Disappointed

I was tempted to call this post "Chokers" - but chose the headline to rather describe my feeling. Is the term "Chokers" too harsh? Perhaps.

I will not go with the "glowing" posts of many other commentators though - the South Africans were poor against the All Blacks. I completely agree that the Boks showed good character to come back from an early deficit to lead the match with 4 minutes to go. Players never gave up and the opportunist tries of Bryan Habana and Enrico Januarie exemplified this.

But frankly, it did not look like the Springboks arrived at the match kick-off. It was not for nothing that the All Blacks sped to an early lead. To allow this and then rely on opportunist play to make up the deficit is too much to ask. The Boks looked flat. The commentators were at one point moved to note that it looked like Montgomery was labouring to get around the park at the back. But to blame one player (as some have done) is crazy. Everyone must stand up and accept their accountability - starting with the coaching staff.



In my post from earlier this week, I outlined some points on "How to beat the All Blacks". If I, as a merely knowledgeable supporter, could pick up some of the potential All Black tactics for the day, then surely so could our coaches. The All Blacks have been lauded for the execution of their close in attacks by Weepu and Collins. Both played well, and for my money Collins was the difference between the two sides' loosies. He is physical and sucks in defenders. But given the success of the Boks' rush defence, it was obvious that the Blacks would look to this tactic. Ditto with regard to McAllister's chips over the line - also predictable. Breyton Paulse's support at the back was missed and if anything this contributed to Monty's "overwork." Jean de Villier's hashed attempt to clean up when racing back close to the end directly led to the All Blacks' final try.

Montgomery nominated the All Black tactic of bombing him during this match beforehand. Yet his fielding of these kicks was pathetic. And his feeble attempt at a tackle after grassing one, directly led to an All Black try. I have seen Monty take up-and-unders, come down and spin out of tackles since school days. He can do it. All that said, Monty did a lot right yesterday - his kicking for position was pin-point, and his few misses at post were within allowable percentages.

But it is seldom that tests are won by backs alone. They rely on good primary phase possession. And our tight five were dreadful. They looked dog-tired and our set-pieces were shocking. Our scrums were wheeled at will, our lineouts were terrible and our cleaning out at ruck time was pathetic. The latter is not a first time occurrence during this year's Tri-Nations. I hope the backs give the forwards a bollocking when they sit in the video session and watch as three backs try and clear quick ball from a ruck after three phases of Bok possession. I count three to four Bok try scoring opportunities wasted during this year's Tri Nations due to exactly this.

I wonder, particularly, how Os, Smit, Matfield and Botha were trained this week. It has been a long series of matches since the beginning of the French tour. Either they trained too hard this last week, or better use should have been made of the Bok's reserve strength in this match. You have to feel for Os playing eighty minutes looking as tired as he did. Smit was continually popped at scrum time - a sure sign his props were under pressure.

I appear to be the only one who thinks that Jaco van der Westhuizen made the Boks look better than Andre Pretorius. I think his rotation for this match might have improved the look of the Boks tactics. That said, Jaco's tackling also needs some work.

Of the Bok loose trio, I thought Burger and Van Niekerk worked like trojans. Juan Smith tried hard, but fell off some tackles he should have made - notably that on Rokocoko that led to the flying islander's try. But then so had four other Boks. Burger was critical to the Springboks effort. He was courageous, hard working and disciplined, and to my mind, again shaded McCaw.

Well done to the All Blacks. They looked hungrier and played smarter. They made mistakes but less than the Boks.

This Saturday was the best chance yet for the Springboks to break the Dunedin duck - they had momentum, they were the defending champions and winning would have brought the Tri Nations and the IRB rankings top spot. They were also given a helping hand by another poor refereeing performance that seemed to favour them more than the All Blacks.

So yes, I am disappointed, but yet also excited. The Boks should get better from here. Jake White adopted a game plan that focused on winning first and then developing confidence, flair and style. He is still in position to do that as his players must take heart from the fact that they have only lost two matches out of eight on the trot against the All Blacks, Australia and the French.

