Two tries in the last five minutes enabled the All Blacks to overcome a strong comeback by the Springboks as they ended their three-match losing sequence with a deserved 35-23 Castle Lager Rugby championship win at Emirates Airlines Park on Saturday.
It looked as though the Boks had recovered from a poor start and a 15-0 deficit when Handre Pollard kicked the penalty that put them in the lead for the first time in the game in the 68th minute.
However, the effort of fighting back might have sucked in the Bok energy while the All Blacks are renowned for winning late on the highveld, and there should have been a sense of déjà vu for those who remember some of the other games played in Gauteng over the past 12 years.
The All Blacks did something similar at Loftus in 2018, however let it be said that they were nowhere near as good in that game as they were in this one.
Although the Boks dominated the forward battle in the second half, the Kiwis resisted the pressure that was exerted, at times perhaps with the help of English referee Luke Pearce, who did make some perplexing call against the Boks.
One of them came in the 49th minute, just as the Boks had clawed their way back to within two points through Handre Pollard’s second penalty of the match.
Bok replacement No 8 Jasper Wiese was adjudged to have piled into All Black scrumhalf Aaron Smith after the whistle had been blown, but it was marginal and who could hear the whistle in the din created by 61 000 passionate Bok fans?
Then came an effective 10 point swing in favour of New Zealand as Makazole Mapimpi jetted over for a try that was disallowed on the basis that Steven Kitshoff had obstructed an All Black tackler as the Boks started the counter attack from deep in their own half.
Had the replay got that far it may have been found that Lukhanyo Am’s long pass to Mapimpi was marginally forward. But the Boks were celebrating what they thought was the score that would have brought them level with the conversion to come.
Instead the penalty was awarded to the All Blacks back in the Bok half and Richie Mo’unga kicked the goal that stretched the Kiwis back to an eight point advantage.
As it turned out Mapimpi then scored an almost identical try to the one disallowed within a few minutes to draw the deficit back to one point (21-20) but the points conceded to New Zealand there were costly in such a close game.?? This try really is a thing of beauty!#StrongerTogether #StrongerForever #RSAvNZL #CastleRugbyChampionship pic.twitter.com/1sCTdYHxHB
— Springboks (@Springboks) August 13, 2022
FINE MARGINS AGAINST BOKS THIS TIME
It was that sort of game for the Boks, who were over the line several times during the match and had opportunities that they couldn’t take advantage of.
The All Blacks by contrast were quite clinical with their finishing, and did not produce the handling error rate that they did previously. Indeed, their forwards were much better in comparison to Mbombela Stadium last week at holding onto possession.
Nonetheless, the Bok maul was dominant in the last 50 minutes of the game, and started to get penalties for that superiority, so they should really have got over the line for the win once they got in front with 12 minutes to go.
That is particularly so if you consider the All Blacks were down to 14 men after Pollard’s kick after replacement Beauden Barrett was carded for holding Bok scrumhalf Jaden Hendrikse back after he’d kicked the ball through near the All Black line.
That they didn’t was because the All Blacks just had so much more continuity to their attacking game, and were also a lot more direct in their play, and it was a breakout from Rieko Ioane from deep inside his own that set in motion a typically thrilling All Black attack that eventually resulted in David Havili going over.
ALL BLACKS’ FINAL FLOURISH SHOWCASED THEIR GUTS
The Mo’unga conversion put the All Blacks into a five point lead, leaving the Boks to score a converted try in order to win it.
Instead though it was New Zealand who played them back into their half and the visitors would have been particularly pleased with the way their forwards were able to set up Scott Barrett’s fourth try on the hooter.
After being pummelled for so long in both this test and the previous one by the Bok forwards, it was a tribute to their guts and sheer refusal to lose that they were able to end the game in such commanding fashion.
BARRETT AND SAVEA SHINING LIGHTS
Lock Barrett was one of the stars of the New Zealand effort, and the way the All Black forwards carried the ball was one of the marked differences from the previous week.
So was the way they handled the Bok kicking game this week, where it has to be said scrumhalf Hendrikse didn’t help his team with a poor performance kicking from hand this week in comparison to last week’s immaculate display.
Apart from dealing with the home aerial assault better, the All Blacks were also better this week at themselves kicking out of hand. They didn’t surrender the territory battle like they did the previous week.
The other New Zealand hero was No 8 Ardie Savea, one of the few All Blacks to emerge with any credit from the Nelspruit match.
Just like Malcolm Marx did for South Africa seven days earlier, Savea put in a dynamic performance the breakdown, frequently being the man to relieve pressure and halt Bok momentum with his turnovers under pressure.
The Boks looked to have weathered an early All Black storm that led to an early card to fullback Damian Willemse. Another 50/50 call that went against South Africa.
However, everyone knows how dangerous the All Blacks can be, and after a breakout the penalty was kicked by Mo’unga to bring up the first points in the 24th minute.
Four minutes later All Black captain Sam Cane was over in the corner after another great hand to hand cross field sweep that had the Bok defenders floundering. Let it be said, the Boks did miss too many tackles in the game, particularly in that first half.
6/2 SPLIT WORKED AGAINST THEM THIS TIME
They weren’t helped though by the disruption at the back caused first by the card to Willemse and then an injury that saw Jesse Kriel leave the field.
That meant Lukhanyo Am moved to wing, and Willemse slotted in at centre. Perhaps this was one game where the six/two split worked against the Boks, and also the selection too.
It was when last week’s hero Malcolm Marx came on that the Boks started to take control and claw their way back, though that wasn’t before they had fallen behind to a try from All Black hooker Samisoni Taukei’aho.
A brilliant pass from Willie le Roux set up Am for the first Bok try, although Am also had a lot to do himself before finishing as he jiggled his way past three Kiwi defenders before reaching out for the score.
?? What a finish by Lukhanyo Am!#StrongerTogether #StrongerForever #RSAvNZL #CastleRugbyChampionship pic.twitter.com/dX99L1wahN
— Springboks (@Springboks) August 13, 2022
The immaculate boot of Handre Pollard made it an eight point game and then kicked a penalty from his own half to make it a five point game (15-10) at the break.
At that point it looked like the momentum had switched, as the Boks were well back in the game. But in a game of fine margins it was not to be, with the All Blacks proving the folly of writing them off.
Scores:New Zealand 35 - Tries: Sam Cane, Samisoni Taukei’aho, David Havili and Scott Barrett: Conversions: Richie Mo’unga 3; Penalties: Richie Mo’unga 3.
South Africa 23 - Tries: Lukhanyo Am and Makazole Mapimpi; Conversions: Handre Pollard 2; Penalties: Handre Pollard 3.