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Will Jordan’s All Blacks career has been stunted in recent seasons by a migraine related issue – but the electric backline star was the one causing the headaches as he starred in a 35-20 win over the Springboks in Auckland on Saturday.
Picked on the wing instead of his favoured fullback role, Jordan was outstanding and continued his try a game record through 22 Tests.
Ian Foster’s decision to haul his entire squad to Argentina last week, while the core of their Springbok opposition was resting up in New Zealand, caused some consternation this week but no one will be questioning it in the wake of this result.
The All Blacks raced to a 17-0 lead in the opening 17 minutes then withheld some Springboks pressure in the early stages of the second half to finish the game with a flourish and two late tries.
It was the Boks who looked weighed down by jet lag as the hosts got off to a storming start desite sending 12 of Saturday’s team into Auckland early.
Jordan, who missed the trip to Mendoza, was in the thick of it, bursting clear in the second minute, while Shannon Frizell followed up with another break through the defence.
Jordan was too slippery to handle in the opening minutes and while Willie Le Roux did manage to bring him down the tackle wasn’t enough to prevent the winger slipping a pass to Aaron Smith to score a try on five minutes – the 25th of the scrum half’s Test career.
Richie Mo’unga added the conversion and then a penalty before a towering Smith kick was just knocked on by a soaring Jordan with the try line open.
Frizell, who is one of several top line All Blacks heading to Japan after the World Cup, was devastating, and got the try he deserved as the All Blacks went to a 17-0 lead off 93 percent possession within 17 minutes.
It was a stunner and again Jordan was integral, drifting to the left and breaking through before Frizell was sent away to the left corner.
“If there’s one man who deserves a try it’s Shannon Frizell. He’s been in absolute beast mode the opening minutes of this game,” said former All Black Mils Muliaina on the match coverage.
Shannon Frizell of the All Blacks celebrates his try.(Photo by Fiona Goodall/Getty Images)
“Its almost like the crowd is in shock, it’s been that good by the All Blacks,” said All Black legend Jeff Wilson. “The Springboks are just reeling at the moment.”
Every time the Boks tried to get a foothold they let themselves down with poor execution, and their best opportunity to get back into the game was snuffed out by some superb defensive work from Frizell.
Then on 25 minutes a big call went the home team’s way. Boks No.9 Faf de Klerk put a perfectly weighted cross field kick to the right corner and Beauden Barrett spilled the ball under pressure from Cheslin Kolbe.
Referee Mathieu Raynal couldn’t decide and the TMO Ben Whitehouse took an age to rule out the try. One angle suggested Kolbe knocked on before grounding the ball.
From the drop out Jordie Barrett reefed the ball 60 metres down field and Boks centre Damian de Allende dropped it cold.
Will Jordan of New Zealand makes a break during The Rugby Championship match between the New Zealand All Blacks and South Africa Springboks. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)
The Boks were slowly getting back into it and five minutes before the break the All Blacks were penalised for not releasing and De Klerk banged over the penalty. But the hosts responded immediately, with a Mo’unga penalty in reply.
The Boks began to clear their bench early but it failed to make an impression at first. Their wastefulness was summed up when De Klerk took a kick for the line form a penalty and got too greedy, shanking the kick dead in goal and letting the All Blacks off the hook.
But the Boks, blessed with a bevy of beasts of their own off the bench, got a lifeline when replacement hooker Malcolm Marx crossed after a driving maul from a line out on 54 minutes.
The All Blacks brought on Finlay Christie for Smith, while 22-year-old Aussie-raised prop Tamaiti Williams came on for his debut.
Mo’unga sent over a long range penalty but the Boks kept coming and narrowed the gap to 23-15 when Kolbe took a long, flat pass from Willie le Roux and leapt over his defender to touch down in the corner.
But the All Blacks bounced back almost immediately and Jordan got his 22nd Test try in his 22nd game, picking up a kick from Beauden Barrett in space and finishing well. Mo’unga added another with a piece of individual brilliance before Kwagga Smith had the final say – too late.
“They just rode that momentum, confidence, came out from their own half and won the contact,” said Muliaina of the early blast that sent the All Blacks on their way. “The breakdown was crucial. The accuracy was there for the All Blacks.
“There was a middle part where the Springboks came back but the All Blacks were outstanding.”
Springboks coach Jacques Nienaber lamented the shocking start by his team.
“The start wasn’t ideal for us,” said Nienaber.
“I felt we struggled to get into the game because of poor discipline – four consecutive penalties – and a lot of mistakes compounded by four or five missed tackles and against a quality side like New Zealand they will capitalise on that.
“They did that, and we played catch-up for the rest of the time. We can’t start like that with penalties and errors, probably some of them unforced and some from the pressure exerted on us, and if you’re going to play catch-up it’s going to be tough to get a foothold.
“I don’t think it’s a thing that we regularly start badly – no one goes out to have a poor start and say, ‘let’s save ourselves for the second half’. Sometimes it happens; sometimes you make a mistake or two and are on the back foot. We knew what was coming we just didn’t handle it.
“Having said that, I’m proud of the way we came back; we scored 17 points in the second half but unfortunately the damage was done in the first half.”