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Dream result: Scots on top at Murrayfield
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- Min-by-min: How Parks gave Boks the boot
- Lawson thrilled
South Africa's quest for a Grand Slam is over after Scotland defeated the world champions 21-17 on Saturday.
It was an amazing turnaround for the hosts who were thumped by New Zealand a week ago, but - against all odds - bounced back superbly to record a memorable victory and restore some pride.
The same couldn't be said of South Africa though, who would have targeted this encounter as the easiest of the four 'Home Nations'. However, Scotland proved that no Test match is easy as the woeful Boks found out... the hard way.
Scotland head coach Andy Robinson was seeking a response from the 49-3 loss to the All Blacks and he certainly got it as the hosts edged a scrappy encounter laden with penalties and decided by the boot of Dan Parks.
Scotland were without a win over South Africa since the 2002 Murrayfield meeting, but eight years on Parks demonstrated his unerring accuracy, kicking six penalties and a drop goal to punish the Springboks' indiscipline.
It was Scotland's fourth win in five Tests and just a second victory over South Africa in 13 post-Apartheid meetings.
Not for the first time on tour, South Africa were on the scoreboard first thanks to Morne Steyn's boot three minutes in. It could have been a nine-point lead after nine minutes had Steyn and his namesake Francois not missed the target with their respective attempts.
The Scots were certainly left off the hook by the two Steyn's after giving away silly penalties that only slowed the game down as a spectacle, but the Bok fly-half wasn't to be denied his third crack - the ball sailing through the uprights on the 13th minute mark.
At last, Gio Aplon woke the Murrayfield crowd from their slumber with a a trademark dart along the touchline, only to be brought down by Graeme Morrison who prevented a possible opening try for the South Africans.
That seemed to spark the Scots as the home side rumbled into South Africa's territory for the first time in the match, and were swiftly awarded with a penalty that Parks duly slotted for his team.
The Springboks knew they had a game on their hands when, three minutes later and Scotland once again on the attack, Parks opted for a cheeky drop goal that leveled the scores 6-6 with a quarter of the Test played.
To the Boks' horror and Murrayfield's delight, Parks doubled Scotland's score with two further penalties that accelerated the hosts into a rather surprising 12-6 lead.
It was a vastly different display from the home team that never had a look-in last week against the All Blacks, while South Africa looked the same messy bunch as seen in the first half in Cardiff.
But just as the Boks did in the Welsh capital, they did again in Edinburgh - Morne Steyn's boot keeping the world champions in with a shout from the kicking tee that would take them into the half-time sheds three points behind (12-9).
Scotland had an opportunity to finish the first half off with a try, but their chance to extend a three-point lead fell flat like their pivot Parks who was on the receiving end of an almighty tackle that would only see him rise to his feet several minutes after the initial hit.
Still, Scotland were forty minutes away from only their second win over the Boks in the last decade.
South Africa had other ideas though and drew level once again with another Morne Steyn penalty six minutes into the second half. Parks certainly didn't look like he had been smashed by a bus after responding with his fifth successful penalty of the afternoon.
He wasn't done there though as another one followed soon after to give Scotland the lead with a six-point cushion that left frustrated Bok captain Victor Matfield questioning referee Stu Dickinson's calls where on one or two occasions certainly looked a tad dubious.
Parks was the man of the moment after raising the flags yet again after Dickinson incorrectly blew Juan Smith for diving into a ruck. At 21-12, South Africa were in trouble but responded in the only way they know how - forward power.
Replacement loose forward Willem Alberts used his massive frame to bulldoze his way over after taking the ball from the back of a line-out that gave his team a sniff at another come-from-behind win. Fellow replacement Patrick Lamble missed the ensuing conversion, which at 21-17, meant South Africa would need more than a penalty to snatch it.
Four points behind, the tourists pressed with Bok full-back Zane Kirchner making a run out towards the left flank but with six minutes left, Scotland won a penalty and kicked for the corner.
Parks' chip through went nowhere but Scotland were also killing time - the game ending in the absence of any do or die efforts from their opponents.
Man of the match: Dan Parks provided all the home side's points, but we giving this award to the entire Scotland team for proving their doubters wrong.
Moment of the match: There weren't many, but every time Dan Parks thumped over another penalty, the more Scottish fans sensed a victory was in sight.
The scorers:
For Scotland:
Pens: Parks 6
Drop: Parks
For South Africa:
Try: Alberts
Pens: M Steyn 4
Scotland: 15 Hugo Southwell, 14 Nikki Walker, 13 Joe Ansbro, 12 Graeme Morrison, 11 Sean Lamont, 10 Dan Parks, 9 Rory Lawson (c), 8 Kelly Brown, 7 John Barclay, 6 Nathan Hines, 5 Richie Gray, 4 Scott MacLeod, 3 Euan Murray, 2 Ross Ford, 1 Allan Jacobsen.