How to beat the All Blacks

This Saturday has me nervous. Nervous because chokers in the Springboks' position would fail this Saturday. The form side. Momentum - four matches on the trot. The Boks are playing classic test match rugby. Winning would close out the series.

Why am I nervous? Not many of the Boks have been in this position before.

So a change in game plan is not exactly a recommended option. But I believe that at this venue against this side in the context of this match, such a change is required.

I'm not going to talk about the obvious - the Boks must make their first time tackles, keep up their basics/ keep the mistakes to a minimum. And most obviously, look to pressurise MacDonald in his stop-gap role.

Bryan Habana makes a fearsome tackle against the All Blacks at Newlands in this year's Tri-Nations Photo: SA Rugby

The first issue, is that despite the fact that no one has cracked the Springboks yet in this year's Tri-Nations, nobody executed anything like an opposing plan against it - that should change.

Resolution 1: anticipate the All Blacks game in the context of playing the Springboks in this, game 5 of the Tri-Nations, and the Boks confident about their defence. What can we expect? Well some of that depends on the weather. But let's put that aside - wet weather rugby is a known game, and typically the side that executes a 10-man game better and plays for position well, wins.

The Springboks can expect the All Blacks to try to bring their back three into the game. Doing this might create the space in the face of the Boks' rush defence. Look for Rocokoco to be brought through the number 10 channel. Look for the skip pass to Gear. Look for Muiliania running the reverse angle when coming from the back. I think Weepu is gaining in confidence and I wonder if he will make a few breaks. All you can ask is for the loosies to be ready to cover Pretorius in the channel, and for cover on the wing if the backline is "tackling in." First-time tackling is key.

Expect the grubber / chip - no one has properly executed a plan yet against the Boks' rush defence - it will mean that Monty and the blindside wing will have to do a lot of cleaning up. It may also force them to come up on defence, resulting in spaces for kicks for the wings to run onto, turning the Boks around. A Weepu box-kick might also cause problems. This will be the Bok nightmare. I believe they might have to mix it up on defence here. Be prepared to employ the drift defence on quick opposition ball and really punish the flyhalf and centres on slow ball. De Wet and the loosies will be key here. To combat the kick-throughs, Joe van Niekerk must hang back to clean up the short stab, and Monty and the wings must keep to their positions well. A long kick must be received and either punished through planned counter attack or a big punt for ground. Accuracy will be key.

The second issue is possession. If the Boks are going to ease the defensive burden and create more opportunities on attack, they will need to retain more ball. Resolution: continued execution of the basics - no knock-ons, no turnovers and lots of patience. Playing positional rugby will still be required, and the Boks should not be suddenly looking to attack from their own 22. But the Boks have yet to effectively employ the rolling maul - on a heavy field this might be key. Further, reverse passes from Pretorius to a breaking open-side flank and eighth-man might create some holes for the backs to look to run-off them. All of this will encourage multi-phase rugby. Will the Boks basics and patience stand up to a sudden increase in possession?

The third issue is variation on attack. Resolution: Don't get too fancy. Variation can be created by bringing Monty into the line as the attacking runner and not just to create space for the wings - his primary role on attack thus far. Ditto with bringing the blindside wing in on the loop around. De Villiers looks for work like this when he plays wing, so that might help. But I dream of seeing Habana coming round the scrum to join the line. Further, let's see Januarie use some of his pace around the scrum and working with his loosies to punch some holes close in. Ditto for use of the blind-side.

These are not radical changes in plan. Resolution two and three relate to the Bok's play on their own ball and in good field positions.

Issue 1 is major, however. I believe it is where the New Zealanders will ask the most questions. And it requires siginificant composure to execute an intelligent response to new forms of attack. I think the Boks response to a varied New Zealand attack will be key.

I'm calling it close. Dry game - Boks 24 - New Zealand 21. Wet game - Boks 19 - New Zealand 18. Some money on a draw might be good.

We'll take it

John Smit and Jake White said: "It wasn't pretty but we'll take it."

