Delicious
Digg
reddit
Facebook
StumbleUpon
We're number one: Conrad Smith
Related links
Teams
- New Zealand
- South Africa
Also see
- Minute-by-minute: How the All Blacks ruled Eden Park
- Botha cited
New Zealand retained their world number one ranking thanks to a commanding 32-12 win over South Africa at Eden Park on Saturday.
It doesn't get better than this. The world's two best rugby teams didn't disappoint as they delivered the top-class encounter we had all expected.
However, the defending Tri-Nations champions could not match their hosts' attacking prowess as New Zealand romped home as four-tries-to-none winners.
A dominant first half from the All Blacks - helped by a yellow card for Bakkies Botha - saw the hosts lead 20-3 at half time. The second half went much the same way as the home side out-muscled and out-thought the world champions.
Lethal on the counter attack, and near-faultless in defence, Richie McCaw's men thoroughly deserved their victory.
Many had predicted that the Springboks would rule the set piece but the All Blacks scrum will feel they won the day and their jumpers competed efficiently at the line-outs.
A couple of technical infringements from the All Blacks gave the visitors an early advantage as Morne Steyn slotted an easy penalty.
The lead was short-lived however as referee Alan Lewis sent Botha to the sin-bin for a professional foul when the hosts were in full attack. Dan Carter did the job from the kicking-tee to make it all square at 3-all after fifteen minutes.
New Zealand soon pressed home their numerical advantage with Mils Muliaina launching a stunning counter-attack from deep inside his own territory to slice through the South African defence. McCaw was up in support to supply the link to Conrad Smith, who finished in the corner.
Carter's conversion gave the men in black a 10-3 lead to end the first quarter with the momentum firmly with the home side.
Botha's return didn't prevent the Bok scrum from buckling under pressure, allowing Carter to extend the lead to ten points with his second penalty.
It was one-way traffic for the rest of the half and when Jean de Villiers went looking for an intercept rather than defend his wing, the All Blacks were allowed to strike again. Ma'a Nonu bust through two tacklers to barge over from short range and as Carter added the extras, the writing was on the wall for the Springboks.
Seventeen points down at the break, the visitors needed to come up with something special in the second period and got off to a solid start as Steyn added two penalties soon after the restart, narrowing the gap to eleven points.
But the All Blacks crossed the whitewash for the third time with their first real attack of the half when Kieran Read made an unstoppable run to hit Piri Weepu's pop pass at pace and charge over.
The Springboks replied almost immediately with Steyn's fourth penalty but at 27-12 going into the last quarter, the result seemed beyond doubt.
Read took a quick penalty to allow Tony Woodcock to muscle his way over in the final minute to rub salt into South African wounds and secure the bonus point.
Man of the match: A couple of names stand out. Tom Donnelly and Ma'a Nonu trashed any doubts over their match readiness, Richie McCaw and Kieran Read ruled the battle of the loose forwards, but we'll go with Mils Muliaina, whose attacking vision is still as good as ever after all these years.
Moment of the match: It looked pretty even in the early stages, but from the moment Muliaina set off on that run to set up Conrad Smith's try, all the momentum was with New Zealand.
Villain of the match: Not for the first time, Bakkies Botha looks set for an appointment at a disciplinary hearing. Within a few minutes of kick-off he was using his head - but not for thinking.
The scorers
For New Zealand:
Tries: Smith, Nonu, Read, Woodcock
Cons: Carter 3
Pens: Carter 2
For South Africa:
Pens: Steyn 3
Yellow card: Botha (SA, 13th min, professional foul)
New Zealand: 15 Mils Muliaina, 14 Cory Jane, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Joe Rokocoko, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Jimmy Cowan, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw (c), 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Tom Donnelly, 4 Brad Thorn, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Keven Mealamu, 1 Tony Woodcock.
Replacements:16 Corey Flynn, 17 Ben Franks, 18 Samuel Whitelock, 19 Liam Messam, 20 Piri Weepu, 21 Aaron Cruden, 22 Richard Kahui.
South Africa:15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Jean de Villiers, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Wynand Olivier, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Morne Steyn, 9 Ricky Januarie, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Francois Louw, 6 Schalk Burger, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 John Smit (c), 1 Gurthro Steenkamp.
Replacements:16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 BJ Botha, 18 Andries Bekker, 19 Danie Rossouw, 20 Ruan Pienaar, 21 Butch James, 22 Gio Aplon.
