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4 hours ago
10
Key events
The numbers tell their own story
South Africa had 51% possession and 61% territory. They carried the ball 96 times to New Zealand’s 83 and made 286 post-contact metres to 191.
Jasper Wiese carried 17 times, almost twice as often as any other Bok. Pieter-Steph du Toit was next on 10. Jesse Kriel had just three carries.
The Boks also lost 23 turnovers, compared with New Zealand’s 13, and managed the same number of line-breaks – seven – despite all that territory and possession.
And for all the talk of South Africa kicking excessively, the raw totals were almost identical: 17 Bok kicks, 18 from New Zealand. The difference was what happened around them. New Zealand passed more - 124 to 106 – and looked far more willing to move the point of attack.
And there can be no doubt the better team won.
The All Blacks score five tries to one. They’ve survived the Springbok scrum, absorbed the big hits and come away with a statement win at Ellis Park.
South Africa had the muscle and the territory but far too little ambition. Their backline barely got a look-in as the game narrowed into box kicks, collisions and set-piece pressure.
New Zealand were the more inventive side and, once they found space, the more dangerous one too. Credit to the tourists. That was some performance.
Full-time: South Africa 16-33 New Zealand
New Zealand open the series with an emphatic win!
78 min: Another error in NZ’s red zone means the Boks leave with nothing. Willemse with the spill in contact.
77 min: The Springboks are playing for little more than pride now. They have a line-out inside NZ’s 22 after a penalty. Marx finds Cobus Wiese (Jasper’s brother).
TRY! South Africa 16-33 New Zealand (Jordan, 75)
That is that! New Zealand have come to the home of the world champions and utterly walloped them. Off the scrum, they go to the short side on the right where Jordan simply has to catch and take a few steps forward to score yet another try. Slick work from Savea to set him up as the skipper collected off the back of the scrum.
Love converts to really rub salt in the wounds.
73 min: There is disappointment all around the stadium. NZ will get a line-out throw five out all the way on the right. The scrum from the left was messy and they pass from McKenzie was long to Jordan. The off-load attemt was collected by Kriel but he was bundled out.
Now NZ have another penalty five out as Marx infringes as he goes searching for the ball. This is turning into a disaster for the world champions.
Yellow card! South Africa 71 (Reinach)
South Africa down to 13! Off the scrum, New Zealand went left. Reinach was off-side as he tried to intercept but only got a hand to it as three players were waiting for the pass. No question that’s a yellow.
Yellow card! South Africa 70 (van Staden)
70 min: Now they’re looking at potential foul play by a South African on their own line. Van Staden infringed illegally and is shown a yellow card as he slowed the ball down after Kriel cleaned up.
New Zealand opt to scrum. How has this game turned so dramatically!?
70 min: NZ lose the ball at the line-out so SA come away with it. But Wessels has the ball ripped from him by Savea so it’s Barrett on the ball who grubbers ahead. Kriel has to chase back and cover but he’s swamped right in front of his line. A South African hand knocks on so it’ll be a New Zealand scrum five out.
Oh, unless they come back for a potential head on head hit by Savea on Wiese. That was back at the line-out. Was it shoulder to head? Not for me. I think that starts on the shoulder and rises. Will be harsh if they give this.
68 min: Tupaea rakes a wonder of a kick that finds a 50-22. Brilliant from the midfielder. It’s all New Zealand now. You can sense this game slipping away for the hosts.
67 min: SA pinch the line-out and finally, at long last, they unleash their backs. Willemse has the ball and fires a pass to SFM who inexplicably drops it under no pressure. Sums it up for the Boks. Immense up front but really poor at the back.
66 min: NZ exit swiftly and SA come roaring back. They’re chasing hard, are the Boks, but they are not accurate. Another penalty on the floor, this latest one won by Jordan in his own patch, as he beat Reinach to the ball, could be the game clincher.
62 min: So the knock-on was caused by Jacobson hitting Reinach at the back of the ruck. But they are wondering if he took Wiese out off the ball in the process. Nope, says Carley. So NZ have the scrum.
A few changes for the Boks as Porthen is on for Louw, and van Staden join the party for de Villiers
62 min: South Africa have a mountain to climb. They now have a line-out over halfway. Nortje brings it down and Wiese runs hard as he’s done all game. Etzebeth makes great ground in the left tram and they’re up inside the 22. But they are slow to the breakdown and Savea is over it. In the clear out there’s a SA knock on. Just not slick enough from these Boks.
