'NZ got it right on the button'

Sunday August 28 2005
'A victory for creativity over conservatism'

We've been inundated with mail following New Zealand's 31-27 victory over South Africa in Dunedin. The consensus appears to be that the game was a classic, but the officiating left both sets of fans feeling slightly hard done-by. Here are some of your views...

'ONE OF THE BEST GAMES IN RECENT YEARS'

I'd just like to thank the current Springbok team and Jake White for restoring the pride and history that makes up South African rugby. Your heroics at Carisbrook have proved that we have decisively turned a corner, and that last year's performances were no fluke.
 
You guys have delighted us week in and week out during the last few months, and whilst we would've capitulated in recent years against a great All Black team (at home in Carisbrook) after being 11 points down, you have displayed the spirit that defines our country - politicians take note. I couldn't believe the heart you show. We know and believe that we can take the best now, and the ABs know it too.
 
Watching these two teams go to war against  each other like this was a privilege money can't buy.I haven't seen the AB's this fired up for a while.There is nothing in world rugby like a SA vs NZ clash. I can't wait for next year!
 
Also thank you monsieur Jutge, for providing comic relief when the tension was unbearable...
- Werner Vermaak, Taipei

Finally, the Boks have come up short employing their ruthless and unsportsmanlike tactics, and the better team won which has not happened in the Tri-Nations until now.

Eddie Jones commented on how, if he chose to, he could send his players out with the same tactics but believed that they were not in the spirit of the game. South Africa finally got theirs and I am happy to see it after hours of watching them with their hands all over the ruck area and players being ignored joining the ruck from offside positions and killing fast ball. Well done, All Blacks.
- Seb Aiono

It appears to me that some of the Springboks simply are incapable of tackling their opponents around the legs. Without his legs a rugby player does not move - not rocket science.

One might argue that by bringing your opponent down you limit your opportunities however by tackling around his shoulders those All Black legs simply keep on moving forward. Something to think about, Jake.
 
When are we [SA] going to learn that it is better to have a kicker whose record is 100 percent - I think Daniel Carter proves the point.
 
There will be next year and then the World Cup, plenty of time to fine tune a good side sort out some of those wayward line-out throws. Its not difficult to get it right.
- Dave Burben, Brisbane, Australia

Classic test with a classic result and all the bits and bobs that make a test worth watching. None of this Lions dross, proper hard core southern hemisphere grunt - but not always quality this time around. All test bar one so far in the tri nations decided by less than 6 points and two by less than a try. Great stuff. The game ebbed and flowed as the ABs looks great after a dodgy start but then seemed to have blown it in the second half, but somehow, got there - I'm still not sure how?

The only thing that slightly stuffed it up was this stupid idea of having NH refs. This one was the pick of the NH refs so far but was still missing lots, making some bad calls and ruining the flow. I have to say the SAs played over the letter of the law but if the ref allows that then good on you.

Burger was not wrapping his arms in tackles (something Collins always gets accused of and pinged for) they were often miles off-side (Berger again and their entire midfield) and several key knock on's were missed. But he was rubbish equally and that's the best you can ask for with NH refs. But otherwise a classic.
- Jerry, kiwi in UK

The All Blacks win was an encapsulation of creativity and a positive approach triumphing over conservatism and negativity.
- Murray Campbell, Australia

It was tense, exciting, close and - in my biased opinion - the right team won. Far more of a test than the Lions matches.

It was also nice to see the men in black not choke in the big match, and let's hope they don't choke against the wounded Wallabies next week and actually finish it all off.

Can I also ask about the laws for catching the ball off the ground?

In the first half it looked like Burger hit Rokocoko in the back with his shoulder. Strictly I suppose that isn't a tackle in the air, but Burger's arms weren't in any position to challenge for the ball either, result - nothing.

In the second half it looked to me as if MacDonald challenged for the ball in the air, pulled on Montgomery's arm and got penalised.