It might not have been pretty, but it was damn exciting. Given that we watched the match at 12h00 on a Saturday here in South Africa, it feels like I've been in and out of celebration induced hangovers ever since.

Bryan Habana sprints away to score one of two 80m efforts Photo: SA Rugby

Is this a Springbok win that we should take and forget about? Most definitely not. Many have written that the Springboks were lucky to win. But the same people said the Boks were lucky to win against the All Blacks and Wallabies in South Africa. And the truth of it is that, as in life, in rugby you make your own luck. The Boks played good positional rugby and preyed on Aussie mistakes. The thing about playing positional rugby and having a rock-tight defence is that you force the other side to take risks or into attritional mistakes. This was well demonstrated late in the match when the Wallabies first put 8 phases together, the Boks won a turnover, the Aussies won it back and then put together another 7 phases. Then they knocked on.

The South Africans, on the other hand, played calculating rugby. This was in turn epitomised when after failing to cross the Wallaby goal line after some time in their half, the ball was whipped back to Montgomery who slotted a monstrously long drop goal.

In fact, as Nick Mallet pointed out in his Sunday Times article, the victory could have been far bigger - the Boks left some points out there. Montgomery had an off day with the boot and the backline butchered a try by attempting a skip pass when a passing down the line would have taken adavantage of a four man overlap.

Further, in the second quarter, the Boks were on the Wallaby line. They took the ball into a ruck 5 metres short of the Aussie line - and just three green jumpers went in to clean out. Needless to say, the forwards in the backline did not get the ball.

And Nathan Sharpe and Daniel Vickerman ensured that the Boks did not have it all their own way in the lineouts - although some have speculated that Bill Young and Matt Dunning used underhand tactics to help reduce the South African lineout threat.

So the Boks could get better. No doubt. We are still waiting to see a repeat of set piece moves like that one that set Jaque Fourie away at Ellis Park. We are still waiting for the Boks to retain multi-phase possession in their opponents half - dominating possession and territory.

I'm not one to harp about referees - I generally feel that things even out in the end. And generally, I think both sides suffered at the SHOCKING performance of Alain Rolland. But it bordered on inept and if the wrong decisions had not evened out in the end, it could have cost one of the sides the match.

And honestly? The Boks' stars appear to have been in alignment during the Mandela series and Tri-Nations. From Mandela's support at the Ellis Park test to the injuries that hit the Wallabies prior to yesterday's match. But the Boks have played to their strengths. The good news is that those are the beginnings of what could be a great side. And this year's run might just ignite the self belief to make this side believe they are the best - rather than that they can beat the best.

A Test the Boks can't win?

This Saturday's test against the Wallabies had all the makings of an epic. The Boks looking to extend their form at home to an away game of coming so tantilisingly close last year. The Wallabies coming back from stinging criticism of almost every aspect of their rugby and management - and a Sydney loss to the All Blacks.

But with injuries ravaging the Aussie line-up - particularly through the loss of the mecurial Stephen Larkham, this Perth test is turning into one of those similar to when a strong nation plays a weaker one: If you lose you're worse than hopeless, if you win in a closely fought match you should have whipped them, and if you whip them, it doesn't really count because they were so weak.

The loss of Stephen Larkham is the real worry for the Australians Photo: Chris McGrath, Rugbyheaven

We're likely to hear some of that after the Perth test. Does it matter? Probably not.

The Springboks appear to be in a revival phase. Perhaps this signfies the end of a rebuilding phase. A rebuilding phase where players have been developed and moulded. A phase when a gameplan has begun to emerge. A phase where the team has begun to build confidence based on some good home victories and stability. Jake White's squad shows impressive depth. No injury would be absolutley devastating with the exception of Victor Matfield. This is indeed an enviable position.

An away victory against Australia will be critical for the development of the current Springboks' steel. After the Newlands win against the All Blacks a fortnight ago, Jake White mentioned what a big moment it was for some of the squad who had never been in a side that had beaten the All Blacks before. A win against the Aussies away will be another psychological boost to the growing team. It will put them in a confident position going to Dunedin where they will play the All Blacks.