Venue: Eden Park, Auckland
Referee: Alan Lewis (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Alain Rolland (Ireland), Stuart Dickinson (Australia)
By Ross Hastie
Comments
tgardiner says...
congrats to the blacks!
its great to see the blacks finally have an anwser to the boks kick & chase game that dominated them in the tri nations last year. the blacks back three were simply flawless in retreiving morne steyns relentless up & unders that plauged our game last year. It goes to show that if you can be strong under the high ball & play fast paced rugby against the boks they can't handle it. Don't do this & you;re in trouble.
For the boks sake where is Hendrich Brussow? He is SA's only real Scavnger & could have made a mess of himself at the breakdowns against the blacks & counted richie mccaws influence, but hey i'm not complaing.
Predict another win for the blacks but will be much touhger.
Posted 12:18 14th July 2010
Trinats says...
matty:
well said matty, You are the type of supporter that has a drink with the opposition after a game win or lose. I'll join you for a couple next time (but Aussies will win !!!).
Posted 09:54 13th July 2010
matty says...
As an ardent armchair disciple of rugby, as long as the game was full of eye catching rugby it don't matter who won as long as the game was memorable
In saying that as a staunch AB man, didn't they turn up on the night?? No doubt the big blokes from SA will have something to say game two
Com'n the best team AB, SA, AUS
Posted 07:15 13th July 2010
ShaghaiDoc says...
Why is Bachus Bovver Boy such a clot? By all opinions he is a model father outside the game. I suspect that he is a victim of the widespread practice of caffeine. Many players top up before a game and this can easily tip the emotions. We saw the very sad Ben Cousins in intensive care last week, for over-dosing on sleeping pills, which are necessary after a game, to counter-act the caffeine. Isn't it time we banned this substance?
Posted 06:08 13th July 2010
Trinats says...
ManWarrior:
confusing me with someone else, I'm an Aussie. I have a saffa wife ?
You didn't beat us 3-0. You won your two home games (just) and we trashed you in Brisbane in the third.
"When the Springboks win this Trinations and the RWC again" - That's my point you never won the Trinations and RWc in the same year. 2006, 2007 (year you won RWC) and 2008 (after), you finished BOTTOM of the trinations. Yet you claimed to be the "best team ever"since reintroduction. Good but not that good, that title is reserved for the kiwis with a win rate of 79.38 % (as much as it hurts to say it) and you are third on the rankings with a win % of 64.15 and Australia second with 67.59%.
Posted 15:01 12th July 2010
SBWAllBlack says...
I am looking forward to game 2, SA will come back strong. The AB's played really well, but I think the Boks didn't turn up for game 1. Lewis was a bit inconsistent for both teams, often interchanging between the old and new laws. This could have been a blessing for boks as it slowed the game down a bit!, they were looking pretty haggard in the 1st half. This could have been jet lag, but the game was played extremely physically from both sides, and at a hell of pace (even with Lewis trying blowing up as much as he could!).
Game 2 will give an indication of how far the AB's have improved, however, I think the new laws suit the style of play the AB's bring, and SA will have to offer more than their kick chase game plan they currently have.
Bakkies?!?!?!? WHY? The guy is a beast! He doesn't need to play dirty, he is good enough to just play "rugby" and leave the rest of that bullsh*t out of his game.
Well done AB's! dont count your chickens AB supporters, it is a long tournament and anything can happen! Good luck SA you guys will bounce back strong.
ALL BLACKS FOR LIFE!
Posted 23:42 11th July 2010
simona says...
Paddy needs to get off his arse and do some work for a change. There were 3 refs working as a team who all missed Cowans shirt pulling. If that had been seen then should have got yellow, and change game completely.
That said, Cowan being injured gives the three wise men the chance to bring Matthewson into squad, as Cowans decisionmaking is extremely suspect and has cost games in the past.
Both him and Weepu will be too old and slow next year time to make the change now.
Posted 23:18 11th July 2010
ManWarrior says...
The AB's and Australians are great rugby nations BUT watch the Springboks dominate for decades to come...
@Trinats, you say the The Springboks can't claim dominance regardless of us beating you three games in a row last year because the AB's were not at full strength...come on buddy, shall I point out to you that the Springboks are without the following NO.1 choices: Francois Steyn, Juan Smith, Bismarck Du Plessis, JP Peterson? What a poor excuse. The records will read AB 32 - SA 12, regardless of who played. You also say the Springboks can not be rated the best based of Trinations and/or RWC wins? Then what are these contests to prove?
When the Springboks win this Trinations and the RWC again (so help us God)...well, I'll reserve comment untill that happens.