Both right? Feels inconsistent to me anyway. Although contact with the man in the air when you're challenging for the ball is allowed surely hitting with the shoulder is still dangerous?
- Lewis Pike, UK

For the Bokke to win the 2007 Rugby World Cup the lessons of yesterday's defeat in Dunedin have to be absorbed - as NZ absorbed the lessons of Newlands. For one thing, the fixation on the DEFENSIVE led to our worst defensive performance this year since our defeat in Sydney. Just like our Sydney disaster, the first New Zealand try was preceded by us needlessly kicking away possession.

It's one thing to build up players bodies in the gym, but what about building up their MINDS so that the pressure of the big matches (like a World Cup Final) doesn't get to them, leading to nervous silly errors and spilled ball like we saw in Dunedin.

My solutions? Fixate on the OFFENSIVE- scoring tries (forcing the opposition to defend deep in their own 22- so that we drop-goal if their defence holds) and unclutter the player's minds before the game so that the next BIG match (World Cup Final 2007- through us from 1-15 DOMINATING from the outset).

My prediction for that one: SA 21-18 France - in a thriller, Paris. Watch this space...    

If Jake White or Nick Mallet wants to get in touch with me, regarding us winning the 2007 World Cup Final in Paris, please forward them my email.
- Paul Barnett

Great new scary Haka brought emotional tears to the eyes, tight game and NZ shone through, Roko was brilliant, Richie amazing and Mealamu sublime. The ref was appalling! Blatant off-sides and knock ons! Why a French ref was in a Tri-Nations game is beyond me&
- James Hickling, Kiwi in Japan

Percy [Montgomery] was a disaster with not catching or even attempting to catch the one high ball. Also, he missed some crucial tackles which also ended up with a try.
- Ross McCann, SA

What a test match! One of the best games in recent years, an exciting opening quarter lead to both teams tightening up the match but still displaying the form and commitment that should see these two teams contesting the World Cup Final in two years time.  Magnificent ending by Mealamu, perhaps the new haircut had something to do with it. 

As for the 'new' haka, I thought that Umaga was going to eat someone by the end of it ... way to go NZ!  Good luck next weekend without Mr. Collins, who deserves to see the judiciary committee after three blatant punches. Also, great work to MacDonald, he fit seamlessly into the attacking game, and his defence wasn't too bad either!
- Tobin Hammerberg, Hong Kong

I was very pleased with the way South Africa played. They are playing with heart again. But they definitely need to play with more brains. I am also excited for the future of Januarie, he has a good attitude and I think he will do good things for the Boks.

However I am extremely unimpressed with the defence of Montgomery and Pretorius. In positions where a first time tackle is essential they don't do nearly enough.There were at least two incidents where a missed tackle from Montgomery resulted in a try. His efforts were embarrassing to watch. I thought Macdonald played a huge role and definitely played better than recent games by Carter. All in all a good game to watch, the Boks were unlucky but I think the deserved team won.
- Yaric Robinson

Yes what can one say - the best always wins. The test was fantastic and sorry for the Boks not too pull this one through.

There were a lot of mistakes from the refs side, but human stays human - nobody is perfect. The Boks can start to practice for the next meeting between these two rivals for the year 2006. The game was fascinated and lovely to watch, despite of the errors that was cause by the ref and not the players.

I think some refs need a special type of goggle like pinochles to minimize the mistakes they made. But without a ref there would not be a game. Thanks for having refs anyway. The game was played in a good spirit despite that one incident during a scrum. It was handled nicely and that could make up for the other mistakes that were over looked.  