Defeat to the Australians will, on the other hand, be disastrous. Observers will point to the under-strength Wallaby side; the home-away-from-home venue; the failure to capitalise on momentum.

It is a difficult position for the Bok management. They must inspire the Boks with confidence. But guard against overconfidence. They must banish self-doubt. But engender respect for their opponents.

This Wallaby side is fighting for the lives of its coach and captain. It will not be an easy victory.

My prediction? South Africa to win 28 - 21. Which means no bonus points and a lot required in Dunedin to retain the Tri-Nations trophy.

There's no business like show business

Today's match was, on the face of it, all about Drew Mitchell, Lote Tuquiri and Joe Rokocoko. The three enjoyed much more space on attack than when anyone had played the Springboks (except for the Sydney Mandela Challenge match), and revelled in it.

Drew Mitchell made the first ten minutes Australia's and looked lethal whenever he got the ball - never more so than when he beat Dan Carter and went on to score. While the tide then turned and the All Blacks came back, Mitchell continued to look like the real deal throughout. Lote Tuquiri had only three chances during the match but ran through tackles on each occassion (five on one particular run).

Mitchell also ran the lines and channels I mentioned last week when I said I wished Montgomery would break through the close-in channels more. I hope he took some notes.

But the All Blacks came back from thirteen points to nil down through a calm self belief, the awesome efforts of their loose trio - and the brilliance of Joe Rokocoko.

For all the rubbishing in the press, Tana Umaga played a massive calming influence in the All Blacks backline. Not only is captainship tested in coming back from early deficits, but Umaga seemed to reorganise the All Black defence and make some big hits to lead from the front.

But I mentioned that this was "on the face of it" show business. The real story was about a set of forwards that made the Australian life miserable. Chris Jack was imperious in the lineout and showed just how good Matfield and Botha were for the Boks against the All Blacks last week. The entire New Zealand pack made the Australians' lives miserable and exposed the injury ravaged Ozzies lack of depth up front. But the All Black loose trio were fantastic and Soialo, Collins and McCaw put in massive hits, cleaned out the rucks and generally made sure the Australians looked increasingly gun-shy as the match went on. Again, this showed just how well the Bok loose trio played last week.

For the Wallabies, big questions will be asked of their depth as their injury list grew. Chris Whittaker eventually ended up as flyhalf as first Matt Gitteau and then Elton Flatley went off. It must be said that Elton Flatley looked fantastic on attack in the inside channel. He ran fanstatic lines and his distribution was just beautiful.

Gregan looked better today than he has looked against the Boks, but the knives will be out for the Ozzie captain and his coach.

On the other hand, Brendan Cannon looked piss-poor for the Wallabies when he replaced Jeremy Paul. He butchered opportunities as he took passes (or more accurately didn't) in the Wallaby line, made the Australian lineout problems worse and generally looked unhappy to be on the field. He emphasises the problem the Australians have in putting together a team for Perth next week.

My man of the match? Joe Rokocoko made it look easy for the All Blacks in the end. On counter attck or from latter phase rugby, Rokocoko can exploit the smallest amounts of space. He helped the All Blacks remember their strength - a back three that can punish the smallest mistakes. Hopefully he will help the Boks remember that the key to beating the New Zealanders is cherishing possession, minimising turnovers and counter attacking opportunities and closing down space.

The New Zealanders beat the Wallabies playing Super-12 rugby - 22 tackles were missed by the two sides in the first thirty minutes. You have to wonder how this will stand up to the classic test rugby style the Boks have adopted.

Today's result holds mixed news for the Boks. It gives New Zealand an away win and requires the Boks to win at least one of their away matches. The Boks will have to look for bonus points in both away matches to be assured of retaining their Tri-Nations crown. The good news is that the Boks confidence of winning away against the Wallabies must have leapt sky-high. They will in fact have to guard against overconfidence. Having dominated the All Blacks in Cape Town, the Boks will also be confident of beating the New Zealanders in Dunedin. They have not had too many matches in the land of the Silver Fern where that has been the case.

