No matter the opponent, the first few phases of a Springbok match always causes my heart to beat furiously in my chest.
A capacity Ellis Park stadium with an electric atmosphere welcomed the All Blacks, and what ensued was an absolute spectacle and wonderful advertisement for the sport.
Rugby fans hoping for a Test match on the scale and intensity of last year’s match at Ellis Park were rewarded with a thrilling contest of legendary scale.
The first saw the Springboks enjoy the majority of possession and territory, putting the All Blacks under pressure with repeated phases of attack due to a ball-in-hand approach.
South Africa’s first try came from an attack within their own 22, wide ball going through the hands and a deft grubber from Jean de Villiers allowing Cornal Hendricks to stretch his legs and offload to Jan Serfontein, who nearly made a break for it only to be taken down by an excellent tackle from Aaron Smith.
In the past this promising attack would have ground to a halt with Smith’s tackle, resulted in a turnover and potentially a counter attack try by the All Blacks. However, with Francois Hougaard on the field we had a talented attacker in support who received Serfontein’s pass at pace and broke away for a try.
Hougaard may have his weaknesses, but that display of support running was outstanding.
A blistering run by Bryan Habana allowed the Boks to launch an attack on the All Blacks’ tryline. Handre Pollard showed great awareness to spot the mismatch, with two forwards covering his defensive channel, and he made an impressive run at the line to bag his first try of the match.
The All Blacks hit back with a signature attack launched from a scrum, which wobbled under a good Springbok effort. A blindside pass to Julian Savea saw him chipping ahead and breaking away, culminating in a try for Malakai Feikitoa. Jean de Villiers characteristically rushed out of the defensive line, which allowed his opposite number to narrow the score margin.
Savea ran rampant, consistently powering through the attempted tackles of Hendricks. Comparisons have been made with Jonah Lomu, and such praise is completely warranted. He was a constant threat who kept the Springbok defence guessing.
A threatening All Black attack was turned over by a timely interception from Bismarck du Plessis, shovelling a quick pass to Pollard who booted the ball into an unmanned All Black 22, pursued by Hendricks and Feikitoa in a blinding footrace. TMO replay showed Feikitoa had taken the ball back past his tryline before grounding the ball and the Boks were awarded with a five-metre scrum.
Victor Matfield spoke about these moments in the days leading up to the Test. If the Boks were going to secure a rare victory against the world’s best team it was imperative they capitalise on opportunities such as these. Big moments call on big players and Pollard stepped up again with another exceptional individual effort to stretch for the tryline. The Boks ended the half with a comfortable 21-13 lead.
Their first half ascendancy, however, would not continue. After an early penalty in the second half the Boks looked to be in control, however timely substitutions from the All Blacks injected energy and pace into their attack.
Critics will argue that the Boks resigned themselves to a defensive mindset, however I contend that the All Blacks simply showed their class with this second-half display. The Boks absorbed some of that pressure and made a few attempts to relieve it, Pollard’s touch finder for instance. However the All Blacks took a quick lineout and continued their assault, with several Bok turnovers almost resulting in promising counter attacks only to be won back by the darkness.
Richie McCaw and his men were not happy to chase this game with penalty conversions, opting instead for lineouts and scrums to continue their onslaught. McCaw’s calm demeanour under the pressure of chasing a game in an opposition stronghold is a testament to the belief within this All Black team. They simply believed that continued attack would turn the tide and their insistence was rewarded with two well-orchestrated tries.
Conrad Smith showed his class with a scything run through the South African defence and allowed Ben Smith to touch down. His break was facilitated by Jean de Villiers, who once again found himself out of position after rushing ahead to close down the pass. This mirrored his missed tackle on Beauden Barrett last year at the same venue under similar circumstances.
Continued attack from the All Blacks culminated in a try for Dane Coles after the Springbok defence had been spread thin. The game stood on a knife-edge at this point after Barret missed the conversion, and with minutes to play the All Blacks looked poised to continue their record unbeaten streak.
With three minutes remaining de Villiers approached Wayne Barnes and asked a high tackle review, and with the crowd calling for blood at the repeated images of Liam Messam’s shoulder charge on Schalk Burger the referee had no choice but to award a penalty. Some might criticise the implications of this game-changing penalty, given neither the referee or touch judges had given reason for review. The big screen replays and vocal crowd very likely made the difference, however home field advantage brings just that to the table.
The Springboks have been penalised for perfectly legitimate tackles in the past, so being awarded a penalty for an illegal shoulder charge is a result I will happily accept.
Patrick Lambie did not hesitate to grab a tee under the gaze of 61,000 spectators. The stage was set for a game-winning conversion and Lambie delivered a clutch kick under unfathomable pressure.
The fans and players were elated, but the All Blacks showed their determination and won the ball from the restart to launch another attack. I mentioned big moments earlier and Duane Vermuelen showed his immense value by winning a breakdown penalty and securing the match.
Bedlam ensued as the Boks celebrated their first victory against the All Blacks in three years. This victory held immense value ahead of the World Cup next year and the Boks needed to prove to themselves that they could win against the world’s number one team.
That this win was met with utter ecstasy is a reflection of the respect that South Africa holds for New Zealand, who have only lost twice since Steve Hansen assumed coaching responsibilities in 2011. They are the benchmark for performance and simply refuse to accept defeat until the final whistle.
There is no doubt that New Zealand still sits at the apex of world rugby, but my team went toe-to-toe with the best and showed true grit to come out with a victory.
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