Jordie Barrett delivered a boy’s own moment that was the stuff dreams are made of.
When Jordie scored within the first five minutes, the All Blacks looked on point, alas that was the most fluent they were for the remainder of the match…
The Springboks did exactly what they said they were going to do, got the All Blacks into an arm wrestle and almost pulled off a miracle.
The All Blacks handling errors and lineout were a shambles but you have to give it to the Springboks for applying a vice-like pressure.
I see the Springboks are getting it in the neck for such negative tactics but hell, you get away with what you can within the laws of the game and if it wasn’t for Tupaea’s crucial turnover and Jordie’s stunning pressure kick then the All Blacks would have been lambasted from pillar to post.
The All Blacks are receiving plenty of harsh press by the scribes and much of it is justified but the Springboks got to play most of the Test on their terms and the All Blacks played into it but won.
If I am mistaken, then winning is still what the game is all about and the All Blacks found a way. Yes, winning ugly seems to be the catchphrase around the traps.
If pressure makes diamonds then Jordie Barrett is the jewel in the All Blacks crown for this occasion.
I’d like to point out that the All Blacks were missing Sam Whitelock, Aaron Smith, Anton Lienert-Brown, Dane Coles, Luke Jacobsen, Sam Cane and Richie Mo’unga.
The stats are not pretty reading for the All Blacks but again, they found a way to win when they couldn’t play much worse against a Springbok team that was suffocating and yes, their negative tactics were difficult to stomach but you play to your strengths and did what they felt was necessary to stifle the All Blacks high tempo style.
I could say the All Blacks will prove how good they are against the Springboks next week now that the enormous pressure is off them but it’s easy to say such things in predicting something that has been promised but did not happen last night…
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For now, the All Blacks will take a win and some valuable lessons instead of a loss and back to the drawing board.
My of my, that was an intense edge of the seat watch, which was almost a horror story of Stephen King proportions.
Instead, the Test climaxed in a fairy tale with the prince in Jordie walking off into the sunset with the chalice in hand.
Thank you Jordie, goodnight kids, all is alright in the kingdom tonight…