Mailbox: ABs reign supreme in CT
Depending on where your loyalties lie, Saturday's Tri-Nations clash at Newlands was either a glorious victory or an embarrassing defeat.
Depending on where your loyalties lie, Saturday's Tri-Nations clash at Newlands was either a glorious victory or an embarrassing defeat.
New Zealand not only beat South Africa on their own patch, they did so in emphatic style, nilling their hosts in the process.
Here is what you made of the game…
No need to go on about the All Blacks, but I continually wonder why a team like the Springboks are not better? They have some terrific players, generally more physically gifted than their opponents, but they play such a hotheaded game their talents go to waste. Compared with the All Blacks, who attack the breakdown in perfect position with numbers, the South Africans join in like 3-year-olds leaping onto a bouncy castle.
Stephen Hodge
I will just enjoy the moment and wait for the South African excuses about how we cheated, paid the ref, infringed all day and how if Bryan Habana had not put a foot in touch, how the All Blacks would have been embarrassed by the World Cup holders.
Dave Burgess
The Springboks' game plan came unstuck. They were too adventurous and didn't have the skills to pull it off. Handling errors and poor options kept them on the back foot.
Brian Pearson
This was a poorly-coached and poorly-prepared Springbok team. After the defeat in Australia and all the empty bravado about coming back that followed that game, you would think we would have learned, but we haven't. The things done in haste revealed a team that hadn't a clue what to expect, hadn't practiced and prepared for impulsive moves, so they bumbled around in a shambles when the ball unexpectedly came in their direction.
The Boks won the set pieces hands down and then lost badly at the breakdowns when few turned up. In this respect where were Schalk Burger and Luke Watson? Whatever has happened to pride and motivation? Are the likes of a racist nincumpoop like Cedrick Frolick and his parliamentary sports committee affecting morale?
Maybe Peter de Villiers, to use a business expression, 'reached his level of competence' when coaching the Bok U19's and U20's. But then, after all, he was the one who so keenly and mean-spiritedly wanted to oust the incumbent Jake White. And now the chickens have come home to roost. The ex-All Black, Dowd, who recently raised hackles and then got accused of racism (what else nowadays?), evidently wasn't all that far out with his comments.
Two defeats in a row and things are looking bleak. Under present leadership, not least the uninspiring clowns at SARU, little is going to change.
P.S. You mentioned the Boks holding onto the ball on the ground, but studiously avoided mentioning ref Goddard time and again in line-outs allowing the All Blacks to throw in directly to their side.
That aside, South Africa is in need of a coach like Robbie Deans or Graham Henry. The Boks were often pathetic and it spoke volumes about poor preparation by a coach whose philosophy we don't know because maybe he doesn't actually have one.
Robert Porter
It was a superb display by New Zealand – from one to fifteen. It is pointless to say anything else.
SA were very disjointed and proved a few good things:
– Bakkies Botha is very valuable. The foreign-base players (well done Aus and NZ) proved a letdown.
– Victor Matfield just has not been the same, Butch James was badly out-classed, and Monty was like an aging 'hipster'.
Pieter de Villiers cannot complain about anything; although, he will certainly find something. To be honest, Matt Goddard blew a very good game.
Stuart Smith
Other than Carter's unusually poor goal-kicking there was really only one side in it. It was a welcome change to see a ref actually do his job and ref both teams, not just the All Blacks. When Burger is stopped from his endless cheating on the floor, and the Boks are kept on side, then they are unable to illegally slow down the ball. The Dark Lords of rugby are starting to gel after the disruption of losing so many top players and it looks like Black hegemony is set to continue for a 5th straight year.
John Lindsay
Terrible job by the referee in constantly penalizing South Africa for ruck infringements that New Zealand were committing too. Not to mention the outright take-out of Fourie Du Preez on the near side line, how didn't that warrant a yellow? How about the constant interference on up and unders by the All Blacks? Funny how the ref seemed to miss those. The ref was determined to hand this one to New Zealand, although South Africa didn't help their chances with the myriad of turnovers, but by Christ I have never seen such blatant one-sided refereeing in my life.
Robert Kendziorski
No doubt there will be the usual whining from the South Africans about how the match officials are biased towards anybody who plays them, but face it New Zealand, perhaps not by such a score, were the worthy winners. They won the game by some superb turnovers with McCaw in superb form.
Gareth Williams
Is anyone else of the opinion that the worst thing about NZ v SA nowadays is the fact that we are compelled to have an Aussie ref who doesn't know the rules? Otherwise, what outstanding rugby!
Kei Shimizu
As a Bok supporter I would like to point out that South Africa lost this game rather than the All Blacks winning it. The Boks blew their chances in a big way. The All Blacks were nothing special on the day and I would like to point out that they were helped sensationally by the referee. I would love to see the penalty count for that game, for and against. The ref must have been wearing an All Black rugby jersey under his shirt – I have never seen such a badly-reffed game in the history of rugby. Aussie refs are as useful as a hole in the head, and that is what South Africa got handed on Saturday by a poor referee, disgraceful. I demand the sacking of that ref. He is the worst referee in the history of the sport.
Ricardo Milbank
Response to Ricardo Milbank's posting
Ricardo Milbank wrote:
“I have never seen such a badly-reffed game in the history of rugby. Aussie refs are as useful as a hole in the head, and that is what South Africa got handed on Saturday by a poor referee, disgraceful. I demand the sacking of that ref. He is the worst referee in the history of the sport.”
Correction: The worst referee in history was the English touch judge. Guess who?
You really should be grateful that the world has so many erroneous/imperfect referees. This won SA the WC did it not?
Anyhow, 19 nil at home is a hiding well beyond the refs influence. South Africa is very average, and its coach would be better suited as a circus clown.
Allen Bell
Poor refereeing, Poor Rules, Poor Boks, Poor Bok coaching, Poor Bok Leaders, Poor SA Politicians.
No longer very interested – thank you rugby