All Blacks humble Boks

APPALLING selections by the Springboks coaching staff came back to haunt their team at Ellis Park yesterday when the desperate All Blacks came back from their loss in Mbombela the week before to beat the Boks 35-23.

The inability of the South Africans to win primary possession was key to their downfall and much of that failure was due to the coaching staff failing to pick Malcolm Marx to start the game, while the recall of Duane Vermeulen was a failure.

The “Ellis Park factor” that was so debated going into this match ultimately favoured an All Blacks team that so often have dined out on the Highveld factor because it favours their running game, and once more that was the case.

The Springboks knew a backlash was coming from the ailing All Blacks after the mauling in Mbombela, yet they could not deal with it in a first half that belonged to the fiery visitors.

Indeed, the early pressure came from the All Blacks in every facet of the game – the first scrum saw them earn a penalty for an early hit; the Boks then lost the first line-out of the game and then Damian Willemse was yellow-carded for a professional foul in scrambling a tackle on Ardie Savea just metres from the South African line.

Ten minutes of extreme New Zealand pressure was spectacularly relieved when Pieter-Steph du Toit intercepted and ran 50 metres but, somehow the All Blacks hurtled back to stop him short of their line.

In that movement, however, the Boks lost right wing Jesse Kriel to an injury inflicted in a tackle just before the intercept, and on came on Willie le Roux, who was immediately effective.

On 20 minutes, the Boks boldly kicked to the corner but Joseph Dweba’s thow-in was crooked and a great opportunity was lost, and five minutes later that cost the South Africans on the scoreboard when Richie Mo’unga nailed a penalty for the opening score.

And on the 30-minute mark the All Blacks deservedly surged into the lead when flank Sam Cane crashed over in the corner, and the missed conversion meant the visitors led 8-0.

And that became 15-0 when hooker Samisoni Taukei’aho went over five minutes before half-time, and the Boks were in severe trouble. That signalled changes from the bench and the bomb squad detonated immediately when space was created for Lukhanyo Am to force himself over in the corner.

And then the half ended on a fine note for the Boks when Pollard nailed a 55m penalty to make it 15-10. That was an escape of note given that they barely fired a shot in the first half.

The Boks, surely chastised in the half-time change room, came out with a vengeance and five minutes of pressure yielded a penalty for Pollard to convert the score to 15-13.

This was undone for the Boks when Jasper Wiese was penalised for a late tackle on Aaron Smith and the Kiwis were out to 18-13 with half an hour to go.

The match seemed to have been saved when Am broke clean through to send Makazola Mapimpi through for a try but the TMO ruled that there had been a forward pass.

At the restart, Mo’unga kicked his team into a 21-13 lead, only for the Boks to immediately respond, with Mapimpi’s try being disallowed after another Am break.

With 28 minutes to go Beauden Barrett was yellow-carded for a late tackle and Pollard kicked the Boks into the lead for the first time in the game, only for David Havili to secure the winning score.

SCORERS

South Africa:

Tries: Lukhanyo Am, Makazola Mapimpi. Conversions: Handre Pollard (2). Penalties: Pollard (3)

New Zealand:

Tries: Sam Cane, Samisoni Taukei’aho, David Havili. Penalties: Richie Mo’unga. Conversions: Mo’unga (2).