The best test match of the year! Fans were treated to one of the more entertaining spectacles in recent memory as the All Blacks wrapped up the tournament in style.
From the get-go the atmosphere at Ellis Park was superb. Kapa o Pango was the haka of choice on the big occasion, but it was almost totally drowned out by the chants of “olé” from the crowd. It was clear neither side were here for tiddlywinks in the early exchanges, and yet that didn’t restrict either from playing with ambition. The boot of Morne Steyn struck first with a cleanly struck penalty after ten minutes.
The All Blacks took no time to rest and replied immediately with a cracking try from Ben Smith, his sixth of the tournament, after a lovely backhand offload from Kieran Read. Not to be outdone, Bryan Habana touched down twice in a span of three minutes. First it was a sweet pass from Duane Vermeulen who put him into space, and then it was a sublime round-the-corner offload from Francois Louw and a perfectly placed chip over the head of his opposite to touch down again.
Then drama as Habana was off after tweaking a hamstring in a very innocuous looking catch from a kick. New Zealand grabbed the slight break in momentum to work their way back deep into South Africa territory, and after a brief assault on the line Liam Messam drove over from close range. A ten minute spell of parity ended with textbook through-the-hands attack from the All Blacks, and again it was Messam doing the honours, this time stepping inside the cover defense to give his side a slim lead at the halfway marker.
Neither side broke stride heading into the second stanza. Siya Kolisi, only just on the field, made a clean break through the midfield, and then Messam went from hero to villain as he killed the ball near the line and was sent to the bin for his troubles. A quick tap from Fourie du Preez and over went Willie le Roux. A storming run down the sideline from Eben Etzebeth gave le Roux another shot but he knocked on in the tackle just a hard from the line.
Reserves began to stream into the match as the extraordinary pace continued. The All Blacks drove back into Springbok territory but a desperation tackle from Kolisi held up Ma’a Nonu from scoring a certain try. Beauden Barrett then swung his name in the headlines, first by kicking a penalty, then being trampled by Jean de Villiers on his way to the tryline, and then redeeming himself with a super try of his own to give his side a bonus point and at last clinch the Championship.
Some indiscipline from Ben Franks earned him a yellow card for a swinging arm, but that didn’t deter New Zealand from scoring once more. Simple hands ended with Read going over for the try and effectively ending the match. A short discussion between referee Nigel Owens and All Blacks manager revealed that replacement Dane Coles had inadvertently been left off the official team sheet, and what penalty that might incur later remains to be seen.
Willie le Roux intercepted and looked for all money that he would score but for a desperate tap tackle by Barrett that put him into touch. With both sides now exhausted the game broke up a bit but no further points went on the board.
The Springboks have looked very dangerous with Fourie du Preez back on the scene, and are in good shape heading into the November tours. One wonders, however, if the halfback will be available as he heads back to club rugby in Japan, and it’s abundantly clear than Ruan Pienaar does not afford the same quality of service.
New Zealand have one game to go before their own tour, a third match against Australia that truthfully nobody really cares about. They’ll have to do it without Conrad Smith, whose six month sabbatical starts now, which means a possible move inside for winger Ben Smith. Luckily Cory Jane appears to be back in the mix as he makes his timely return from injury. What chance a perfect 2013 for the men in black?
Both sides can be proud of the way they played, and one feels that the score was a fair reflection of not only the match but of the tournament as a whole. A mention, too, for Nigel Owens. In a year where referees have been slated from pillar to post, Owens put in a terrific shift, handling the game to perfection, and even managed to throw in a couple trademark one liners. If the referees are to be subject to overt scrutiny, so too should they be praised when deserving, and Owens deserves heaps of it for his signature performance.
SCORING
South Africa – M. Steyn 2c 1p, B. Habana 2t, W. le Roux 1t, J. de Villiers 1t
New Zealand – A. Cruden 3c, B. Barrett 1c, 1p 1t, L. Messam 2t, B. Smith 1t, K. Read 1t
CARDS
New Zealand – L. Messam yellow (46), B. Franks yellow (62)
SOUTH AFRICA 27
Z. Kirchner (P. Lambie 70); W. le Roux, J.J. Engelbrecht, J. de Villiers (capt.), B. Habana (J. Serfontein 22); M. Steyn, F. du Preez (R. Pienaar 70); T. Mtawarira (G. Steenkamp 53), B. du Plessis (A. Strauss 51), J. du Plessis (C. Oosthuizen 51); E. Etzebeth, J. Kruger (F. van der Merwe 61); F. Louw, W. Alberts (S. Kolisi 39), D. Vermeulen.
NEW ZEALAND 38
I. Dagg; B. Smith, C. Smith, M. Nonu, J. Savea (C. Piutau 70); A. Cruden (B. Barrett 48), A. Smith (T. Kerr-Barlow 69); T. Woodcock (W. Crockett 53), A. Hore (D. Coles 43), C. Faumuina (B. Franks 49); B. Retallick (C. Faumuina 66), S. Whitelock; L. Messam (S. Luatua 63), R. McCaw (capt.), K. Read.
