As expected, this encounter was a real humdinger characterised by numerous brutal collisions throughout but in the end the hosts got the rub of the green although New Zealand outscored them by four tries to three.
For South Africa, Bongi Monambi, Grant Williams and Kwagga Smith scored tries while Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu finished with a 16-point contribution after slotting four penalties and two conversions.
Caleb Clarke led the way with a brace of tries for New Zealand while Jordie Barrett and Codie Taylor also crossed for five-pointers and Damian McKenzie added three conversions and a penalty.
Springboks Dominate Early Exchanges
The All Blacks dominated the early exchanges and spent most of the opening 10 minutes camped inside the Springboks’ half. In the sixth minute, the home side were reduced to 14 men when Aphelele Fassi was yellow carded for a cynical defensive foul deep inside his 22.
The visitors put the resulting penalty into touch on the Boks’ five-metre line and launched a lineout drive from which Taylor crashed over for the opening try.
Despite their numerical disadvantage, the Boks were slowly getting into the game and in the 16th minute Mbonambi opened their account when he broke away from a maul close to New Zealand’s try-line before barging over for his five-pointer.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s goal-kick was disallowed after the shot clock had expired and the next 10 minutes was an arm wrestle as the sides went at each other hammer and tongs in a bid to gain the ascendancy.
On the half hour-mark, Feinberg-Mngomezulu showed his class when he stepped up and coolly slotted a monster penalty from 61 metres out and that kick gave South Africa the lead for the first time.
Despite that score, the All Blacks did not panic and three minutes later they struck back courtesy of Clarke’s first five-pointer after the Boks conceded a turnover in the build-up. The visitors launched a brilliant counter attack and the ball was shifted wide to Clarke whose searing pace took him past Damian de Allende on his way over the try-line.
McKenzie added the extras before Feinberg-Mngomezulu slotted his second penalty in the latter stages of the half which meant the match was evenly poised at the interval with New Zealand holding a slender 12-11 lead.
Second Half Comeback
Just like the opening half, the All Blacks were fastest out of the blocks in the second stanza and soon after the restart Jordie Barrett intercepted a wayward pass from De Allende close to the halfway line and and showed great composure to outsprint the cover defence before crossing the whitewash.
The hosts responded by sending on their much-vaunted ‘Bomb Squad’ and although Feinberg-Mngomezulu narrowed the gap with another three-pointer off the kicking tee soon after, that effort was canceled out by a McKenzie penalty which meant the visitors were holding a deserved 22-14 lead by the 49th minute.
Shortly afterwards Feinberg-Mngomezulu succeeded with his third penalty before the All Blacks struck back in style when Clarke found himself in space out wide and he showed the defence a clean pair of heels before dotting down again.
That meant New Zealand held a 10-point lead which meant South Africa needed a response if they wanted to win the game. They emptied their bench while the All Blacks suffered a setback in the 67th minute when Ofa Tu’ungafasi received a yellow card after entering a ruck illegally deep inside his own territory.
The Boks did not take long to make their numerical advantage count as Smith crashed over from close quarters in the 69th minute and when Feinberg-Mngomezulu added the extras, we were set for a thrilling finish.
Momentum was now with the home side as they spent long periods inside New Zealand’s half and in the 74th minute Williams made a sniping break from a ruck before diving over for his five-pointer which was converted by Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
That gave the Boks the lead for only the second time in the game and although Feinberg-Mngomezulu missed a late penalty they held on to clinch a deserved victory.
Player Performances
Springboks Player Ratings
- Ox Nche – 6.5
Topping the charts in terms of carries for the starting front row with nine meters from three carries, Nche did most of his work around the breakdown.
- Bongi Mbonambi – 5
Scoring the Boks’ first try at the back of a powerful maul, the hooker was perhaps a tad fortunate that the score was awarded as he seemed to lose contact with the ball in the act of touching down. This aside, he linked up with Malherbe to target Tamaiti Williams at scrum time for what was his biggest contribution to the contest.
Closing his account in the 44th minute with one carry for four meters and a try in attack and with six tackles in defence, it was a mixed bag from the veteran hooker.
- Frans Malherbe – 6
Harassing the new man in the All Blacks front row, Malherbe got after Tamaiti Williams at scrum time in the first half.
