All Blacks v Springboks
Well, that was a cracking game. One I was looking forward to and I sure wasn't disappointed.
Great start and some think we've seen a lot more of this in the last 5-6 Tests or so rather than being put under pressure. Without being hyperbolic, the focus in the 1st 20 was laser-like, set-pieces rock solid and even the bombs working well. The D in the 2nd 20 was outstanding.
40-60 minutes was a bit crap and Foster need to sort out the shit decisions which put pressure on us. Ditto Ryan in the forwards where the focus seems to drop away, and play gets fragmented at times. And we need more work in adapting as the game changes as @His-Bobness mentioned. Huge progress in that area though and pleased they were able to settle down and recover. There was no wide-eyed staring and the decision to go for the 3 was bang-on. Showed maturity.
The errors set in with poor exits and choosing the wrong option from the boot and that set the tone for far too long. The Saffas gave a masterclass in exits and showed how simple it is. Choose your moment for the bomb to attack and not when the momentum is shifting, FFS. Some players clearly need a kick up the arse.
Frizzell clearly did receive several kicks up the arse pre-season. That's 2 games in a row where he has been bloody good and to put this sort of performance against the Auld Enemy is outstanding - he really looked a mature, safe 6 today. Credit to him and the coaching team for that. Ditto Christie. Cringed when he came on but thought he was great, and his defence was awesome. Big step down from Nugget (and we'd be fucked if he gets injured) but he played a key part in the turnaround in the last 20.
Whither BB? Some brilliant stuff and shit stuff. Just a bit too flaky for me at times and a player of his experience should be making better decisions. Ritchie was fine and fitted into the game-plan well, Reiko and Jordie were solid as was Telea (one defensive lapse aside). Oh, and did I mention Will Jordan is back? I'd like to see him at 15 and think/hope he might be there against the Wobblies.
Watched a bit of Cane and Ardie and there's a def. change in 6/7/8 tactics with Ardie playing a much tighter role and closer to the breakdown. I'll let those who know a lot more than me to comment on this. Scooter/BBBR/Sam are our first-choice locks, and those positions are in good hands - outstanding today. Thought Taylor was fine, and the front row were pretty good against arguably the best 1-3 in word rugby. Thought the replacements there made a difference at exactly the right time.
Finally, our D is way, way better. Ref was v. good too, let the game flow and pretty consistent
Foster/Ryan/McLeod/Schmidt can feel happy with that. It was a key test and they passed it well. What I really liked is we pressured the Boks from the start and didn't panic that much when we lost momentum. Apart from the crap exits, that's real progress and give us some bandwidth to try new players and tactics rather than chasing big, big problems. Onward.
Special praise to Frizzell, Lomax, De Groot, Mo'unga, Jordie, Jordan and Raynal.
Christie showed a ton of guts. Pass was reasonable a lot of the time. The criticism on here is way over the top.
Scrums the majority of time were a thing of beauty.
Great to see Mo'unga bring his true ability to a test match
Willie Le Roux's defensive kicks sensational
Shelve the dinky AB defensive kicks, total disaster.
@Steve said in All Blacks Vs Springboks RC Week 2:
Intrigued to see both Jordan and Stevenson in 14/15 shirt at same time with Markie Mark in the 11 shirt.
Might have to wait until 2024...
@canefan that’s about right. Frustrated more than anything. Wasn’t like Albany. Or the Straueli era.
But that game was there to be won despite perhaps the most sublime 20 minutes of rugby since 2015. And the boks nailing their own dicks to the floor in the second twenty.
But we didn’t have the playmakers to do it. Willemse and DDA were gash.
@Machpants Beaudy was trying to entertain the crowd at the end going for a wonder breakout.
People on the Fern enjoy black boots, square scrums, straight running mid fielders, and kick the f**k out of it inside your 22.
@canefan played well too, especially in the circumstances.
Retallick was immense on the other side of the ball. And Barrett wasn’t too bad even if he does need a fat smack.
@BerniesCorner the post about taking Sam Whitelock? I was sincere. I’d have him running our lineout- which was dogshit tonight.
He’d be too valuable as a 2/5 to us to waste him pushing in the scrums though. Far better distributor than DDA.
