final. On the evidence of their woeful performance in victory over Wales last night they will not live with this flawed but formidable team and its superlative players – Israel Dagg chief among those.
On current form Dagg is without peer in the game, possessing every technical gift on offer, and, more pertinently, the temperament for the biggest occasions. All those qualities were on show as he crafted their only try, beating three would-be tacklers then defying the laws of physics to offload a pass to Ma’a Nonu while plummeting into touch. Breathtaking is a word too liberally used to describe mediocre feats. It is inadequate for that inspired action.
Dagg was the headline act in a play with a range of compelling sub-plots, none more so than the vendetta against a son of New Zealand’s soil, Quade Cooper. It took 32 minutes for the flyhalf to do something right (a drop-goal), the preceding period being spent chastising himself for errors or peeling himself off the canvas from statement hits.
While Cooper’s star waned, his counterpart Aaron Cruden’s shone brightly. In the context of his Test career – its genesis seeing coach Graham Henry hailing him as the natural successor to Daniel Carter, and its nadir coming when he was unceremoniously dumped shortly thereafter, before being recently recalled – his was a mature effort, particularly in light of the magnitude of the occasion and the quality of the opposition.
But in a game shaped by the principle of cause and effect, Cruden’s ability to rock rested heavily on the shift put in by his roadies in shirts one through eight. Immovable at the gainline on defence and irresistible on attack, the Blacks’ heavies were mighty. Their spirit was encapsulated in the superb performance of Richie McCaw, who excelled despite his foot being held together by hope and some items found in a mechanic’s toolbox. ‘I know he will try to be modest and give credit to the tight five [for laying the platform], but he was just outstanding,’ coach Graham Henry said of McCaw.
Australia boast a player of Dagg’s calibre in openside flank David Pocock, who appears to possess the supernatural gift of omnipresence. But he was rendered a non-factor at the breakdown thanks to the efficiency of the Blacks’ strike runners and cleaners.
It would be remiss not to acknowledge the Wallabies’ unkillable spirit in the face of incessant pressure. It was the outstanding feature of their game against the Springboks last week, and they exhibited that again tonight. To restrict the Blacks to one try is a notable achievement given the hosts’ surfeit of territory and possession. However, they lacked a clinical edge in the 22m, which was decisive to their fortunes.
That they were in touch at half-time – trailing 14-6 – bore testament to their resolve as much as it did the Blacks’ frequent impatience on attack. But they did little more than survive, when reopening the psychological wounds the Blacks sport from previous failures in this tournament required considerably more.
Just after the restart Piri Weepu kicked his third penalty to go with a Cruden drop goal, extending the lead to 11 points. There was a observable change in focus from the Blacks thereafter, with panache giving way to pragmatism on attack and granitic defence being the bedrock of their resistance.
Australia succumbed, albeit not meekly, to a team who have no equal in the game. France are vastly inferior opponents. For the Blacks, ending their suffering will be more a test of exorcising their own demons than it will be about vanquishing Lievremont’s mad mob.
By Ryan Vrede, at Eden Park
Follow Ryan’s World Cup coverage on Twitter
1,170 Comments
Pages: « 1 … 14 15 16 17 18 19 [20] 21 22 23 24 » Show All
16 Oct 2011, 20:28 pm
Only word i know there is bhosha, what are the others.
16 Oct 2011, 20:30 pm
our old foe New Zealand deserve to pack the Web Ellis trophy into their closet monday week. They are after all the undisputed best team in the world. We all know that. They play great rugby and in the the right spirit of the game. France are the opposite IMHO. If they, against all odds, win it will be a travesty of justice. It would have been ‘nice’ to see the Boks contest the final but if we are honest, they are a shade short of the AB’s quality. Our attack is simply not up to it. So, in the spirit of the game, I back the AB’s for the title this time round.
16 Oct 2011, 20:42 pm
Well done AB’s
Good to see the breakdown policed properly for a change, good one Craig
16 Oct 2011, 20:51 pm
@whatever(whatever)-953: yes, magnificently managed by Craig. What a change from the one we had to endure.
16 Oct 2011, 21:03 pm
MOM Craig Joubert He set the tone but not allowing hands in ruck and playing the ball while off their feet
Plus he lets the game flow
16 Oct 2011, 21:05 pm
Yes Well done ABs Should be un-beatable especially against at team than can only win by 1 against 14 men
ABs to win by more than 20 points
16 Oct 2011, 21:06 pm
@CoachPete(CoachPete)-955: howzit Pete. Absolutely. Was looking out for you in Kiwi. You miss the boat? What a great time we had. Would do it again tomorrow.