Replacements: 16 Dougie Hall, 17 Moray Low, 18 Richie Vernon, 19 Ross Rennie, 20 Greig Laidlaw, 21 Ruaridh Jackson, 22 Chris Paterson.
South Africa: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Gio Aplon, 13 Frans Steyn, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 François Hougaard, 8 Ryan Kankowski, 7 Juan Smith, 6 Deon Stegmann, 5 Victor Matfield (c), 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Replacements: 16 Adriaan Strauss , 17 CJ van der Linde, 18 Flip van der Merwe, 19 Willem Alberts, 20 Ruan Pienaar, 21 Patrick Lambie, 22 Adi Jacobs.
Referee: Stuart Dickinson (Australia)
Comments
AJWales says...
It is interesting to see people whining about Dickinson making mistakes in Scotland's favour and moaning about interpretations at the breakdown. No-one seems concerned that the vast majority of the mauls formed in the recent matches have been illegal and have involved truck and trailer or the ball carrier not being bound properly and then allowed to re-bind therefore running into his own player. The only successful tactic the Boks had was their illegal mauls. I like having mauls as part of the game but the refs are only concerned with what the defending team is doing and allowing the maul to become an overpowered weapon again. No law changes are required, just enforce the ones that are there on both teams.
Was there the same criticism of Pearson when he allowed the all blacks to get away with their usual multitude of sins last week? If the boks suffered at the hands of a referee recently it was with Walsh who, while being awful generally, seemed to make the majority of his blunders in Wales' favour.
Posted 23:11 23rd November 2010
AJWales says...
Not sure who write the match reviews but they shuld brush up on the laws:
"Parks was the man of the moment after raising the flags yet again after Dickinson incorrectly blew Juan Smith for diving into a ruck."
IRB law 15.6(a):
"Players are on their feet if no other part of their body is supported by the ground or players on the ground."
The incident in question clearly had Smith supporting himself on his hands. I have seen plenty of players get away with it but Smith wasn't trying to play the ball and wasonly trying to impedede Scottish players from reaching it so Dickinson was spot on.
Posted 22:53 23rd November 2010
SBWAllblack says...
Well done Scotland!
Bok supporters your team will bounce back, you have a lot of talent so dont feel to 'down'. RWC 2011 is going to be an epic tournament, the results over the last couple of weeks have shown that a lot of teams are capable of delivering upsets. No team is safe or a sure bet next year! From a Kiwi perspective Im hoping the French all forget their passports and miss their flights!
Once again Scotland, congratulations!
Posted 23:45 22nd November 2010
rolf says...
okay,
that loss was overdue, allready in Ireland and Wales it could have happened, as the late 2010 Boks dont have the class it takes.
So congrats to the busy scots.
What do we learn from that?
Obviously, that the SA Team needs to improve, tactically and personally.
The latter being not such a huge task with quide a few options recovering:
Du Preez, Burger, Brüssow, Fourie, Olivier, JPP, Bekker and maybe even Smit are offering quality and are being rested for next year (due to injury and surgery).
It is true, the ABs are the team to beat, but I must say, this seems not impossible, once fullstrength Bokke are at hand.
Posted 10:13 22nd November 2010
7ton says...
@sillysonafa
Nobody is saying that we should get rid of the scrum or Maul.
The problem is the referee has to decide if it really is the defending side who dropped the scrum on the 5 metre line or was it actually the attacking side doing it to try to con the ref in giving them a penalty or a penalty try. Maybe it was just slippery conditions and no-one was to blame.
As for the rolling maul (not normal maul) I believe the rules surrounding it are simply weighted too much in favour of the attacking team.
Posted 02:08 22nd November 2010
justice_4_all says...
@brett Thanks for saying that...100% right. Very sad day to see the Boks so lost for leadership and ideas....we are in the pit. Unfortunately no chance of a change in coach and management. But, Victor, what happened??? There must be serious turmoil in the camp following the doping accusations?
@miker, that is such a cheap shot that I wont bother to put you in your place. It must be tough enough having to wake up every morning and realize that nothing has changed and you are still an a-hole.
Posted 17:51 21st November 2010
brett says...
miker.. I was wondering who would be first to make that idiotic comment, take a bow!
To all the Bok supporters on this site thanx for not complaining about referee decisions after this performance, the whole Bok setup have been an embarrasement this year and deserve all the criticism they are to receive, no matter how much it pains me to say it!
Posted 11:23 21st November 2010
Sillysonofa says...
@ 7ton - I think you need to remember that rugby is, at it's core, a game for all shapes and sizes and that the scrum and maul provides a platform for the bigger boys to make their mark on the game. Take these away and you may as well be watching league. The scrum is not just a restart, but an attacking platform and can provide a clear advantage to a team in the ascendancy here. Why would you not provide a penalty if a scrum is dropped by the defending team on the 5-meter line?
