Blacklash buries Boks
6 Oct 2012
JON CARDINELLI, reporting from Soccer City, watched the All Blacks punish the Springboks in the latter stages of Saturday’s Test to win 32-16.
Usually you have to wait until the end of a game for the climax, but for the South African fans at Soccer City, the best time to be around was in that period before kickoff, and the 20 minutes thereafter.
The Calabash wasn’t filled to capacity, but then 80 000 people can still make one helluva racket. Picture the majority of that 80 000 screaming the lyrics of Nkosi Sikelel iAfrika and then drowning out the Kapa o Pango, the All Blacks’ special haka reserved for big contests. If you didn’t feel the prickle of gooseflesh in that opening salvo, you must be made out of stone.
And then the Boks played. They clattered into the collisions. They pilfered lineout ball and assaulted the All Blacks’ scrum. They used that set-piece platform to good effect, scoring from a lineout near halfway.
Not many teams score against the All Blacks, and very few do it from first phase. And to go 50m for that five pointer – well it would have to be something special. It certainly was.
From the lineout, the ball flew to Duane Vermeulen who immediately turned his back to the opposition and offloaded to team-mate Francois Louw. Louw then did the same, and the move worked in that the other member of the Bok loose trio, Willem Alberts, was free to hit the gap.
The All Blacks managed to bring Alberts down but not before the big man tossed the ball up for a support player. The All Blacks attempted to intercept this pass, but only succeeded in knocking it further backward and out of reach. Jean de Villiers succeeded in coming through and winning the ball, and then finding the omnipresent Bryan Habana. When the winger rounded the poles, the crowd erupted. It was a thrilling standalone moment.
Johan Goosen had missed two difficult penalty attempts earlier in the half, but he made no mistake with this conversion or his subsequent penalty attempt. The result was a 10-0 advantage for the Boks. Against all expectations, the underdogs had raced to a commanding lead.
But soft moments – a phrase coined by Heyneke Meyer to describe his side’s tendency to lapse – have cost the Boks all season, and it was a series of soft moments that saw the Boks relinquishing this big lead.
The Boks lost concentration in the period before half-time. Bad decisions and unforced errors allowed the All Blacks back into the game, first through a try by Sam Whitelock and then another by Aaron Smith.
Elton Jantjies, on for the injured Goosen, kicked some important goals to keep the Boks in front, but as the two teams headed down the tunnel, you got the sense that the momentum had shifted in the visitors’ favour.
This was confirmed when the All Blacks scored in the first movement of the second half. The kickoff wasn’t claimed and the ball was shifted wide. Kieran Read found space down the right-hand flank and raced 40m before popping the ball to Ma’a Nonu for the try.
The Boks’ defence went from bad to worse. The All Blacks succeeded in stretching them out wide on a number of occasions, and worryingly, the Boks were starting to fall off tackles.
It was an embarrassing moment when the All Blacks cantered in for their fourth try, Conrad Smith scoring from a first-phase move. Having trailed by 10 points at one stage, the All Blacks were now 10 points ahead.
There was no way back for the Boks. Dan Carter, who looked all too mortal at times with some unforced errors of his own, began to find form as the game progressed. He booted a 60m monster of a penalty to extend the lead to 13, and then nailed a drop goal a few moments later to widen the gap to 16.
A 16-point win can’t be called ugly. The All Blacks came to play the Boks on the Highveld, and while they had already secured the Rugby Championship title, they needed to win to keep their dream of breaking the record for most consecutive Test victories alive.
The pressure was on, and when it mattered, they delivered.
The Boks played well in patches, but their effort and precision wasn’t on point in the second stanza.
They will lament the mistakes that led to try-scoring opportunities for the All Blacks, and what amounted to a hiding on the scoreboard will serve as a reminder that while they are rated No 2 in the world, they’re still a long way behind this mighty All Blacks side.
591 Comments
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7 Oct 2012, 11:23 am
Well done to the AB’s. A well deserved win.
The Boks had this game in the first half but were unable to step up a gear. The Boks will get better. To me, JDV might have played his last game for the Boks. I’ve been a huge fan of his but HM might just give him the tap on the shoulder. Something PDV was unable to do with John Smit.
As for the Bok fans singing “ole ole” during the haka.
Disgusting.
7 Oct 2012, 11:24 am
@cane-332: AB won the game with their
backs.Light years ahead of ours.Great,Great side WELL DONE.
NO CHURLISH COMMENTS HERE>
7 Oct 2012, 11:25 am
@roobarb2-349: Got enjoyment watching the Sharks and Cheetahs yesterday. Both teams playing some attractive rugby.
7 Oct 2012, 11:27 am
@roobarb2-331: Post of the week
7 Oct 2012, 11:30 am
AB’s won, because they finished better. They were fitter.
