South Africa lost their world No.1 ranking to the All Blacks on Saturday night – this week they could well lose their dignity.
Australia’s convincing 30-17 win at Suncorp Stadium, along with the All Blacks defeat of Argentina by a suitable margin, saw New Zealand jump past the Springboks into top spot.
Springboks coach Jacques Nienaber was scathing of the performance – and acknowledged everyone on the tourists’ shell shocked squad needed to be better including the coaches.
Saturday’s match in Townsville is the 100th between the great rugby rivals. There can’t be a South Africa fan who doesn’t fear abject humiliation against a team that steam rolled Australia and eased past Argentina with a second string.
Here’s an indication of how the All Blacks can step it up this week, after the unbeaten team went 10 points clear of the Springboks in the championship.
Coach Ian Foster is likely to recall Brodie Retallick, Scott Barrett, Nepo Laulala, Codie Taylor, Dalton Papalii and Akira Ioane to his starting pack. In the backs, Beauden Barrett will likely return at No. 10, with David Havili and Anton Lienert-Brown likely to be his midfielders after making 11 changes for Saturday’s game.
(Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Foster played down the achievement of going back to the top of the rankings, which the All Blacks surrendered to the Springboks at the World Cup.
“It’s not in our mind at all,” Foster said.
“We’re about to play South Africa next week. We’ll get excited about that. We’re more interested in winning a Test match than where we sit. If we focus too much on the other thing we’ll get tripped up and we won’t be there for very long and that doesn’t interest us either.”
Foster said his team would need to be more ruthless on Saturday, after their performance trailled off against Los Pumas.
“There’s enough there tonight that people are going to pick a few holes in things and rightly so,” Foster said after the game.
“We’ve got to be a lot more ruthless when we do create stuff because we left a few points out there that tightened the game up unnecessarily but, overall, it was good for our newer players to feel that tension.
“That fourth quarter will be gold for us because they’ll realise you never have anyone beaten at test level and if you don’t finish them off when you’ve got a chance, you’re in for a bun fight.”
Foster expects the Springboks to be better for the two runs against the Wallabies.
“It will be a torrid game, they always are,” Foster said.
“I saw about 50 minutes of that game to know what’s coming. The Wallabies did a really good job against them two weeks in a row.
“It’s probably the first time the South Africans have faced a team that plays with a lot of tempo in the past two years.
“We’ve got to remember they’ve been in the wilderness last year so they’ll learn a lot from that.
“All Blacks v South Africa games are always special.”
New Zealand’s media joined the South Africa press in dismantling the Springboks’ performance.
“Are the Wallabies as good as they looked on Saturday, or is it just that the Springboks are completely bereft of ideas when the big, bad, ogre act doesn’t spook an opponent?” wrote Phil Gifford in the New Zealand Herald.
“A bit of both feels the most likely. I never thought I’d write these words, but Quade Cooper has provided a stability the Wallabies have been sadly lacking.
“And in Samu Kerevi they have a midfielder who brings to mind the best All Black second-five I’ve ever seen, Ma’a Nonu. Like Nonu, Kerevi has huge physical presence, and, again like Nonu, Kerevi has a swag of rugby intelligence to go with the brawn.
“On the other hand, the Springboks, while physically fearless, are mentally fragile. Their backs couldn’t cope with the fact the Wallabies were matching them in the forwards.
“There’s talent in the Springbok backline, but, just as it was a week ago, when they tried to organise themselves to attack it was about as seamless as Basil Fawlty and Manuel on a bad day in the dining room.”
It will take a monumental reversal of form for the Boks to avoid being a laughing stock in their landmark meeting on Saturday.
“It’s tough,” said Boks No.10 Handre Pollard in the aftermath of the defeat.
“We are emotional and disappointed in ourselves – but a huge test awaits us next week and we have to get ourselves ready for that.
“We have to be very honest with ourselves in the review of the game and see where we can improve.
“But we can’t feel sorry for ourselves for too long. We must try to get over this quickly, so we’ll have a reset day on Sunday.
“There certainly won’t be a lack of motivation when we face the All Blacks, and in every Test for that matter. We know we are not good enough at the moment, but we’ll develop plans.
“The one thing I know about this team is when our backs are against the wall, we can come back strongly.
“We can’t say much more than that and we won’t make excuses, but we’ll come back next week and hopefully turn things around.”
piru
Roar Rookie
And if they're not close that will prove the reffing wasn't fair?
Faith
Roar Rookie
The success of their game relies on discipline - in these two last games the sending off of key leaders and executors of their game has thrown them behind the curve. The conversions of kicks always important. Pollard was terrible in Test 1. I would assume that they will have their first almost perfect game against the ABs if only because they know without that they could get a hiding. But even with that I'm not sure they have enough points in them. They really need Kolbe back as he wins games for them single-handedly. If the ABs play like they have in the last games, the game will be close but ABs will win comfortably even if Boks play well for once. Again, they just don't have the 3-5 tries they need to beat the ABs. But the easy ABs game that many are calling is a mirage. Maybe Test 2 once these teams have sounded each other out.
Faith
Roar Rookie
The passing was so bad - they couldn't get the ball wide past the 2nd one. Once they could not do that they were done. Playing NZ and WBs means you have to be able to score 3-4 tries at least to keep up. These WBs seem to lack that and hope for tight games won on the boot. That worked in 1st Test against WBs but unless they fix that I can't seem them having a lot of success against these teams.