Time to get over the inferiority complex

The world has stood up and taken notice. The Springboks are back and again a force in world rugby. Not because they have won three on the trot - for they have lost many more away from home. Not because they have a promising new centre pairing - for last year Marius Joubert won international awards. Not even because they have the best lock pairing in world rugby - although the benefits of this are clear to see throughout the Bok game.

The world has taken notice because there is a growing self belief. The Springboks might thank circumstance that their Tri-Nations has started with home matches. While they pushed the Aussies and the All Blacks away last year, they lost those close matches they should have won. The Wallabies and New Zealand were better teams this year, and hungry for victory against the Tri-Nations champions. Perhaps they were even indignant that bonus points separated 1st from 3rd in last year's competition, and sought to right unfortunate wrongs. But fortune continued to favour the Boks as they breathed deep from the aura of Mr Mandela. That win reawoke a pride again. A pride the Springboks have paid scant regard to over most of the post-isolation period. It also awoke a belief - a belief that a Springbok match is theirs to lose rather than their opponent's to take away. Perhaps that view was confined to their home matches, but it seems apparent now that the Boks belief has extended to a hunger for the overseas leg of the Tri-Nations. A hunger to improve on past efforts.

Jake White mentioned the importance of the event after the Newlands win. For many of his team who had played the All Blacks multiple times, this was a first win. It spoke of possibilities.

The world has greeted the win with enthusiasm too. Richie McCaw was moved to comment that this is the way Test Rugby should be. Wynne Gray wrote in the New Zealand Herald, that "The Springboks had no cerebral clutter at Newlands. They played with an unerring search-and-destroy purpose in defence. They were not mesmerised by the All Blacks' razzle-dazzle which flummoxed the Lions." He goes on to state that excuses that were raised for last year's away defeats do not wash this time round. Credit has been given where credit is due.

John Drake writes, also in the New Zealand Herald, that "For the second consecutive year, the Boks proved that a simple game plan, sound set pieces and ferocious defence is still enough to win test matches."

"Congratulations to Jake White for the tactics employed. Nothing much has changed from last year, except the South Africans seem to be growing depth in crucial positions."

The beauty of beating the All Blacks is that New Zealanders relish the contest. They sense the old foe is rising and are excited about test series with venom, substance and consequence. There is no whining, but instead acknowledgement (again John Drake): "In the loose, South Africa were fast and physical. Special attention was made of Richie McCaw, and his ability at the breakdown to force turnovers was largely negated. This was achieved by means foul and fair - but I've got no problem here. You get away with what you can. Again, take a bow Mr White. So the Springboks played a smart game and executed the coach's instructions to the letter."

By and large South Africans have grown confident behind their team. However, a few ascribe the renaissance purely to heart and passion. For sure, heart and passion have marked the South African efforts, but Jake White has based his team's success on more than this. Jake has built a game plan based on those old strategic foundations: exploit your own strengths and your opponents' weaknesses. The Boks have made a success of a plan based on brutal physicality, tight forward nous and unnerving pressure. This backed up by a reliable goal kicker. This is no inferior strategy - it is what has always won test match rugby. Peter Bills of the Independent News and Media clearly enjoyed a glorious test match - as did we all. His write up for the New Zealand Herald waxes lyrical over the Boks passion and the All Black's skill: "The wonderful invention and creativity in the New Zealand game was in a class of its own, hard as the Springboks tried to shut them down. They operated at pace and under the severest pressure, yet still they found space. Players spun, twisted and forced their way out of tackles and, joy of joys, the New Zealanders subscribed to that oldest of traditional values, namely, making the ball do the work. It was a delight to see. So, too, was their willingness to open up and attack even from their own line. Such a philosophy will serve them nobly in future."