Travel, altitude and home advantage all favoured The Eye Gougers.
Perhaps SA’s loosies are too bulked up (fat). Alberts, Louw and Vermin could all benefit from Jenny Graig consultation..
7 Oct 2012, 11:32 am
@ryecatcher-352:
NO CHURLISH COMMENTS HERE>
I’ll make up for your shortcoming ryeman.
7 Oct 2012, 11:38 am
Oh.
And I bumped into a Capersader Mitchells Plain All Blacks supporter before the game.
His nose was already bleeding before I got to him.
True story.
7 Oct 2012, 11:39 am
@cane-355: as a kiwi would you chop a 44% winning coach or would you give him another chance.
7 Oct 2012, 11:40 am
Habana strikes again! After all the good he does and the form he has shown he comes in off his defensive line going for the intercept yet again (I know he had a 3 on one) but basically when it doesnt come off you leave youre wing defenseless with 3 guys on attack and no-one to slow them down. Had he just gone in and tried to track back and defend he could have slowed them enough to give the cover tacklers coming in a chance to get there on time.
That try swung the momentum right back in New Zealands favour and it was all downhill from there.
Add to that his stuff up on attack when all he ahd to do was take the ball and go for the corner and instead he went swerving infield wayy too hectically and ran straight into the defense and knocked the ball on. That right there should have been a sure 7 points for SA.
Also when the forwards were rumbling it up a mtere or two from the line they really should have shown more patience and ball protection – another 7 points wasted.
Add to that the 4 missed penalties and poor kicking display and its all overs. Boks also have no heart – when they start losing they generally just effing fade into oblivion. Just really not nowhere near where they need to be.
7 Oct 2012, 11:42 am
@cane-356: I have always thought that good sportsmanship was the ideal.Do you know what ” not being churlish” is?
7 Oct 2012, 11:44 am
Forgot to add – well done All Blacks – fantastic team with an enviably huge record that probably no team will ever get near to. Hope they go on the break the 17 or 18 consecutive games record – they well deserve it. Rugby at its very very best. They were demolished in the first half statistically and still were in the game and then went on to turn the tables. That takes some skill.
7 Oct 2012, 11:44 am
all keewees are churlish
7 Oct 2012, 11:50 am
@RL-358:
Early days RL.
Coaching an International Team is a Campaign, not a Battle.
Boks played better than most of you them credit for.
- Goosen perhaps should not have started. (didn’t practice during the week).
- if Habana had taken that intercept !
But yes…………………………………………….An AB coach, with a 40% record, would be under immense pressure.
7 Oct 2012, 11:53 am
@cane-363: Am still hurting.My post gives (imo)massive praise to a superlative team.Read it properly.
7 Oct 2012, 11:56 am
beautiful
tipped the ABs by 14, they won by 16..
guess the whole travel saga can well and truly be laid to rest..
SA rugby is still K@k..
world champs playing like true world champs.
they are the only team to have done the title justice…
how strange to see the game thread, when SA was winning the ref was wonderful, once the game was gone the tune changed..
7 Oct 2012, 11:58 am
@ryecatcher-360:
You are right of course.
7 Oct 2012, 12:02 pm
@poppa69-365:
Don’t be churlish!
It’s girlish.
The AB’s were the better side.
7 Oct 2012, 12:04 pm
@poppa69-365:
Our (NZ) 1987 Champs never lost a match for 22 consecutive games.
A 19-19 result against Aus the only blemish.
7 Oct 2012, 12:11 pm
According to Henry’s book, dan carter is responsible for a lot of the all blacks tactics, and the senior players have a lot of say in the style of rugby to be played by the team. Nonu is the defensive leader (which surprised me).
As a counter to the John Mitchell “do as I say” approach (which the AB’s did t enjoy), Henry and his co-coaches handed a lot of responsibility for the game plan and preparation to the senior players.
This seems very different to Meyer’s approach, which seems to be an old school “command and control” ethos.
I wonder if the boks would have been better to continue with PDV’s approach of delegating a lot to the senior players????
7 Oct 2012, 12:11 pm
@poppa69-365: pops don’t be doff – you only win or lose after the ref blows his final whistle.
7 Oct 2012, 12:13 pm
@ryecatcher-364:
I did read it Ryeman.
I know it hurts. It’s because you are passionate about your Team. And I have tremendous respect for you, and others like you.
7 Oct 2012, 12:14 pm
@corporal punishment-369: after the 2008 season divvy delegated all coaching responsibilities to Plod and Matfield – he only kept us entertained with his many classical divvynisms.
7 Oct 2012, 12:17 pm
Where are these Guys?
they (the Boks) will hammer them and will win by at least 15 points. Write this down, copy this post and mark my words carefully. Madaboutrugby.
