• Universal rugby order restored for brilliant Boks and All Blacks

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    A change of Springboks team brought the desired result. More of the same please South Africa on a Saturday when the rugby universe seemed to return to normal with world-class Bok and All Blacks Test wins, writes Mark Keohane.

    It started early in Hamilton when the All Blacks crushed the Pumas 53-3 and it ended late on Saturday night in Sydney when the Springboks were equally emphatic in walloping the Wallabies 24-8.

    Order seemed to be restored to how it should be when the All Blacks play the Pumas and the Springboks play the Wallabies. You expect New Zealand to win well and you expect the Boks to win.

    New Zealand looked really good in Hamilton. If you don’t want to acknowledge this All Blacks performance, you don’t really dig rugby. They were brilliant but they were also brutal in the collisions and brought a physicality that has been absent for some time in their game.

    It was as comprehensive a beating as the Pumas have suffered since they took close to 100 in New Zealand a long time ago and a few big ones against the Springboks in South Africa.

    The All Blacks, with the New Zealand public demanding a response to a first-ever defeat against Argentina in New Zealand a week ago, provided the most compelling statement that there can be as much quality in their performance as there has been chaos.

    It was fantastic to watch – if you love rugby.

    If you are anti anything the All Blacks do or Ian Foster, you’d probably suggest the Pumas were mentally still partying in Christchurch.

    The Pumas certainly weren’t the equal of a week ago but this time they were never allowed into a game the All Blacks dominated from the opening whistle. It sets the All Blacks up to actually win the competition because of a superior points differential.

    The Boks clawed back a bonus-point win to keep their interest in the competition. They have to beat Argentina both times and hope the All Blacks and Wallabies split their two matches, which is a possibility given all the inconsistency in performance in the Rugby Championship.

    Siya Kolisi’s Boks delivered a performance to be proud of and the Wallabies supporters were never allowed to entertain the notion of a second successive win against the Boks.

    It was enjoyable to watch and hopefully the match gives the Bok coaching leadership more confidence that making the right changes will produce the right result.

    In the week I wrote a piece picking the team I would want to see start. It had 10 changes from Adelaide and it had Canan Moodie at right wing, Willie le Roux at fullback, Damian Willemse and Jaden Hendrikse at halfback, it had Steven Kitshoff and Malcolm Marx starting at loosehead and hooker, and it had Deon Fourie on the bench doubling as a hooker and loose-forward option.

    More than 50 percent in a poll on SA Rugby Magazine agreed with my team, while the odd naysayer told me I was no selector and this team would take a beating.

    I always had faith they would win, but took the view they had nothing to lose.

    Well, they provided answers when many may have expected more questions.

    Malcolm Marx can play from start to finish, Moodie is a natural, Fourie can provide that cover and Willemse brings a dimension to the Boks flyhalf position.

    It was a lekker day to watch Test rugby. I love watching rugby when the Springboks and All Blacks fire.

    And on Saturday they did more than fire, they sizzled.

    Play Willemse at 10 & give Boks a shake-up in Sydney

     

     

     

    Article written by

    Keo has written about South African and international rugby professionally for the last 25 years

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