TRY! South Africa 16-26 New Zealand (Jacobson, 60)
It’s four for New Zealand! Jacobson powers over down the blind. Savea picks up and goes himself off the back of the scrum and makes good ground, attracting the attention of two tacklers. That leaves the line thin so Jacobson just has to gather the subsequent pass and fall over to score.
The conversion opens a 10 point lead. Astonishing. These All Blacks are just so dangerous. You can’t allow them even a sniff.
58 min: Jordan gets a free ball and wriggles around five tacklers, he then hits McKenzie at pace and the fullback is screaming up field as if everyone else is running in porridge. Suddenly it’s a two on two. McKenzie tries to find Love in support to his right after exploding into the SA 22, Willemse on the cover gets a hand on it and forces the ball back into his own goal area. Roigard runs after the loose ball and misses it! If he dotted down it would have been a try. Instead Williams dots down but that means it’ll be a New Zealand scrum five out from the Boks line.
Unbelievable how a game can turn in a matter of minutes. If NZ score from here – a scrum feed with a short blind on their right – that could be curtains for SA.
Kolbe is off. Williams goes to the wing with Reinach on at 9.
56 min: NEW ZEALAND WIN A SCRUM PENALTY ON THEIR OWN LINE!
Credit to the All Blacks. They’ve been camped in their own patch and for the first time in the match they get a scrum penalty.
They are producing a masterclass in guts and determination. Still a long way to go but they will start believing in a remarkable victory.
55 min: SA go down the line. Esterhuien at first reciever makes ground. They inch closer. Williams goes back where he came from – from right to left this time – PS du Toit runs it close. NZ give away a penalty right in front of their own posts as Love is off side. De Allende and then de Villiers run it but the All Blacks hold firm. The ball is held up so no advantage. The Boks choose to scrum again under the poles. How many penalties can New Zealand give away before a card is shown? South Africa have to score here you feel. They simply have to have something to show for all their dominance.
53 min: Another scrum penalty but this time SA play it. Williams finds SFM who canters and is not held initially. He gets close on his own but is held up. No matter. The Boks choose to scrum down again. If NZ give away a penalty again there could be a card.
51 min: They might be sloppy in other areas, but the South African scrum remains immense. Another penalty as they simply consume the All Blacks pack who tried to get a second shove.
The Boks choose to scrum down again. And why not? They’ve got the Kiwis right where they want them.
50 min: Willemse goes on a jinky counter run that makes about 20 metres. Then SFM cross-kicks to de Allende who does well to catch it. They’re inside the 22 but once again – the third time perhaps – SFM over runs a pass and leaves it behind. Not sure if it’s Williams or his 10 but they are not on the same page today. NZ with the scrum feed.
TRY! South Africa 16-19 New Zealand (Holland, 48)
Holland has pinched hist first Test try! Wow, totally against the run of play. Williams dallied at the back of a ruck and took an age to get his box kick away from the restart. Holland was onto him, lifted his long arms, made the charge down and then completed the score by gathering the bouncing ball.
Love slots the conversion and New Zealand take back the lead.
Penalty! South Africa 16-12 New Zealand (Kolbe, 47)
Four from four off the tee by Kolbe. SA open their lead.
46 min: Scrum penalty for the Boks. Bower, on for de Groot, was not straight.
Nche is getting subbed for Steenekamp. Don’t fret. He’s just as damaging in the scrum.
Now then. Kolbe is lining up a kick at the poles rather than kick to the corner.
44 min: Better from NZ’s scrum as they come away with the ball. But quick defence from the SA line forces them back to their 22 – about 15 metres from where the scrum took place. Roigard boxes. Kolbe doesn’t gather but Willemse cleans up. Wiese carries again. How many metres has the No. 8 made? Nche is over the gainline. Williams goes to the skies again and the ABs knock it on. Oooh, why is that not a penalty though? Roigard caught the ball from an off-side position after the knock. Ah, but it took a SA hand on the way to Roigard. Still, scrum feed to the Boks close to the left touch 10 short of the ABs 22.
42 min: Possession changes hands and SFM gathers, looks up, hoists a high kick, chases and gathers himself. A lovely bit of individual skill from the talented 10. The Boks are dominating the air. He’s held up in the tackle though and can’t release the ball, so a maul is called and then a New Zealand scrum.
41 min: Kolbe wins a ball under pressure in the air and taps it back for Marx who runs it hard. Etzebeth does liekwise before Williams boxes. Kriel chases but he knocks on. McKenzie runs from deep.
Second half
The players are back.
De Groot and Lord absent after that clash of heads which could be a problem for the All Blacks.