But thanks for the Boks that try so hard to beat NZ - but I think they try too hard.
- Joseph Krohne, Namibia

The All Blacks showed patience, pride and mettle to over come the Boks in what I rate as the best match I have watched for years. The Boks played well, all credit to the team and coach who have forged a team which will be a benchmark up to the next World Cup. At times it could have gone either way, but I'm glad that the more expansive game won on the night. The All Blacks showed a flexibility of approach and resilience which if they can continue to evolve in this manner should make for some fantastic Rugby in the next few years.  I was proud to see the AB forwards showed an old fashioned display of scrummaging and set piece to which the very good Boks pack had no reply. Rockocoko showed his quality and hunger yet again and Mealamu was brilliant.

I watched all the 6 Nations and Lions Matches this season and IMHO Northern Hemisphere teams will need to re-invent their entire game or risk a whitewash at the hands of the ABs in the upcoming tour.

Can the Boks afford to continue to play a style where they score from their opponents scraps without looking to create opportunities? With some minor tweaks in game plan the fire power of their backs could have made this a very different match. Bring on the Wallabies!
- Leigh & Chris, NZ

What a game! Full credit to both teams for wonderful display of rugby, especially when everything is on the line including test match records. The Kapa O Pongo Haka (new addition to Ka Mate) was simply AWESOME! I would be interested to know what would've been going through the minds of the Springboks while facing that.

I wrote earlier saying that it's only a matter of time before this 'umbrella defence' will be found out. Well it looks like it has. Henry and Co. got it right on the button. Keep the play in close, run it up the middle, draw in the players, then send it out wide. Furthermore, put up the high kicks from the base of the scrum, nullifying the rush defence and send them running back, while at the same time, testing out the back three under the high ball. Simple but effective.

It was also good to see the All Black forwards running off of each other. A area of play that was missing at Cape Town. Joe Rokocoko has found his lost form again which will make it harder for Howlett and Sivivatu to get a start (good to have them there though). Leon MacDonald answered the call at First-Five. Done everything that was asked of him and more. A great battle between Burger versus Macaw and Hayman v Du Randt.

The Springboks showed again that they will make you pay for your mistakes, but you can't always wait for the mistakes to come. Percy and Co. didn't want to leave the comfort zone inside their 22.

I still fail to see any great attacking flair from the Boks, at the moment, and I'm sure Jake will be hatching a new plan of attack.

I thought our weakness would have to be in the line-outs when comparing to the best two in the world, Matfield and Botha. But credit to Williams and Jack. They both stood up well. Even stealing two from a Springboks throw.

Clever plan from Hansen to throw the ball to the very back of the line-out, therefore taking Matfield and Botha out of the equation. ABs even threw in a short one to the front of the line-out.

The play of the match, I thought, was when Leon was tackled by Fourie, lost the ball to Habana, then immediately tackled him, all in the same motion.

The player for mine, and I'm going against the All Blacks for this, has to be Schalk Burger. This man seems to have no regard for his life because he throws himself into everything, continuously. Never have I seen a player so committed as he. He sets the bench mark for commitment and passion for the sport and his country. I wish he was playing for us.

At the end of the day, there was only four points in it which shows how close this game really was. As for next week, I don't think the Woeful Wallabies stand a chance. Also, the Tri-Nations trophy will be up for grabs, so I think we will be seeing an even more committed All Black team on Saturday.
- Gene Raharaha, NZ

I read the comments of two weeks ago with great interest after the Boks win over the AB's, from the ridiculous "one-dimensional" accusation to the vociferous attacks by Peter Elliot on the AB's as at team. Guys, it was only a year or two ago that the Boks were a nothing team with coaches who came and went faster than players. Today they are back which is the great thing about rugby. Every team suffers highs and lows at some time. Last week it was the turn of the Wallabies. This week it was the Bok's. Two weeks ago it was the AB's.

The AB's are showing that the "old playing way" as shown by the Lions and Boks is becoming a way of the past. Fast, spectacular, mobile, and exciting teams are what people pay to see. This style of rugby will become the way of the future and whilst the AB's will lose a game or two learning how to develop the skills to out-run and out-pass other teams they will eventually become the team to beat, world-wide. If this is "one-dimensional" then I suggest you look again. It takes brains and a lot of practise to work out how to perfect and develop this style, not the thuggery, brawn and brainless style we see from other teams at present. (Think of what the scores would have been had the AB's done so and  their skills had been better honed.)