Fox
Roar Guru
Australia do not want t0 see the AB's thrashing the Boks PK and I will let you figure out why....
JD Kiwi
Roar Rookie
Yep, it's a totally different contest, all sorts of things for good and bad that haven't applied so far.
Kahukura
Guest
Ok assume nothing and accept this - the Saffas looked turgid and the ABs look all class
Wallabies_Larkham
Roar Rookie
JD..I think some of your Boyz like barrette and mounga havent shown really yet they have the upperhand when it comes to bokling type rush defences..also paisami gave a hint that you can dominate that midfield if you tackle havili and also mounga bone crunchingly hard..both are playmakers and are prone to coughing up the ball..AM and DDA should enforced this..nienaber should sort out his loose trio and make a mess at that tackle area..reinach can snipe around the ruck area since it still seems a issue for your boyz
biltong
Guest
Nah. This is what we call intrinsic dignity, which does not depend on any external (extrinsic) factors. A person never loses his or her dignity. Even the most serious illness or the most servile condition can not render a human being unworthy.
Glen Ellia
Guest
Love all the conjecture of the fans ABs thinking they got this cause Aussie beat the Boks and we beat Aussie then you have the Bok fans dont write us off we dangerous cause we lost to the Aussies.First off I suspect the whole focus of this whole championship for the ABs has been about the 100th game against the old foe the players the coach the media couldnt wait for this game here so there is no way in hell the ABs are taking this likely sorry Boks fans no complacency and the after match interview comfirmed it.AS for the Boks well yes they lost to Aussie but that their own fault for not respecting them after the losses to us but all kiwis know ABs vs Bok games reguardless of previous form are a certainty always physical tightly fought battles which generally come down to a penalty , send off or injury.Both teams will be up for this period.The players themselves not the fans know they need to prepare for battle.My 2 cents
Rugby Tragic
Roar Rookie
The Boks will be competitive .. foolish to write them off. The History between the two rugby nations is deep generally not that predictable. The AB's will of course start favourites. The clash of styles might be more pronounced but Cholbe's back!!
Tony Mitchell
Roar Rookie
Like the Wallabies V ABs the Boks simply have not executed the game plan. Boks cannot play a rush defense and miss 20 tackles per game. Too late for major changes. If they just execute their traditional game plan: good kicking, strong set pieces and make tackles they will be competitive this weekend.
piru
Roar Rookie
Personally I doubt very much they'll stop the box kick altogether, for the simple fact they've been indoctrinated into it so deeply it's become ingrained into the way they play. They'll want to put in a better chase than they did against Aussie though, or they'll be chasing shadows all game. I can't see NZ wanting to play SA's game, they'll look to run them off their feet imo
Rugby Geek
Roar Rookie
Piru, I think the Bokks needs less change and better focus. The box kick will just hurt them as we did them last weekend. But the Kiwis have a defensive weakness close to the ruck. Big Saffies running channel 1 will cause a bunch of problems for the Blacks. I think their best chance is to grid it out in close and make the Ab's play their game. Because if they don't the Saffies could go for a 50 pointer against.
Tooly
Roar Rookie
Write the Bokkies off at your peril. They have played very little football since the WC and are very disappointed at these two losses. Foster is taking a more sober approach to these two great matches. I expect the games to be close proving the refereeing is fair.
piru
Roar Rookie
I don't have any doubt the boks players will be up for it. What's in doubt for me is whether they have the tool box to compete. It became quickly apparent on Saturday when they decided to go wide that they do not currently have the capability to do so at a sufficient level.
piru
Roar Rookie
Just a tip, if you're going to make multiple accounts try not to spell like a home schooled 5 year old in both of them, it just gives it away, JP.
Bluffboy
Roar Rookie
Not sure if the Safa's will be able to change what is needed to bet us in time. But the intent will definitely be there. Personally love these games. We can assume but until the whistle is blow after 80 we just don't know. I certainly are not predicting we are going to have it all our way. AND, it certainly won't be the first time I have been called an arse and won't be the last :silly:
Rugby Geek
Roar Rookie
Tony, So an improving Wallaby side, just dakked the Bokkies! To me, it's a bit like nicking a game off the ABs! You do so at your peril. The Bok's very existence as a unit is now clearly on the line. They are wounded and angry with themselves. The more times they watch the replay of Saturday's game the more determined they will be. On the other hand, our across-the-ditch mates, who are possibly the better all-round team have clear deficiencies in the 10-20 defensive ruck space. FDK will be let loose to exploit that with some very big wildebeest targeting the D pillars with a very unsophisticated approach of getting around their man! (straight over the top) The Bok Scrum needs Marx in the run-on side, scrum, lineout, and the old ruthlessness will find its home. If the Bokkies hold onto the ball and kick for territory they will force the AB's to clear to touch when trapped in their own 22. They have a good show of attacking at lineout time. NZ has a dangerous level of confidence and these guys will be up for redemption. Personally, I am loving the prospect of this game.
piru
Roar Rookie
The ull bleks cant handle it when it gets really really physical. We'll just pass it and thus completely confound the Boks game plan
piru
Roar Rookie
We need to cool our jets a bit here - this is the sort of game we can stuff up and lose because we get too far ahead of ourselves.