Having said this, I agree that there needs to be more consistency in application of the laws when it comes to these areas.
South Africa were awful. No leadership on the pitch and none off it. We played the correct game against Ireland in similar conditions and tried something else here. When it wasn't working, things didn't change. I find myself hoping we get drilled by England next week to ensure a coaching clear-out.
How ridiculous was the ref? Even worse than last week. Didn't seem to understand the breakdown laws at all and totally inconsistent in the decisions he made.
SA didn't play well enough to win anyway. Well done Scotland.
Posted 10:14 21st November 2010
leebok says...
Please sack the coach, and one good thing came out of the game. We now know Kankowski is not a test player.
Posted 09:29 21st November 2010
ruggafan says...
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. i nearly fell asleep from boredom. By far the worst game iv'e ever waisted my time watching. Not one Bok player put up his hand that game. What the .... is going on? All the talent is there. Coaching staff must go! Politics must also keep out of it(wishful thinking). As a huge Bok fan i just kept thinking how nothing has changed since our bad Tri Nations, just the opposition. @miker.... What a pathetic comment.
Posted 07:45 21st November 2010
timmo says...
based on every performance of this series, I'd say the Boks are in serious trouble against England next week.
Posted 07:28 21st November 2010
RichNo8 says...
At this rate, England will run riot. Watch out Bok!!
Posted 06:41 21st November 2010
piru says...
Scotland the brave indeed, well done boys. I've always loved the way the Scots play, no nonsense, hard nosed rugby. A great result.
Posted 06:11 21st November 2010
bigb69 says...
Worse game of rugby, ever. Scotland South Africa and the ref too, sucked. The last Scottish 3 points made no sense.
7ton - OMG - I have been banging on and on about the 'penalty lottery' at scrum time. Half the time it is a guess, Half the time both sides are doing something wrong. Free kick for these scrum offensives. The scrum is just a restart from a minor offence, and yet it often leading to a penalty, and often commentators and the players themselves have no idea why. The ELVs showed that the scrum was not depowered by this ruling, actually it also showed no danger was resulting for pulling down of the maul. You could still maul, but it was easier to defend. yes at the rolling bore the attacking team can be offside with immunity. When the whole thing wheels around, why does the defending player then have to retreat to the side closer to their goalline, but the attackers are not required to do so. EVL also showed that you can still drive effectively. Just less penalties. This weekend provided 54 penalties/DGs and only 23 tries (that is just quick count in my head without checking
Posted 05:30 21st November 2010
hemip says...
and SA said they were going to unleash the beast.... get rid of PdV asap.. Go All Blacks!
Posted 05:07 21st November 2010
miker says...
So that's how the Boks can play without their drugs ... says it all!
Posted 04:30 21st November 2010
leslie42 says...
Terrible game by South Africa, Scotland were 100% up on last week but on paper South Africa should have won by 20 points. But they lost and should have lost by even more.Their ball clearing at the breakdowns were pathetic,waiting around all day to be rucked off the ball or for a scrum half who never shows up or when he does show up just picks up and drives again and again [ compare to the All Blacks who at breakdown always spin the ball withiin the second it goes to ground and thus find loads of space.] Jean de Villiers is to old and to slow. He couldnt even play for Munster now he is 1st choice for the Springboks.? Lucky against Wales and Ireland Scotland brought them back to reality .This huge farce that is Springbok rugby must END. They have forgotten how to play the game
Posted 04:17 21st November 2010
stugur says...
Scotland might not have played great visual rugby and were messy, but their brand of rugby is one that the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 6th and 8th best teams cant cope with.
Well done Scotland
Just goes to show how far ahead from anyone eles NZ are!
Posted 03:12 21st November 2010
5Lock4ward says...
I'm laughing at all of you who are bashing Scotland. Under Andy Robinson they've now beaten Australia, South Africa and swept Los Pumas in Argentina. Yes they took a beating from the All Blacks but this just in...so did everybody else! So for everybody bashing them keep talking; b/c they've won 4/5 against the SH teams and that's better than any of the other 3 home unions can say for themselves.
Posted 03:05 21st November 2010
Ramage says...
It is interesting to see how much some refereeing decisions hurt teams when they are not playing well and are under the hammer. Last year Dickinson was taken to task by Paddy O'Brien for Dickinson's calls on the scrums in the NZ v Italy game. I remember many Safas were prominent in bagging O'Brien for pulling Dickinson up on his rulings. Yet there we go again one year later he is at it again. Juan Smith was clearly on his feet and several other dodgy calls took place mainly around scrum time and the breakdown. However lets not forget the Springboks were woeful and because of their lack of a coherent game plan and poor application of skills allowed this past his used by date referee to have an influence on the outcome. Be interesting to see what Paddy has to say this year after his call for consistency in application. I would expect to see Stu missing from the panel of referees for the upcoming world cup.
Posted 02:48 21st November 2010