The flat "off-side line" currently employed by the Bok's has already been tried by the AB's and discarded. Move on guys! The Wallabies are becoming a bunch of old men, time for new blood, not new coach! Move on guys! Northern hemisphere Referee's need to get fitter and keep up with your play. They need to further read and understand the rules of the game and then allow for the time gap between the black and white print and the player actually doing it!!. They need their touchies to whisper in their ear when the back lines are off-side or players being taken out without the ball! They need to take control of "their" game and make the correct penalty decision, NOT ask the touchie to do it for them!

The tackled ball, rucks and mauls are still a mess and why nothing has been done to "Fix" the problem is anyones guess. It is the major reason as to why Referee's are the "stars" of the game. Ringmasters, who when they crack the whip, everyone's attention becomes focused on who he will allow to win the game.

The AB's deserved their emphatic win over the Wallabies and deserved their win over the Boks because they played the attacking rugby we enjoy and come to watch. They don't wait about for mistakes to get the tries, as do the Boks. (One in South Africa - intercept try to win and two in NZ - alas!) The AB's are the leaders in world rugby, let's face it, and other teams just cannot match them at present for their sheer skill, pace and excitement.
Well done AB's long may it last.
- Warren, New Zealand

Welcome back Joe! Well done Keven Mealamu on another stand out performance! I could gripe on about the ref for hours with so many bizarre and uncalled offside decisions but I'm sure many others are anyway. So instead I would like to point out another aspect of the game.

As a long time All Black supporter, I'm honestly glad to see the other traditional super power of rugby back on song continuing the great rugby battle between the two nations. Although, I would like to point out that all four South African tries against NZ in the two tri nations tests all came from NZ mistakes. Not one of the South African tries in their two games against NZ came from South African attacking play. While a try is a try, South Africa have to be careful on counting on luck to score tries rather than making tries for themselves. What I was very happy to see was South Africa's change in tactic by not performing drop goals at every opportunity like the Cape Town match (when their own crowd was booing them) - it's a sad day when any rugby team tries to play soccer like England...

Finally, congrats to the whole AB team for retaining the number one ranking in the world! Note: 6th in the world does not equal best in the world I'm sure the English know what I'm talking about&
- Max Low

An intense game. Congratulations to both sides on their massive efforts. Loved the new haka.

It is, however, disappointing that New Zealand cannot put away a side that is so thoroughly incompetent with the ball in hand outside number 10. I can't remember the last time SA scored a well constructed team try against a top nation.

SAs opportunist tactics leave them open for a heavy defeat at some point. Sooner or later, the bounce of the ball won't go their way three times in a game and they will be left to score points in multiples of three.

It is also extraordinary that SA can get away with so much off-side play. Again, their system substantially relies on such play and sooner or later a referee is going to start enforcing the offside line to the letter of the law.

Absent luck and off-side, South Africa will actually have to play some rugby and go out and win games rather than capitalize on mistakes. They appear incapable of doing so, leaving themselves vulnerable to a heavy defeat.
- Matt B., California, USA

What a test match what intensity and what passion. Both teams are to be congratulated on the way they played the game this test match had everything right up to the final whistle.
 
Whilst the players are to be congratulated, for the second week in a row the officiating was below par, far too many mistakes were missed by the officials especially a very excitable French Referee. After last weeks poor display by Irish Referee Rolland it is over to Chris White of England to raise the standard of a very poor bunch of whistlers from the Northern Hemisphere.