5.Blitzbok:
6 Oct 2012, 15:43 pm
no blerry reason the boks should lose against these overrated arrogant turkeys.
88.Hondo:
6 Oct 2012, 17:24 pm
Such a Kiwi arrogance
Coming to J’burg to play a test with two hopeless PI scrumhalves
A mind boggling
Just wondering.
7 Oct 2012, 12:19 pm
@rl 372: well I guess that was taking delegation to the extreme! My point really is that meyer’s approach of trying to mould players to his detailed game plan is very different to the ab’s approach of player involvement.
7 Oct 2012, 12:25 pm
@cane-371: Thanks Cane.Truly a memorable 2nd half by AB,s
7 Oct 2012, 12:32 pm
@ryecatcher-375:
Is Juan coming back, or is he finished?
He seems to have been away for a very long time, and is no spring chicken by now?
7 Oct 2012, 12:38 pm
@cane-376: Cannot see him playing
International rugby again.Before his injury he was immense.
I would be very sad to see him not playing at his previous level.Would like
to remember him as he was.
7 Oct 2012, 12:43 pm
@cane-376: he 31 now and being injured for two years now – he must take the retirement package in France for a few seasons and forget about test rugby.
7 Oct 2012, 12:44 pm
Goodnight all.
And remember…………………………the wheel turns.
7 Oct 2012, 12:48 pm
Gutted….absolutely inconsolably and totally in my moer gutted! Honestly thought Boks would win ….damn that 2 nd half was horrible.
Scarred I tell you…..
Key is Boks must stay on the path and not revert back to conservative type….there is no point in going backwards….
Fark that hurt bad …really bad….
7 Oct 2012, 12:53 pm
@cane-373: Hell Cane i was one of those who thought the Boks would do it by a big margin, thinking that the ttravel and altitude would be too much and to be honest in the first half the AB’s made more mistakes than ive ever seen them make. They even looked sluggish as well but man your guys were clever in the use of their possession, used the energy immediately after the break to get ahead immediately and then played the territory game taking the whole travel aspect out of it. Blooming brilliant and tremendous skills, well done to you guys.
Bokke are too thick to realise that with defences lying so flat you dont have enough distance to run over players and the ABs better than any know how to absorb pressure. With 66% territory and 57% possession at one stage the Boks were still trying to defy physics instead of looking for space, may have to do with fitness, athletic ability to get around the park!!!.
7 Oct 2012, 12:53 pm
@cane-373:
Hehe
Madaboutrugby was trying his best tosound like he knew what he was talking about, especially when he said this is a Bok B team,lol.Some still say Boks are missing 10 players, hehehe yeah right.
Dont you worry, i amwaiting for a couple of clowns to log in.
7 Oct 2012, 12:56 pm
Cant believe De Jongh got 5 mins & Liebenberg.
Both Strauss and Taute should have been off at 50 mins & Lambie should have come on earlier than the 65th.
Also it was a bad call for Heyneke to bring Coenie onto the bench. Scrumaging against Woodcock, only back from injury etc…
Cilliers has been good & Jannie is not as fit as Beast so he was always going to come off. Bad call.
7 Oct 2012, 13:02 pm
@Fern-338:
Fern, i think you need to grow up son.
You guys lost fair and square.
Now unless you can come up with how we was given the rub of the green or the ref looked after us, i suggest settle down, have a swim in your dam. Get clean at least.
I am waiting forBakkies to log on. I am prepared. I have the game on hard drive.
He said he will log in and show us what we got away with and cheated and what the ref missed.
Cant wait.
7 Oct 2012, 13:04 pm
@garth-138: Like your thinking there mate – that team could be the answer
7 Oct 2012, 13:15 pm
Carlos was right on the money, he said the Ab’s would clean them up.
7 Oct 2012, 13:17 pm
‘I told you so’ would be cocky, but relevant.
Before this season started it was mentioned by a few that the Boks can REALISTICALLY hope to end second behind the All Blacks, couple of tests, couple of injuries later, they ended 3rd.
I am truly amazed by the ignorant beliefs of SA rugby supporters.
And for the bleeding hearts out there, please not that there is a massive difference between wanting to be the best and believing you can be the best, and accepting that you are not there yet.
Saying the Boks could best hope for ending 2nd to NZ this year was never accepting mediocrity, it is acknowledging reality.
The Boks were beaten by a team yesterday who is conservatively 15% better than them on a good day. You don’t fluke 100 test victories as a player, you don’t fluke 939 caps in a match-day 22, you don’t fluke 6 players being the most capped in their position in their team’s history.
Against a team with a hooker with less than 10 starting caps, a lock in his debut season, a loose-trio with less than 35 caps between them, a scrummy with less than 10 starts at 9, a flyhalf in his second run-on match and his deputy on the bench with zero and a bench who shares a collective amount of caps of 60 there was always only going to be one result, unless there was some sort of miracle of course (which did not come).