I believe the Springboks' development will be based on responding to the contra-indication of these statements. Far too many people are implying the Boks have won (perhaps stated simply) because of brawn and despite lack of brains. Furthermore, they have directly indicated that the Springboks lack the skill of their more fancied opponents. Greg Growden of the Sydney Morning Herald simplifies the Springbok success: "The prime reason for the Springboks' third consecutive and important Test triumph is that their defence is so good."

It also seems that the Aussie media's fondness for their own is again on the increase as they remarkably begin to debase the South African success: (With regard to the Boks' defence) "But it is made even better by referees allowing them to get away with offside play. It is marginal, but too often the whistleblowers and touch judges give South Africa the benefit of the doubt." This will rile South African supporters who have felt that the Boks have received more than their fair share of referees' attention over the past few years.

The Boks must continue to play to their strengths. But to under-develop their attacking skills is to overstate a weakness. A visit to any of the top South African rugby schools and indeed, viewing the performance of the South African under-19 and under-21 world cup teams will draw your attention to the fact that South Africans can be mesmerising with the ball in hand. No one expects the Boks to suddenly take on the characteristics of Carlos Spencer and his magic back three. But the individual skills of Andre Petorius, Jean de Villiers, Jacque Fourie, Brian Habana, Breyton Paulse and Percy Montgomery speak volumes about the potential potency of the Springboks on attack.

Confidence is a wonderful thing, and I believe winning might ignite an offensive momentum that opponents will struggle to contain. Of course that will be built on the consistency of the Boks’ basic rugby skills.

Mission accomplished!

The Boks had to win the Newlands test against the All Blacks to stand a chance of defending the Tri-Nations. Well done boys on your victory!

As Scott Johnson, the Australian video analyst for the Lions said, getting points on the board ahead of the All Blacks could rattle them. It certainly did. The importance of the Boks tactics today cannot be overestimated. It was clear that the instruction was to get into the All Blacks half and get points on the board. Andre Pretorius duly obliged and put over a drop goal. Good pressure, a Montgomery tackle and a De Villiers interception resulted in a try shortly thereafter. Together with a Mongomery penalty, the 13 - 0 lead knocked the All Blacks back out of their starting blocks.

The Boks constant pressure thereafter paid off, causing the All Blacks to become jittery, never more so than during the third quarter, when Daniel Carter knocked on a straight forward pass. It was clear he was keeping a half eye out for Bakkies Botha and Victor Matfield, both of whom played like loose forwards in terrorizing the All Blacks on defence. The pattern was set as early as the first five minutes when Matfield knocked the stuffing out of Byron Kelleher in a crunching tackle. This would eventually cause Kelleher to be replaced by Weepu.



Enrico Januarie was also a terrier on defence and appeared to sum up the Boks determination to win. It was apparent that the Boks walked out with this as their mission today, a plan on how to achieve it and belief that they would. This marks a major change in the Boks positioning in world rugby. They regard themselves as one of the best.

Schalk Burger made a welcome return today and exhibited fantastic self control. He was the workhorse as usual and made sure the Boks turned over more of the opposition's ball than their own. Joe van Niekerk played like an extra back on defence today and complimented Burger well. Juan Smith was a little quieter.



One characteristic marked a changed attitude: the battle for the loose ball today. The Boks clearly decided they were going to play the referee regarding Richie McCaw's tactics on the ground. They did and did well to milk a few penalties and free up more of their ball on the ground. Not that they were undeserved - McCaw plays as far beyond the law as referees will allow him. The changed characteristic is one of intelligence. The Boks clearly understood they would need to reduce the threat of Carter and McCaw and found ways of doing so.

The Boks played a much wiser kicking game today than was the case during their Mandela cup match in Sydney. They kicked more accurately for touch and found the space on the field. Once when Monty missed one of these touch finders it resulted in an All Black try. It marked one of two Montgomery faults during the day. The second when he failed to organise assistance during a place kick on the windy side of the field. By the time he did, he was hurried by the referee and missed the poles. His practice before the game should have told him that he needed someone to hold the ball on the tee. These two faults were really his only two on the day. Sadly the same could not be said for Pretorius, who appears to have been struck by the impression that the drop goal is always on. Misses cost his side possession and potential try-scoring opportunities. His outside backs were starved of attacking opportunities and this seems a waste given their potency.