Defensively, the big man got about the park with nine tackles but was ineffective in the carry, with just two meters made from one carry before being replaced in the 43rd minute.
- Pieter-Steph du Toit – 8.5
Certainly up to the task of being a lock in the test arena, the Malmesbury Missile did his best work during the period that he was in the back row. Understandably his work in open play suffered on account of doing more work in the tight areas of the game.
Still, despite the extra load in the tight exchanges, PSDT topped the carry charts for the Boks with eight carries for twenty-four meters, most of which were in heavy traffic.
- Ruan Nortje – 8
An exceptional line-out operator who gets through a mountain of work despite not being the ball-carrying beast that the Boks are accustomed to in the position.
Making eleven tackles and winning ten line-outs was a heck of a return for the Vodacom Bulls captain, who looks set to own the number five shirt going forward.
- Siya Kolisi – 7
Captain Fantastic had a no-frills showing as a willing carrier when his team needed him during the sixty minutes he was on the pitch. Although we didn’t see him as a fulcrum carrier from the line-out, as was the case in previous outings, he remains integral to this team’s ability to stay in the fight.
- Ben-Jason Dixon – 4
Struggled to leave an impact on the match, the 26-year-old was a notch off the pace from the off and never quite recovered. This lack of impact saw him plucked from the action early in the second half.
- Jasper Wiese – 8
Back with a bang, the number eight was in no mood to waste time as he went route one at the All Blacks defence from the off.
Seeming to benefit from the extra time off that his suspension afforded him, Wiese was one of the few Boks who made inroads into the All Blacks defence during the first half.
- Cobus Reinach – 4
Plucked from the action alongside the bulk of the South African forward replacements, Reinach was hassled at the breakdown by TJ Perenara and the All Blacks forwards. This pressure saw his usual attacking spark elude him as he failed to pose a running threat, which, in turn, saw the All Blacks’ defence shift straight to the Bok backline.
- Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu – 9
It was a big-time performance from a big-time talent at Ellis Park as the Stormers flyhalf cemented himself as the undisputed kingpin in the flyhalf berth.
Outside of falling foul to the shot clock as he attempted to convert Bongi Mbomambi’s try, it was a relatively flawless performance from the 22-year-old. This miss appeared to fire up the former Bishops standout even more as he played with an extra bit in the carry and tackle.
Ultimately, the flyhalf was one of the few reasons the Boks were within striking range, and his kick to the corner to set up the Boks’ match-winning try was textbook.
- Kurt-Lee Arendse – 4
Departing the action with a nasty injury, the flyer struggled to get into the match for the 48 minutes he was on the pitch.
- Damian de Allende – 6.5
It was far from a vintage attacking performance from the inside centre, who does not look entirely comfortable in the new attacking structures. Gifting Jordie Barrett a try with a simple interception will garner the headlines, but his lack of efficiency in the carry was notable.
He was rock solid on the other side of the ball as he topped the tackle charts for the Springboks and had two timely turnovers.
- Jesse Kriel – 8
Enjoying an Indian Summer as he closes in on his tenth year of test rugby, the previously disregarded centre has elevated himself to elite status once again over the past twelve months.
Bringing a clever short-kicking game to the table, Kriel turned the All Blacks’ defence on several occasions with grubber kicks which were backed up with a ferocious chase. Whilst with the ball in hand, his rugby league style short bullet passes at the line were a handful for the All Blacks to cope with, whilst his line-breaking ability was superb.
- Cheslin Kolbe – 6.5
Firmly second-best in his one-on-one battle with Caleb Clarke, Kolbe was marshalled out of the match by the All Blacks defence and was found wanting for both of Clarke’s tries. This didn’t deter the attacking maestro from bringing bundles of energy to the kick chase, which ultimately paid dividends as the All Blacks made a few uncharacteristic mistakes that allowed the Boks back in late on.
To sum up his performance, whilst it was far from a statistical masterpiece, the extra attention he received opened up space for those around him.
- Aphelele Fassi – 7.5
Overcame an early yellow card, which ultimately set up the first All Blacks to try to put in a composed performance under the high ball and in a counter-attack.
Bringing a different look to the Springbok backline as a lethal strike runner as opposed to the distribution game of Willie le Roux, Fassi is the perfect combination of pace and finishing ability as a key chess piece in Tony Brown’s attacking game plan.