16 Oct 2011, 21:10 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-949: Not sure that is to the ABs benefit. From what I’ve seen the NH referees are not great around the breakdown either
16 Oct 2011, 21:17 pm
Hardly knew craig was on the field
16 Oct 2011, 21:18 pm
@TASSIES(TASSIES)-957:
Howzit Glad you having a great time Yes I would have loved to have gone
I think we should have been playing the ABs in semi I dont think we would have beaten them
So are you going to the final?
I dont see france been that big dark horse upset type team. ABs are just too good
16 Oct 2011, 21:20 pm
@Dawn(Dawn)-959:
Exactly he lets the game flow only few times he had to say anything was to remind a few Aussies about the rules (which included “hands in a ruck are not permitted ” Watch the game Bryce see how rugby should be reffed
16 Oct 2011, 21:23 pm
It’s so bryce that it’s monday tomorrow!
16 Oct 2011, 21:26 pm
@CoachPete(CoachPete)-961: More than that I recon, he set the tone early on with three early penalties of which two was against Pocock. From there on the breakdowns looked very clean
Check out the Guardian article:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/oct/16/rugby-world-cup-david-pocock?newsfeed=true
16 Oct 2011, 21:27 pm
Well I suppose that’s that 20-6, that was regarded as the real final. Boks fans believe they’d have offered more, perhaps, but the question is where were they? If you cannot score tries in modern rugby, you cannot be competitive!
16 Oct 2011, 21:30 pm
Where’s Helen, where are her usual taunts and silly jokes, where’s her commentary and idiotic banter, where is she?
16 Oct 2011, 21:31 pm
@mpundulu(mpundulu)-964:
Well you cannot win a game of rugby if the ref cannot apply the rules at the breakdown correctly Joubert did a huge difference when you are the dominant team
Also when Aussies lost Beale game over before it started
16 Oct 2011, 21:34 pm
@mpundulu(mpundulu)-964: more sanctimonious rubbish from you…2 tries in both semis with 4 so-called “flair” “running” rugby teams tl tl tl.
sudden death rugby – to use a graham henry term – is npt this fanciful stuff u have in your mind
i see you team didn’t play that airy fairy stuff from the 1st half in brisbane.
16 Oct 2011, 21:37 pm
Coach Pete: it’s an indictment on the boks that they can dominate overwhelmingly the scrums, lineouts, collision points, possession, territory, and lose marginal the breakdown points and not win, that’s woeful no matter the manner of the ref the boks lost that game on their own, they do not have the skills set to cross the tryline whilst holding the ball.
16 Oct 2011, 21:38 pm
I was accused of been a “sore loser” after the boks game. I congratulated the Aussies but I still dont believe they should have won
Just good to know that what i felt, Bryce had missed and his poor handling of the breakdown, was echoed thousand of times here and all over included the post link from danuk
16 Oct 2011, 21:39 pm
Ja ok the boks are vrot before we have 100 posts saying the same thing.
16 Oct 2011, 21:40 pm
Transie: what game did you play against the Aussies? Pray tell…..
16 Oct 2011, 21:42 pm
@mpundulu(mpundulu)-968: @mpundulu(mpundulu)-968:
Does not matter how many times you cross the try line in knock out rugby You can win even when you dont score tries
How many tries did ABs score in semi vs Aussie only one after been so dominant?
In out game Vs Aussies there were 2-3 kickable penalties not give by the ref
and a flat pass called back
We should have won that game by 5 or 8 points if you add those kicks
16 Oct 2011, 21:44 pm
Transie: ungabuza negeza laseBhofolo, uya ku xelela uba amabokoboko abakwazi uku skora I-try!
16 Oct 2011, 21:44 pm
@mpundulu(mpundulu)-971:your team today did more “skop n jag” than the Boks in the WHOLE rwc! vreet that
16 Oct 2011, 21:45 pm
@mpundulu(mpundulu)-964: last time I looked most of the points in the game where penalties.
How do you score tries if the ball is slowed down?
Rugby is simple, teams will infringe to limit the other team’s attach, like Pocock and did twice early on and Richie did once.
And just like the ABs today, in close test matches, you take points on offer, which creates more pressure and chances.
How do you score tries if the ball is slowed down?
16 Oct 2011, 21:46 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-948: A4Y
16 Oct 2011, 21:46 pm
@danuk(danuk)-975:
We agree
16 Oct 2011, 21:47 pm
Transie: from you I expect more, you should be more worried about the fact that PdV is getting another 4 years as head coach but he has to take AC as his assistant!!!
