Cape Town — As hard as it was to take, the manner of the Springboks’ 35-23 defeat to the All Blacks at Ellis Park on Saturday night comes at just the right time ahead of the build-up to the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
South African fans were brimming with confidence ahead of the second Rugby Championship encounter following last week’s 26-10 triumph over New Zealand in Mbombela.
The All Blacks were there for the taking in Johannesburg again on Saturday, as they were missing a number of first-choice players, while coach Ian Foster was seen as a ‘dead man walking’, after Ireland had also won a series in New Zealand.
GAME OVER! The @Springboks fans streaming out of Ellis Park! The @AllBlacks have pulled off a Houdini act with a 35 - 23 win here! @IOLsport #SAvNZ @TheCapital_SA pic.twitter.com/CIO9aswTAE
But the Kiwis’ all-out attacking approach exposed the Boks’ soft underbelly and was a welcome wake-up call ahead of France 2023.
Time and again the Bok coaches have stuck to their guns in how they want their team to play — attain physical dominance, chase the box-kicks and use the pressure to set up points-scoring opportunities.
But the nagging question has always been what else the world champions would have up their sleeves if they were matched up front, and on the basis of the Ellis Park display, it seemed like just two words: Lukhanyo Am.
Yes, losing No 14 Jesse Kriel early on to a head knock after a tackle on Caleb Clarke disrupted the Bok backline, as they had to re-jig it almost entirely as Willie le Roux came on at fullback, Am moved to right wing and Damian Willemse shifted to inside centre.
But a lot of disruption could have been avoided if Le Roux had just slotted in at wing for Kriel.
Nevertheless, the Boks continued with their trademark game-plan, and it didn’t work. The All Black forwards finally stood up to the physical challenge, stopping the driving mauls, putting pressure on new Bok hooker Joseph Dweba in the lineout and standing strong in the scrums as well.
Star No 8 Ardie Savea led the onslaught as he chased every ball down and contested the breakdowns fiercely, while Samisoni Taukei’aho, Sam Whitelock and Shannon Frizell weren’t far behind either, and flyhalf Richie Mo’unga pulling the strings on attack.
When Taukei’aho rolled over for a well-deserved try just before halftime, the visitors went 15-0 up, and the Boks had to play catch-up.
They did so brilliantly as they lifted the intensity following the introduction of Malcolm Marx, Steven Kitshoff and Jasper Wiese from the bench.
Suddenly the Bok attack switched on as well, with Le Roux playing an influential role alongside Handre Pollard and Willemse.
But it was that man Am — who is arguably the best player in the world at the moment — who showed his class by riding a tackle from Clarke and dummied inside before scoring in the corner.
Pollard’s conversion, nearly 60-metre penalty and another three-pointer after halftime made it all to play for at 15-13.
The Boks may have been a bit unhappy with referee Luke Pearce not awarding a penalty try or yellow card for collapsing the maul before the hour mark, and then Savea pulled off another outstanding breakdown turnover to stop the South Africans in their tracks.
But even when Makazole Mapimpi rounded off after a lovely long pass from Willemse, the Boks couldn’t land the knockout punch despite Pollard putting them 23-21 ahead following Beauden Barrett’s yellow card for taking out Jaden Hendrikse off the ball.
Game Set and Match ✅
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) August 13, 2022
The All Blacks dot down four times to beat the Springboks 35-23 and retain the Freedom Cup ⬛🏆 pic.twitter.com/IxOkydk7xY
And that is the problem with this Springbok team. It was the All Blacks who produced the thrilling break-out by Rieko Ioane in broken play, with Savea offloading to David Havili to score, before Scott Barrett finished things off in the 79th minute.
The All Blacks came to play to try and win the game, while the Boks remained measured in their approach, and it cost them on the night.
Let’s hope that it’s a harsh lesson that will be heeded by coach Jacques Nienaber and the rest of the Bok management – they simply have to add a few more strings to their attacking bow if they want to defend their World Cup title next year.
Points-Scorers
Springboks 23 – Tries: Lukhanyo Am, Makazole Mapimpi. Conversions: Handre Pollard (2). Penalties: Pollard (3).
All Blacks 35 – Tries: Sam Cane, Samisoni Taukei’aho, David Havili, Scott Barrett. Conversions: Richie Mo’unga (3). Penalties: Mo’unga (3).
IOL Sport