Respect, reverence & thank you to the Springboks & All Blacks
What an occasion. What a match. The Springboks get the Rugby Championship win but the rugby world gets a win from both teams in what they produced at Ellis Park, writes Mark Keohane.
This was comfortably the All Blacks best collective performance with coach Scott Robertson in charge. It was also one that the back-to-back world champion Springboks will bank among the many memories of the last six years.
It was monumental, in occasion and in result, for the South Africans.
The All Blacks don’t do moral victories. They don’t celebrate coming second. But they left Ellis Park more winners than losers when you consider the journey towards the 2027 World Cup in Australia.
For me, Robertson’s tenure as All Blacks coach started at Ellis Park. He knows he has cattle and those youngsters will only get better in the next three years when it comes to decision-making and playing the biggest moments with a match-winning outcome.
This was an All Blacks team that played to the tradition of the black jersey. They had passion, mongrel, attitude, breathtaking ability in space and they were class. The achilles was decision-making in big moments as the clock surged towards 80 minutes.
The All Blacks opening 12 minutes was stunning. Only the world champion Springboks could limit that effort to seven points and rebound quickly with five of their own. Other teams would have been down by 30.
The All Blacks, at Ellis Park, were that good in how they fronted. The current world leaders, South Africa, were equally good, in how they resisted the black storm.
I will have to watch this Test a few times this week to fully appreciate every ebb and flow, but what an ebbb and flow.
The All Blacks, at one stage had scored four tries to one, but the try-scoring was always going to be neutralised by the famed Boks substitute’s bomb squad.
The All Blacks knew that they had to be two or more scores ahead going into the final quarter. The Boks would be comforted that they had to be within one score and not out of reach at two converted scores going into the final quarter.
The All Blacks led 27-17 when awarded a comfortable three pointer. The All Blacks, in the 63rd minute, turned down the penalty and went for the corner.
Again, just my view, the match was determined in that one decision, such were the fine margins.
The Boks survived the attack on their try line and a probable 30-17 lead turned to 27-24 with 10 minutes to play.
The All Blacks pack arrived and never took a step back. Kudos to the boys.
They only looked vulnerable when reduced to seven in the second half for 10 minutes. The Boks made them pay.
The Boks were stretched with width and the Bok backs put themselves under pressure with ball in hand, in their own half.
But what a contest and what an occasion.
The beauty is both teams get to go again at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town again next Saturday.
It is going to be a different kind of ripper, but it will be no less intense or dramatic.
