Loose Pass: Four moments that decided Springboks v All Blacks including ‘massive’ Ardie Savea blow and Australia’s mess
All Blacks captain Ardie Savea and an inset of Wallabies fly-half Carter Gordon.
This week we will mostly be concerning ourselves with turning points, Union Bordeaux-Bègles’ brilliance and time running out for Australia…
Was it only the scrum?
The focus has been firmly on the set piece since the final whistle blew in Soweto last Saturday, and not without reason. There was something inexorable about every scrum, a sense of imminence each time Nika Amashukeli’s arm went out flat following the whistle. New Zealand fixed their line-out, South Africa simply shrugged and found another way to win.
But there were a quartet of other turning points in this match which beg ‘what if’ questions. Dave Rennie referred to one such: Will Jordan kicking the ball dead from inside his own half was not a coach-killer decision, but the bounce of the ball flipped the moment on its head. Jordan had rightly seen nobody home but the ball obstinately refused to even vaguely brake or sit up even once as it tumbled towards the dead-ball line. An intelligent kick became a scrum to South Africa, which became a penalty, which then spawned the maul that led to Malcolm Marx’s killer try.
The others? Ardie Savea left the field injured with New Zealand 12-5 up and good value for it. After he left, New Zealand never looked the same. It wasn’t just that he had bagged a brace of tries, it was the overall influence and wisdom he brought to proceedings. The All Blacks looked noticeably more desperate under pressure without their captain’s influence. And it reflects the stages of development of the squads too. South Africa have leaders all over the place, from the centurions in the scrum to the immovable Damian de Allende in the centre. New Zealand’s team does not have that feel about it yet, which made the loss of Savea a massive moment.
The third South Africa try really was the coach-killer. It was an awful attempt at a tackle by Leroy Carter, high, unforceful and easy for the compact Jesse Kriel to fend off. A moment of thorough self-sabotage, moments after Carter had completed what looked like a positive turning-point of his own with the piece of skill that sent Will Jordan over. All momentum gained and instantly lost.
And the fourth? It was an odd decision by New Zealand, at altitude and with Jordie Barrett in the ranks, not to opt for a penalty from the restart immediately after South Africa’s second try to put them into the lead at the break. Talk has been of try counts in this series and New Zealand still lead that by 13-8, but having been marginally the better team in the first half, New Zealand had nothing on the scoreboard to show for it – they didn’t early in the second half either, when Ruben Love missed an eminently makeable penalty.
The modern game has become all about tries, far more than the goalfests punctuated by the occasional try that Test rugby was 10-15 years ago. But 10-15 years ago, New Zealand also knew how to keep in front as well as get in front. It’s what South Africa do so well now as well, it’s what won them three matches by a single point to claim the last World Cup. And in the fine margins of this decisive game – Baltimore notwithstanding – in Soweto, South Africa had all the details that gave them the win.
Breathtaking Bordeaux should make everyone sit up
It’s acceptable to point out that Racing were pretty poor. But that does not tell the bigger story of the opening day annihilation of the Parisians by Union Bordeaux-Bègles.
The European champions were unstoppable, from Cameron Woki’s no-look, over-the-head offload that assisted the first try (and through his double after it), through Maxime Lucu’s sustained magnificence, all the way to the forwards’ ability to bulldoze their opponents; UBB scored a point a minute for the first 50 minutes and left a few out there as well.
The spotlight shone on Patrice Collazo a couple of times rubbing his head and face pensively as the carnage unfolded. Things are not right in Paris. But this was a club team performance as good as any you will have seen, featuring several French internationals. It is not just New Zealand and South Africa in contention in Australia, the spotlight should be on France in November to see how they measure up.
Carter Gordon’s latest misfortune is Australia’s too
There has been an uptick in Australia over the past year, but the latest injury to befall Carter Gordon, who may or may not be back for November’s Tests, leaves Less Kiss in a bit of a pickle.
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Tom Lynagh, who showed great promise against the British and Irish Lions, is also in an injury hole. Ben Donaldson is yet to back up his talent with consistency. Bernard Foley and James O’Connor are still around, but neither can be locked in as the fly-half of a team that is looking to play fast-paced and expansive rugby.
The simple fact is that the only pivot who might have been Australia’s fulcrum for the 12 months leading up to the World Cup is in danger of missing out on a formative chunk of Test matches, while behind him there is no particular order. Compared to the rest of the teams in even mild contention, Australia’s fly-half situation is a mess.