16 Oct 2011, 21:47 pm
@mpundulu(mpundulu)-968:more rubbish…how much possession dod ur team have 2day? they dominated the collision, breakdown, territory & possession yet have only one try to show – riddle me that squire
a solitary try umnqongo?
16 Oct 2011, 21:48 pm
@mpundulu(mpundulu)-968: Horseshite. We had territory and possession. Rugby is a multiphase game these days, unless your view is that we should be able to score tries against the top 5 nations in the world from phase 1/2 possession all the time.
Did the AB try come from a set piece or broken play?
16 Oct 2011, 21:48 pm
@mpundulu(mpundulu)-964: Excuse me buddy but the Ozzies only scored one against us because of a refereeing faux pas and today there was only one try scored by the All Blacks with 2 of the best attacking teams on the planet. I´m sick of this where were the tries bs. Its a WC – when it comes down to the crunch tries are few and far between.
16 Oct 2011, 21:48 pm
Coach Pete: should have? Really……, well you didn’t!
16 Oct 2011, 21:49 pm
Lol tackler the only kiwi still awake
16 Oct 2011, 21:51 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-974:
Some how they just do it better
16 Oct 2011, 21:51 pm
That does not mean to say I think we are fantastic on attack or have a load of Daggs in our backline, HOWEVER if we dominate the set pieces and get gainline ascendancy to the degree we had against Australia, then we should be able to get the offensive advantage to the same degree as against Fiji.
Otherwise we should get the penalties
16 Oct 2011, 21:54 pm
@Dawn(Dawn)-983:
work starts early at Auckland Uni’s Faculty of Bitter Expats.
there is much belittling of the mother country to be done.
16 Oct 2011, 21:55 pm
@mpundulu(mpundulu)-978: expect “more” what from me? you’re the only one that knows that PdV is getting a contract extension…asiyazi thina lonto
16 Oct 2011, 21:55 pm
Slumtown, danuk, transie, coach Pete: gentlemen, don’t be upset, I should not be discussing rugby with you lot until the rwc is over but alas you are available. In order that we don’t belabour this, the boks are rubbish, and have been for many years and we all know this. Your greatest problem now is that PdV is back for four more years, what are you going to do about it?!
16 Oct 2011, 21:55 pm
@mpundulu(mpundulu)-982:
Yeah got that. Seems like you know nothing about Knock out rugby
16 Oct 2011, 22:00 pm
@mpundulu(mpundulu)-988: @mpundulu(mpundulu)-988: you’re right on that one, don’t come talk rugby here when you’re tanked…
16 Oct 2011, 22:00 pm
@JL1(JL1)-939:
*chortle*
just LOVIN’ your whinging
16 Oct 2011, 22:00 pm
@mpundulu(mpundulu)-988: yes, PDV was not the greatest coach probably, and we’ve not played very well in recent years.
However saying the Aussie game was completely within our control, and we should have won if we had more skill is shortsighted.
Simple, we had the game against the Aussies in the semi, regardless of our recent form and our supposed lack of attacking innovation. They (the Aussies) won that game because Bryce awarded the lowest (yes the lowest) number of penalties of any RWC game played.
I’m all for a new coach, with more consistent results and a better way of playing, however saying we lost that game because we weren’t good enough is insulting for the guys who played that day
16 Oct 2011, 22:02 pm
@mpundulu(mpundulu)-988: why do u care if the boks are rubbish, worry about your ‘adopted’ team
16 Oct 2011, 22:03 pm
@TASSIES(TASSIES)-952:
“a shade”
~guffaw~
QterFinal Chump steak.
16 Oct 2011, 22:03 pm
Anywho, that’s rugby, when a country complains about a result they whine. Ask the ABs in 2007. Does not mean that the supporters of that country should not feel pissed off
Apart from that I’m glad the better team won today, without any refereeing issues
I hope that happens next weekend as well
16 Oct 2011, 22:04 pm
@mpundulu(mpundulu)-988:
Your clueless
16 Oct 2011, 22:04 pm
@danuk(danuk)-992: don’t get worked up chap he is in trol mode…mpundulu is dronk that i’m positive of
16 Oct 2011, 22:06 pm
Whoa! Panther up too!
Nicely done to your team.
Well impressed I was.
16 Oct 2011, 22:06 pm
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-976:
beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeautiful
will NEVER forget how it sounds with 50,000+ in unison
………………..~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
16 Oct 2011, 22:06 pm
B L A C K
Pages: « 1 … 14 15 16 17 18 19 [20] 21 22 23 24 » Show All
Have your say
You must be logged in to post a comment.