Boks go top after opening win
Sat, 25 Jul 2009 18:51
Green machine: Bok No.8 PIerre Spies on the charge
South Africa got their Tri-Nations campaign off to the perfect start with a 28-19 win over New Zealand in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
The two-tries-to-one victory over the All Blacks put the Springboks in first place on the standings after just two rounds.
But with another home game against the Kiwis, in Durban next week, and then a game against the Wallabies in Cape Town the week after, the South Africans are perfectly placed.
They sang Olé, Olé, Olé in Bloemfontein on a cold Highveld evening, and well they should have after an emphatic Springbok victory. Emphatic but it could have been more emphatic if there are degrees of being emphatic.
The Springboks dominated the first half. They had the All Blacks rattled and back pedalling and looking in disarray. True the Springboks ended the half with a good lead but it could have been so very much bigger. They missed 14 points worth of kicks - three penalty attempts, a straightforward drop attempt and a conversion. Those goaled and the game would have been sewn up.
It was not sewn up and the All Blacks set about unravelling the match, at one stage scoring 16 points to the Springboks' six.
The performance of the Springbok pack in the first half was an eye-opener. One cannot remember an All Black side so taken apart. They were beaten in the line-outs, had parity in the scrums and probably at the tackles, but it was more the positive, go-forward play by the Springboks. They made strong tackles, mauled effectively and kept charging at the All Blacks, who did not like it at all.
In the second half the All Blacks got the ball wider, looked more composed and went through many phases though they did not cause the same consternation in Springbok ranks as they had experienced in the first half.
Ruan Pienaar kicked off but Heinrich Brüssow was penalised and then Jean de Villiers was penalised for going out of his way to get into Sitiveni Sivivatu's way after the wing had kicked high. That second penalty gave Stephen Donald an straightforward kick, which he goaled. 3-0 after three minutes.
Was this going to be another match of Springbok indiscipline leading to defeat? In fact in the match the All Blacks were penalised 11 times, the Springboks seven times and in addition Brendon Leonard was freekicked at successive scrums for putting the ball in skew - which is not bright.
When Brad Thorn went offside François Steyn took the long kick and goaled it with ease. 3-3 after six minutes.
When Rodney So'oialo was penalised for tackling high, Pienaar hit the upright and Isaac Ross cleared with a massive kick. When Leonard went offside straight in front of his posts, Pienaar again hit the upright. But when Jerome Kaino collapsed a maul, Pienaar relieved himself, his team, Bloemfontein and the whole of South Africa by goaling the kick. 6-3 after 17 minutes.
The Springboks started the match giving their backs a chance to run but the ball seldom went past De Villiers and the wings were used almost exclusively to chase kicks. Instead they used every opportunity to put physical pressure onto the All Blacks and at one stage forced a five-metre scrum when the Bismarck du Plessis forced the All Blacks into their own 22.
Again the Springboks bashed and again they had a five-metre scrum, this time on the right. Pierre Spies was right at the line but not quite over and the Springboks went left. Jean de Villiers tried to force his way past Conrad Smith but the All Black tackled him. De Villiers popped the ball up to Pienaar who came looping round and over in the corner. 11-3 after 25 minutes.
Brüssow created an opportunity with a turnover off Donald but Victor Matfield's pass went astray. But the pressure stayed on the All Blacks as Pienaar kicked a brilliant touch that went out five metres from the All Black line.
Pienaar missed a drop and Neemia Tialata tried a quick drop-out that did not work as Bakkies Botha drove for the line. Ma'a Nonu went offside and the All Blacks were penalised. Pienaar could not take the kick as he was injured and so François Steyn slotted the simple penalty goal, 14-3 after 32 minutes. Kaino was penalised at a tackle but Pienaar missed the kick.
That was the half-time score, which could have been greater.
Pienaar did not come back for the second half and the crowd cheered Morné Steyn on, the saviour had returned. They cheered him even more when Conrad Smith was penalised for being offside at a kick by Donald, not much offside but three points' worth
The All Blacks were given a scrum for an unplayable tackle on their left. They went right - So'oialo to Leonard to Donald to Conrad Smith. The tall centre cut inside De Villiers, handed off Morné Steyn, got past JP Pietersen and went through François Steyn to score. It was a brilliant try, far and away the best bit of centre play in the Test. Donald converted. 17-10 after 47 minutes.
Bloemfontein et al were nervous. It seemed that the All Blacks were back in town.
When De Villiers was penalised at a tackle, Donald goaled. 17-13 after 51 minutes. But then Morné Steyn had a run and Piri Weepu, not long on, gave away a silly penalty at the tackle. Morné Steyn goaled. 20-13, but almost immediately Bismarck du Plessis was penalised and Donald made it 20-16 with 17 minutes still to play.
The All Blacks went through phases and the referee kept crying "Roll away, Green." All the Springboks seemed to do was tackle and roll away. Then Weepu threw a poor pass at Jason Eaton who dropped the ball just in the Springbok half. Pierre Spies footed far downfield and was leading the race for the ball but, somehow and bravely, Conrad Smith rescued. Then Weepu undid all the good work with a silly pass infield straight to Juan Smith who set up Jaque Fourie for a long run down his favourite touchline to score in the right corner. 25-16 with eight minutes to play.
The All Blacks were out of bonus-point, one-try range and so when Wynand Olivier was penalised for not rolling away, Donald goaled. 25-19 - back in range but then the Springboks mauled and Eaton came in the side of the maul. Morné Steyn goaled. 28-19 with three minutes to play.
Man of the Match: Stephen Donald was very good for New Zealand but Conrad Smith was better. South Africans really were the winners and not at all flattered by the score. Their winners were up front - Bismarck du Plessis, who may just have had his best performance in a Springbok jersey, brave Juan Smith who tackled everything, relentless Heinrich Brüssow, Pierre Spies who was back on powerful form and our Man of the Match - John Philip Botha whom the world calls Bakkies. He was the main source of pressure on the All Blacks, his work rate exceptional.
Moment of the Match: The three tries are good candidates but we give it to Jaque Fourie's try as it bust a period of New Zealand attack and actually took the match away from them.
Villain of the Match: Nobody.
The scorers:
For South Africa:
Tries: Pienaar, Fourie
Pens: F Steyn 2, Pienaar, M Steyn 3
For New Zealand:
Try: Smith
Con: Donald
Pens: Donald 3
Teams:
South Africa: 15 Frans Steyn, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Ruan Pienaar, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Juan Smith, 6 Heinrich Brüssow, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 John Smit (captain), 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Replacements: 16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 Jannie du Plessis, 18 Danie Rossouw, 19 Ryan Kankowski, 20 Ricky Januarie, 21 Morné Steyn, 22 Wynand Olivier.
New Zealand: 15 Mils Muliaina, 14 Joe Rokocoko , 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Sitiveni Sivivatu, 10 Stephen Donald, 9 Brendon Leonard, 8 Rodney So'oialo, 7 Richie McCaw (captain), 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Isaac Ross, 4 Brad Thorn, 3 Neemia Tialata, 2 Andrew Hore, 1 Tony Woodcock.
Replacements: 16 Keven Mealamu, 17 Owen Franks, 18 Jason Eaton, 19 Kieran Read, 20 Piri Weepu, 21 Luke McAlister, 22 Cory Jane .
Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Nigel Owens (Wales), Tim Hayes (Wales)
TMO: Johann Meuwesen (South Africa)
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