Replacements
- Malcolm Marx – 6
Not to write the hooker off, but it would appear as though the injuries he has sustained over the past few years are taking their toll. Lacking his former dynamism at the contact point. Yet, for all that he has lost, his rugby intelligence allowed him to be in the right place at the right time as a key protagonist in the Boks’ late try.
- Gerhard Steenekamp – 8
It was a superb 37-minute outing for the Bulls loosehead, who brought some much-needed extra oomph as both a ball carrier and mauling powerhouse. Defensively, his pace allows him to close the space between the ruck pillars and his outside defenders, thus shoring up the inside channels of the Boks’ rush defence.
- Vincent Koch – 7
Mr Consistent joins a growing list of Bok veterans who, despite not being as flashy as they once were, get through a ton of work to allow those around them to shine. Clearly, under pressure for his role in the twenty-three due to the continued ascension of Thomas du Toit, Koch remains a scrummaging force and calming influence in the tensest moments.
- Eben Etzebeth – 7.5
Despite starting on the bench, the towering lock played the bulk of the match. Firstly, he entered the action in relief of Ruan Nortje as a temporary substitution and then permanently for Ben-Jason Dixon.
Although he is arguably the ultimate impact sub, Etzebeth remains too good not to start with his ridiculous ability to perform for the full eighty minutes. Once again, catching the eye with his defensive pressure which ultimately pressured the All Blacks kickers into mistakes costing them valuable meters.
- Elrigh Louw – 8
Developing nicely as a new-age Danie Rossouw, the versatile Bulls backrow appears to have taken one full step ahead of his nearest rivals as the perfect ‘bomb squad’ operator. In a similar mould to the 2007 World Cup winner Rossouw, Louw does everything at an eight out ten level week-in, week-out. This consistency, combined with his athletic profile as a ball-winning threat in the air, feels like the perfect ingredient for a Tony Brown attacking recipe.
- Kwagga Smith – 8.5
South Africa’s one-man bomb squad, Smith held up his end of the bargain with some incisive carries, big hits and a crucial turnover. Pouncing brilliantly for the try that brought his team back into the contest, the former 7s star remains an ageless wonder who ups the tempo to a point that opponents can’t match.
- Grant Williams – 8
He upped the ante tenfold when he entered the fray, bringing a sniping threat to proceedings. He had the All Blacks’ defence on their heels. Backing himself to scoot over for the decisive try shows his level of confidence at the moment and will undoubtedly have the Bok coaches questioning whether he should be the starter going forward.
- Handre Pollard – 6.5
Replaced Kurt-Lee Ardense, who departed with injury, Pollard brought a strong kicking alternative to the Bok backline. His influence is a tricky needle to thread for the Bok coaches as he is a world-class game manager, but he does dull the influence of Feinberg-Mngomezulu as an attacking threat.
All Blacks Player Ratings
All Blacks: 15 Beauden Barrett, 14 Will Jordan, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Damian McKenzie, 9 TJ Perenara, 8 Ardie Savea, 7 Sam Cane, 6 Ethan Blackadder, 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 4 Scott Barrett (c), 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Tamaiti Williams Replacements: 16 Asafo Aumua, 17 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Sam Darry, 20 Samipeni Finau, 21 Cortez Ratima, 22 Anton Lienert-Brown, 23 Mark Tele’a
Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland) Assistant Referees: Matthew Carley (England), Jordan Way (Australia) TMO: Brian MacNeice (Ireland)
READ MORE: Springboks v All Blacks: Five takeaways as ‘brilliant’ Bomb Squad a game changer for Boks as prodigy holds his own in Ellis Park ‘thriller’ Ex-All Black’s take on new breed of ‘freakish’ Springbok playmakers and Tony Brown’s influence on them
The Verdict
Well, you have to credit the Boks for finding a way to win, as they so often do. And great to see some youngsters stepping up. But this was far from a confidence-inspiring performance.
Aside from the questionable Bongi try, it was clear that a) the Boks new running/offloading attack was not delivering line breaks or gainline meters, and b) the ABs were able to get outside of the Bok defense relatively easily. Additionally the Boks were inaccurate and error-prone in key moments.
Lot's of work to do to sharpen it all up.