After reading tirade after tirade of criticism about the NZ referees by Times correspondent Stephen Jones I'm sure the players concerned would rather have referees of that calibre rather than the two who have so far officiated. White and Spreadbury would leave Rolland and Jutge in the distance as far as capable referees go. Yes they miss and make mistakes as all referees do but do not make the basic mistakes and lose their way as both Rolland and Jutge did in their matches.
 
Test players deserve better as one can honestly say both Rolland and Jutge had too much influence on the their games.
- Ramage, Hawick, Scotland 

Absolutely terrific rugby. It has been a long time since I have enjoyed a game as much as this classic "Dunedin Duel".

I doubt any serious fan could expect more from the players regardless of the team they supported.  As an All Blacks fan I am obviously pleased with the result. However, it is even more satisfying to know that it came after a real rugby contest and not the one-sided Lions affairs we saw earlier.

Jake, stop calling Sir Clive - he should be calling you!
- Dave Smith, Omaha

Amen! SA's missing link is at 12. The mould of the modern 12 is a second fly-half, with distribution, tactical kicking and ability to slip a tackle (note not crash a tackle), a playmaker and game-breaker at 12. Modern 12s in the mould of Matt Giteau, Gavin Henson, Daniel Carter, Mike Cat, Aaron Mauger ... and the list goes on, all off them able to double up or stand in at 10. I firmly believe Brent Russell is SA's answer at 12. De Villiers will do a job for SA, but I am convinced he is better suited to 13. Fourie will be moving to the wing to replace Paulse, which leaves Russell, Joubert and De Villiers as the centres for RWC 2007. De Wet Barry is not international class.
- Leonard, Cambridge, UK   

What a game, but I am getting a bit frustrated with the Boks getting edged out in New Zealand year after year.  This time, I thought it was going to happen, Tri-Nations four-out-of-four.  But no, the headlines read 'Bok hearts broken by last-gasp All Black try' (again!)  Oh well, maybe next year...
- Hugh, London

As a kiwi, I am stoked we won, but, like last years tri-nations and providing we beat Aussie next week, does that make us any better than the Saffas? Last year we won at home and lost away, familiar? The bonus point system is a joke and detracts from what test rugby is all about, which is winning, so I don't think this test proves anything about number one world rankings.

On the upside, it was good to see the AB's win a close test with a solid forward try, go boys and all the best for next week.
- Graeme, Australia

Not the greatest rugby but hard uncompromising test rugby, great pressure rugby hence mistakes by both sides. Another pretty ordinary performance by the ref again not acceptable is it because the speed and intensity at the breakdown of Southern Hemisphere rugby is so far ahead of our northern counterparts.

Whatever time to change because the quality of the Tri-Nations competition can't be brought down by a lack of feel for high octane big hitting and a superb breakdown contest by NH ref's.

Well done to the Kiwi forwards who carried there form against Oz to seal the victory.

Jake - why the midfield change, and why have players on the bench? Henry made some great well-timed subs.

Jake, its one of your biggest faults - but you have shown (although slow on the uptake) you are willing to learn and make changes.
- Alan Barlow

Ref was the villain along with Boks and their hands in the ruck and blatant off sides as well coming in from the side.  But the french ref didn't see it that way.

Yeah, the All Blacks made mistakes and yes it cost them dearly but come on!  The ref was doing the springboks a favour by letting them do whatever they wanted to. I'm very disappointed with how the all blacks gave away easy tries, and all the handling errors along with it.  But my disappointment and frustration lies with the not up to par referee.

Stay with the 6 nations - that's easier to handle, ok Pierre?
- Sacred Heart

What a tremendous match! One of those which are not suitable for heartaches. In my opinion, NZ deserved the win since they simply tried to play and attack - SA only tried to take advantage of the other team's mistakes, something that reminds me of the boring world-cup-winning English team. What SA really misses is somebody to create neat play-something that all NZ players seem like to do and that in NE only France seem capable to do. A triumph for rugby in any case.
- Giuseppe Ruta, Italy

Click here for more of your messages >>>