Was a bit of a stop-start game but still enjoyable IMO.
One point in it. Will the Boks Bomb Squad make the difference? Or can the All Blacks spring a surprise?
Love will get us going as we find out together.
What the stats say:
Interesting numbers at half-time. New Zealand have had 56% possession and made 58 carries to South Africa’s 42, with twice as many line-breaks, four to two.
But the Boks have been far more effective through contact: 133 post-contact metres to New Zealand’s 103, despite carrying considerably less.
Paul de Villiers is earning his keep: 12 completed tackles, the most by anyone on the field.
Half-time: South Africa 13-12 New Zealand
New Zealand lead by two tries to one but are down a point at the break.
It could, and maybe should, have been worse.
SA dominated the second 20 minutes but immense New Zealand defence, and some sloppiness from the Boks, meant that three red zone entries counted for nothing. Marx dropped the ball on the try line after a maul and the All Blacks scampered and fought for everything.
Worries for the tourists as their scrum and maul started to wilt. No doubt the hosts will target those areas in the second half.
39 min: A Williams box kick takes a wicked deflection off a New Zealand head/hand/shoulder. That means Love needs to scamper back and clean up but he’s swamped in a flash by Kolbe who nails him out of touch inside his own 22.
SA win the line-out but Wiese round the corner has the ball stripped from him.
Jordan runs it out of trouble up to the edge of the 22. Yet again, great work from New Zealand on defence.
38 min: Once again the All Blacks escape from their own 22. SA with the ball just can’t stitch the move out the back as SFM has to go clean up scraps again. It’s all so chaotic. Wiese with a monster carry. De Allende too, just a little earlier. But no one was securing the ball and Barrett could simply step up and put his hands on it to make the steal.
Two All Blacks need attention as de Groot and Lord clashed heads as they both missed Wiese’s carry. Not good news for the ABs and their scrum troubles. They have the feed inside their 22. Roigard finds Love who finds touch down town. Great kick.
For all their struggles in the tight exchanges, the All Blacks are hanging on.
36 min: SA’s scrum gets a great shove on but the Kiwis manage to get the ball away. Tupaea runs it out before Roigard rakes an incredible clearing box kick all the way to halfway. Fantastic from the All Blacks. Momentum is with the Boks but that was some mighty defence.
No time to catch their breath. The Boks are back at them. Kolbe with the ball. Willemse with a cross-field kick from right to left that is just a touch too long.
Now Etzebeth wins a line-out against the throw. All Boks right now.
35 min: On field decision is no try. He was over the line as South Africa’s maul motored through the New Zealand pack. Yup, replays show he spilled it as he was attempting to dot down. Credit to Jordie Barrett for putting himself in the mix and disrupting what looked like a certain score. What a let 0ff! Will that prove decisive? Still, NZ need to get out of their danger zone with a scrum.
35 min: Marx is over but did he drop it?
34 min: SA win the line-out and NZ give away a penalty, lifting their jumpers early. SA with the advantage run it with Marx and Wiese. The move splutters and SFM has to clean it up. He comes runs it back. Marx picks and goes. Willemse tries to fling a pass to the right wing but it drifts forward. No matter. SA had the advantage and they choose to kick to touch for another maul. I’d have scrummed it. But they are in the corner.
32 min: The Springboks devour New Zealand’s scrum! My goodness, that is a heck of a statement. Absolutely monstered as Nche powers through his man. Just immense. SFM then hoofs the penalty into the corner. SA with the throw five out.
31 min: SA with front foot ball before Williams hoists a high kick. It’s long and Kolbe can’t get there before Jordan marks. But Jordan’s wuick tap and kick is charged down so SA are back on it. Willemse considers a drop goal but takes to contact. Marx runs hard and sits down Tupaea who does an impression of a deer in front of a dump truck. Wiese picks and goes but then runs into the back of Willemse so it’ll end with a NZ scrum just beyond their 22 all the way on their left.
28 min: NZ will get a line-out on SA’s 22 after Wiese stepped out having caught the restart. He rampaged over Love – and I mean rampaged – but he stepped out so it’s ABs ball within touching distance.
Vaa’i wins the line-out – what a game he’s having – but Roigard goes back down the blind for Jordan. They run out of room and Vaa’i is nailed out of touch.
SA get away with it after Etzebeth is challenged at the line-out and then NZ commit a high tackle on the covering de Villiers.
Penalty! South Africa 13-12 New Zealand (Kolbe, 27)
The lead changes hands yet again. Is that four or five times already? Kolbe slots the penalty from bang in front from the 22.