Us SAFFAS respect the AB's above all other international rivals and know that beating you is a achievement, now watch us do that on Saturday!
Go Bokke!!!
Posted 23:03 11th July 2010
ManWarrior says...
The AB's and Australians are great rugby nations BUT watch the Springboks dominate for decades to come...
Posted 22:47 11th July 2010
pangib says...
rugbyphile.....First, congrats on the game. If it wasn't for the current great SA team, and their recent dominant form, the game wouldn't have been the event it was.
Sorry that you've had bad experiences with some All Black supporters......just thought I'd remind you that there are a lot that don't gloat and whinge.
Looking forward to the Bokkie response at the Cake Tin next week! Going to be a scorcher. All the best and may the best team win on the day.
Posted 20:07 11th July 2010
bruce says...
Wow - given some of the comments you'd think NZ had actually just won a trophy. Let's just put the moment in context - yes, it was a superb AB win. With a bonus point. In New Zealand. A couple years ago that wouldn't have been news it would have been the expectation. I suppose the pain of last year really hit a nerve somewhere.
Suddenly, after the first match of the season, the "away" team is being pilloried - talk of dropping players, lack of a plan, boring rugby and so on. With two more games to come, not to mention plenty of Australia games, there seems to be a feeding frenzy. At the end of the day, they had an "off" day. That's the way it goes sometimes.
Still after watching Kiwi teams being slaughtered week in and week out by the Bulls & Stormers it does make a refreshing change to the weekend's viewing. And it's great to have some competition in the tri-nations this year. I hope the Aussies are up to the challenge - I rate them as the possible dark-horses next year.
Glad also to see the NZ fans don't care much about the world cup. It'll make it less painful when they lose it again next year.
Bring on the rest of the series - this is just the beginning. If the AB's play 5 more like that they'll win easily. But the Tri-Nations isn't won with the opening game.
Posted 18:02 11th July 2010
Aqua says...
Yes, we were outplayed and we decerved the loss. In fact I think the score line was a bit flattering to the Boks... it could have been much worse.
Posted 18:00 11th July 2010
SuperBok07 says...
I don't think we showed up for the game, I think the guys looked tired, its difficult winning everything there is to win in world rugby and then maintaining that rate. the only way is down from where we have been. Trinats if I remember correctly the Aussies had their butts kicked in the world cup by a side that we beat earlier by 50 points not world cup material in my eyes and quite frankly if the kiwis cant sort out the French in the world cup then they don't deserve the trophy, so don't come here and tell us that we aren't the world champs because if you cant handle the fact then maybe you should get some help.
Posted 15:53 11th July 2010
MrTee says...
As an AB supporter I am more than pleased with the result. Especially after last years absolute dominance by a world class SA team. So, understandably I was more than a little concerned about this latest clash. Both teams had prepared really well. SA looked in great form and the AB's played with control and power in their first test matches of the year. However considering SA have had the wood over us in the last 12 months I knew this clash would be close. I was confident the All Blacks would ride this test on pure resolve and determination. And so it proved to be. This allowed the AB's to dominate and gain ascendancy. The only part of this recipe I was a little stunned about was SA knew the AB's would be hurting from last year. They knew they had to get up for this match mentally. Unfortunately they did not match the AB's spirit this time. I don't think the Boks will have much trouble getting up for the next game. When 2 class teams go to battle, despite the different styles of play, it may very well come down to something rugby purists refer to as guts and determination. If both teams bring the same spirit and desire to the match, then we will see a battle of epic proportions. In the meantime, well done AB's. You will need to find the same resolve next time. But you already know that.......
Posted 13:35 11th July 2010
kpe12 says...
I enjoyed the game being an avid rugby fan, I think the yellow card for Botha was a touch harsh, he brings intensity to the game and for that he deserves credit, unfortunately he is very much like a bull and when he sees red he is a liability.
Spies is average behind a pack not on the front foot, time and again big bok forwards got cut in half by their smaller more mobile and more hungry opposition, Kaino had an outstanding game, always made it over the advantage line and tackled all day (most under-rated AB), Read and McCaw were all around the park and Read made Spies look very frail on defense especially with his try when Spies made no effort. To be totally honest the whole AB forward pack had great games.
I am not a big fan of Muliaina but he had a huge game.
Cowan needs to sort his game out, he really is only a 40 min player, his decisions get worse and worse as games seem to progress.