The most glaring fault of the Boks today was the shocking cleaning out at ruck time and the mysterious slowness of Januarie to arrive. Good ball was often slowed or lost. The backs were sucked in to fill in for forwards waiting on the other side of the field.

The best of the Boks was shown in the lineouts, where Matfield and Botha continued to win on their opponents' throw. They poached four in total and only lost one.

But changed attitudes marked the continued rise of the Boks. The self belief was evident as early as the Haka, when the crowds' chants of Ole, Ole, Ole drowned out the All Blacks war cry. It showed that the Boks and their supporters have no undue respect for their opponents anymore and that they believe their home matches are theirs to bank.

The challenge is now to raise the levels of their game on the road. To be number one in the world, the Boks need to love traveling, soak up the occasion of opposing home crowds and continue to exploit their strengths and their opponents weaknesses.

Perth may provide them with the slight edge: while there are thousands of South Africans in the West Australian city, we have tended to falsely hold up the advantage as a third "home game." It is certainly not in a territory more closely aligned to rugby league than union, but the Bok management should exploit the myth as much as possible.

Man of the match: Victor Matfield has become the Bok talisman since returning from being dropped. He exhibits a native understanding of what will happen on the opponents’ line out throw, organises his fellow forwards and has upped his work rate so that he is a Trojan on defence and attack. His hits on All Black backs today and his continued organisation of our lineouts made a massive difference. Bakkies was the Supersport commentators' choice, but Matfield was the driving influence behind Bakkies' new renaissance.

Player ratings out of ten:

Mongomery 8

Montgomery has become the foundation of his team's confidence and poise. His reliability with kicks, improved tackling in defence, steadfast takes of the high ball and space creating joining of the line on attack create a base for his team mates to perform. Would have been a 9 but for his missed touch finder, under estimation of the wind (that resulted in the ball falling off the tee twice and the resultant miss of the rushed kick) and once losing the ball to a tackler - although he was somewhat isolated. I wish he would involve himself more on attack through entering the line earlier - perhaps taking the ball at flyhalf and looking to break through that channel.

Paulse 7

Limited opportunities but did what was asked and made huge ground with one touch finder in particular.

Fourie 6

No opportunities to speak of. Played a critical role in rush defence. Defence was read and skip pass resulted in the All Black try.

De Villiers 8

Created huge pressure through being in the opposition's faces the whole time on defence. Together with Monty's tackle, this resulted in yet another intercept try.

Habana 7

Made big tackles when they counted. Is becoming one of a solid back three with good positional play and lethal attacking skills.

Pretorius 5

His first drop goal was spot on as a tactic, the other attempts wasted Bok possession. His outside backs never saw the ball.

Januarie 6

Fantastic attitude, tigerish on defence. Mysteriously was exceptionally slow to clear the rucks from about the 10th minute until the end of the first half. He appeared to arrive late each time.

Van Niekerk 7

Awesome on defence. Closing in on his best form again. Should have been at rucks earlier to clean out.

Smith 6

Almost invisible today. Probably because he was one of the few in the rucks. As a result did not seem to have many hits in defence or opportunities on attack.

Burger 8

Well controlled return to the side. Fantastic on defence with some good hits. Out played McCaw on the day.

Matfield 9

Majestic! Awesome organisation of the lineout, huge, huge hits on defence.

Botha 8

Together with Matfield, ruled the lineouts and was big on defence. Was the main combatant with McCaw but controlled his aggression well.

Van der Linde 7

Made some big hits and scrummed well. Must now be the first choice on his side of the scrum.

Smit 9

Best game as captain. Managed the ref well, resulting in the calling of penalties against McCaw. Led from the front and carried the ball well. Must receive credit for our lineouts too. Could not have been easy throwing in on a windy Newlands day.

Du Randt 7

Good return from injury. Provided experience in the scrums and made some good cover tackles.