This current generation of All Blacks achieved more than any other All Black side in history.
Of course this Bok side will not be given time, as is quite evident by the ******* rubbish I have to read above. I don’t think Heyneke has the determination or will to continue to tell SA supporters and media to **** off the way Jake White did when he laid the foundation for a similar, special generation of Bok players.
A pity, but not expected.
You deserve what you get SA rugby fans.
7 Oct 2012, 13:17 pm
Some may think that I am a God or a prophet and they may not be wrong
Now I said that the AB’s were going to reduce Goosen to a passenger and that HM will keep him on the park to the detriment of the team… THat did not only apply to Goosen but to JDV and Taute as well.. and how right was I???
What I also noticed was that the Ref was giving the Boks an extra moment to retain the ball at the breakdown to prevent the AB’s from turning over. This allowed the boks extra time to clear out and less time for the AB’s to stay legal ( On their feet). He also allowed the boks to dive over with impunity This resulted in the huge disproportion in the penalty count. The AB’s therefore had to do it with a dodgy ref too
The same happened with the Aussies last week hence the heavy casualties. This Ref is a shameful twat. The first 20 minutes yesterday belonged to the boks because the Ref protected them as if he had money on the game.
I bet this ref is part of some supremacist group that see the Springbok as part their cause.
7 Oct 2012, 13:29 pm
@grant10-380: You need to get rid of Meyer, Straueli had a similar 4 from 9 record, he is not the right man to unleash the new backline talents of Hougaard, Goosen, Jantjes, Lambie and De Jongh -and the defence was better under PDV/Gold.
7 Oct 2012, 13:46 pm
Big Hit we might put 50 past you at Twickers even if you stack your side with journeymen Kiwi’s, Saffa’s,Samoans etc
7 Oct 2012, 13:59 pm
@PissAnt-387: 939 test caps, that is massive.
@Big Hit-389: Heineken stuffed up big time by favouring bull(****) players for the English series and picking the same brainless out of form not good enough bullyboy boneheads for 4 out of 6 RC matches.
In in the end he wasted 7 matches learning the obvios instead of picking the right players and building from the word go. Aa wasted season from him.
7 Oct 2012, 14:03 pm
@NZINCHINA-390: NZ haven’t scored 50 at Twickers in over 100 years of tests and Flood/Farrell won’t be missing 35 points with the boot like SA to make you look good
7 Oct 2012, 14:03 pm
Still feel too raw but for 1,st time ever will post changes I feel necessary(tomorrow) Some behemoths have to go.
7 Oct 2012, 14:08 pm
@Fern-362:
Great cheesemakers?
7 Oct 2012, 14:08 pm
@RL-391: yeah, somewhere in his head he felt his Bulls players were still the best, but he is learning the hard way. However the fundamentals of his own game plan still aren’t there, if you’re going to kick the ball away then your defence needs to be good.
This generation of SA players have some great young attacking backs, Meyer as coach is going to waste all their potential with his one-dimensional approach.
7 Oct 2012, 14:09 pm
@NZINCHINA-390: @NZINCHINA-390: @Fern-362:
Great cheesemakers?
The first ton at Twotters?
7 Oct 2012, 14:11 pm
@Big Hit-392:
there’s a first time for everything big tittie, the Pomies could be on the end of a big hiding if we bring our B game to Twickers
7 Oct 2012, 14:12 pm
@Big Hit-392:
More evidence of NH incompetent referees!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
7 Oct 2012, 14:12 pm
Whew, it has taken me almost 24 hours to get up the energy to sit in front of my computer after yesterday’s game. First off, I have to say a hearty congratulations to the Kiwis. Your team is fantastic, and you should be very proud. Deserving world champs and tournament winners.
I felt very proud of the Bokke in the first half of the game, mainly as they managed to deny theAB’s any ball, which I felt was the best approach to such a dangerous side. It was very concerning that with only about two minutes worth of ball they scored two tries and made it look ridiculously easy. The second half was simply shocking, it showed how brains will triumph over brawn every time. Our forwards are great, and could become a world force, but we have an abysmal backline.
I don’t know if we are resigned to watching crash and smash rugby for the rest of HM’s tenure, if so I may actually quit watching rugby, it is too painful. There is something of beauty to be seen in players like Conrad Smith and Israel Dagg, using space, ofloading in the tackle and being fluent and creative. We have creative players in SA, maybe not quite of that standard, but a hell of a lot better than was in out backline yesterday. 9-15 looked like bumbling amateurs playing against polished proffessionals. My biggest hope is that HM takes some lessons from this much needed wake up call and moves forward in a positive way.
7 Oct 2012, 14:19 pm
We put 64 past you in 98′ back home, that record is under threat this autumn.
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