All in all most of the ABs had pretty good games, they need to work on the mental softness after scoring, twice after tries they let in soft points from not securing the kick off (which is a terrible part of their game). But they were not the only team playing.
For the Boks Kirchner had an outstanding game, positionally he was fantastic, he destroyed the AB kicking game and with a little more support could have got the Boks going forward.
The Boks forwards struggled to get around the park compared to their counterparts and their obsession with the intercept try is starting to work against them, too often now the umbrella defense with the wing in the middle of the opposition back line is not working and in fact hurting them, it was interesting seeing the ABs kick passing over the wing to expose that.
Wellington test will be a great game, but with a healthy Richie and Dan (which they didn't have last year) I don't see the Boks getting close.
Posted 13:04 11th July 2010
safehands says...
abrad......try winning the trinations more than once every 5 years and then you can legitamitely claim to be the worlds foremost rugby nation. Until such time, I think you may yet encounter a few more arrogant AB supporters out there.
It amuses me to read the utter disbelief that the AB's didn't roll over and allow the boks to implement their game plan and get the taken for granted victory. The trinations was already won reading many saffa posts and newspapers, and this year was merely meant to serve to cement SA's dominance....what dominance?
You one the world cup yes...in 2007......you won the trinations in 2009....yes, but so what? Does it constitute world dominance when you travel up north and get beaten by at least half of the so called weaker teams? (Sorry, I forgot the players were tired and 1st choice players injured blah blah).
robo....ever been to Loftus where the lack of respect for another nations culture culminates in booing thru the entire haka?? That is a lack of class!!
jonathankappie.....if you don't like planetrugby as it is seemingly biased, perhaps you would be better suited to posting on the supersport website, definitely not one-eyed there haha!!
Posted 13:02 11th July 2010
bradstock23 says...
Personally didn't think the ref was too bad - possibly a little harsh on the yellow but to be honest it prevented what was a try scoring opportunity and therefore can be justified.
Ref's aren't perfect so people should get off Lewis's back as he was far better than a lot of other refs I've seen.Nothing to do with the fact hes a NH ref or a SH ref - Saffa's lost due to the fact that they were outplayed and no other reason.
Love watching the Kiwi's run the ball - such an exciting sight!
Posted 08:00 11th July 2010
ShaghaiDoc says...
Why do we paying customers have to put up with officials from developing countries doing their best to mess up a game between the super powers? It was the best game I have seen from the referee and he was mediocre.
The YC was a sham, probably influenced by the replays of the barbaric attack on Cowan, but do we want rugby union to have payback calls by officials like they do in Oz Rules? The correct decision would have seen a red to Bothe and a yellow to Cowan. The All Blacks were denied two tries by incorrect decisions and some less influential decisions went against both side, and the majority against the hosts. There was no evidence that the officials understood anything about a dominant scrum or the concept of impartiality. At least one of them seems to suffer from parallax error.
Interestingly I noticed Habana was onside often, not just at the kickoff. He must be mellowing with age.
The Bokke pack seems to have reached its use by date as some of its members are nearly as old as Brad Thorne.
Posted 06:21 11th July 2010
robo says...
I thought the Boks were really poor today, a bit like the rubbishy Auckland crowd that once again demonstrated the sporting spirit of a bushpig. Absolutely no class - and not the first time either!
As some of us persistantly pointed out long before this test, Januarie is not up to it. He is not up to it at provincial level, one reason why Duvenhage is preferred. Are we to assume that PdV considers this preference racially inspired? From Alistair Coetzee? Get serious PdV, your objectivity and judgment is zero.
Evidently Jean de Villiers no longer likes tackling. Some honest graft before fancy attempts at an interception would go a long way. Further, Bryan Habana evidently needs a rest. Rather he has one off the field. I haven't an ounce of respect for these half-witted, one-eye'd citing commissions, but if Bakkies Botha gets suspended they will have done the Boks a favour. This complete and utter flipping ass is a liability.
All that aside, this was a poorly prepared and poorly motivated Springbok team.
Poor service from Januarie to Morne Steyn simply exposed the latter's limitations.
We need some changes, and quickly or this Tri-Nations competition is a lost cause.
Posted 05:31 11th July 2010
skikiwi says...
Wow... great intensity... blew the bok away!!
But what I really liked was the judgment of seemingly every player for the beginning of the match until the end... none of the 50/50 stuff that we often see... and matching that was the great hands. I think we got to see great tactical variation because the execution was outstanding.
Replicate the intensity and execution and nobody will be able to hang with this team.
Posted 04:53 11th July 2010