@Victor-Meldrew about right. Apart from the ref, who was random, and distracted from important decisions by cramp
@Smuts Not sure holding back on the fantastic SA subs is the best option for you guys
@nostrildamus said in All Blacks Vs Springboks RC Week 2:
@Smuts said in All Blacks Vs Springboks RC Week 2:
if you aren't going to use MacKenzie we'd be happy to turn his motor over.
While we're at it, we're prepared to take a punt on that older model you've got up on blocks, Whitelock.I'm sure these South African nightclub pickup lines will prove handy one day, thanks!
Afrikaans poppies from the West Rand love gearhead talk, especially diesel engines.
But the dollies in the rest of the country rate themselves sophistimicated. Just roll up to the hottest group standing next to a bunch of okes with sleeve tattoos and no necks, dial your accent up to 11 and firmly but politely say: Show us the muff, darling. You’ll be golden - the chickens and their gentlemen friends will be charmed by your quaint foreign ways.
Probably.
@Mattasaurus Yes. Your lineout was great. The boks’ not so much. Which is insane.
@BerniesCorner no it wasn’t. And we’ve learnt that lesson at least with respect to Marx and the ABs at least twice before.
It’s too clever, like a few other things the boks have and are doing.
Hope this test reminds the coaching staff that in test match rugby:
-
you really do need three actual loose forwards on the field at all times (Mostert is not a starting blindside and Wiese’s standard is UK Prem no more)
-
you can’t win test matches without test quality halves AND a reliable 90% kicker
-
kick your goddamn points. But if you aren’t going to do that: scrum
-
if you can’t take at least 70% of the highballs sent your way you’re going to suffer
-
quick throw ins under pressure a recipe for disaster
Outstanding game. Both teams playing to their strengths with the AB’s able to assert their game plan for longer periods of time. Momentum swung back to the Boks when the bomb squad came on but in the end AB’s were too good.
Frizell continues to impress all round at 6, lineout, tight work, defence, running game. He really has been outstanding and proving doubters like myself wrong. I’m happy to be wrong as long as he’s playing this well.
Welcome back Mr Jordan and they just have to find a spot for him whether 14 or 15. Great prob they have with so much talent in back 3.
The pack in general were excellent. Played tight, always connected, excellent body position in contact and ruck/maul. Couple of wobbly scrums but that’s to be expected against a superb scrummaging team like the Boks.
@TheMojoman said in All Blacks Vs Springboks RC Week 2:
Outstanding game. Both teams playing to their strengths with the AB’s able to assert their game plan for longer periods of time. Momentum swung back to the Boks when the bomb squad came on but in the end AB’s were too good.
Frizell continues to impress all round at 6, lineout, tight work, defence, running game. He really has been outstanding and proving doubters like myself wrong. I’m happy to be wrong as long as he’s playing this well.
Welcome back Mr Jordan and they just have to find a spot for him whether 14 or 15. Great prob they have with so much talent in back 3.
The pack in general were excellent. Played tight, always connected, excellent body position in contact and ruck/maul. Couple of wobbly scrums but that’s to be expected against a superb scrummaging team like the Boks.
I think you are over egging it with 'always connected' because the middle period the abs were not in the slightest in sync. But it was a good effort at the end to keep the lead when I thought they would get smashed
@sparky said in All Blacks Vs Springboks RC Week 2:
Front Row were outstanding
Seeing them in reverse at the scrum didn't feel outstanding.
Worlds apart around the field than Moody/Laulala though. Lomax had a huge engine.
@gt12 said in All Blacks Vs Springboks RC Week 2:
Hold on, don’t you have to say which is which? (Try, no try)
Not sure what the actually protocol says, but IMO Raynal saying he had no idea is eminently preferable to guessing and then hoping the TMO sees something clear.
For me, the key element (did Bokke knock it down before it hit his knee, after which he did force it?) was obscured by his knee.
If in doubt, no try?
@canefan said in All Blacks Vs Springboks RC Week 2:
@chimoaus said in All Blacks Vs Springboks RC Week 2:
The Boks exits were masterclass, almost half way or further nearly every time.
We should take note
As long as it's not the one where they did a tap down lineout, threw a bizarre skip to midfield under their posts, then came back the other way and hurriedly cleared it to the 22 line.
@sparky last year they were conceding first and chasing games. This year they are going hard and building a lead to absorb the likely pressure that will come. At least they changed it from last year ?
@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks Vs Springboks RC Week 2:
That scrum was poor. First real error from a set piece.
Think blindside flanker came off too early.
@DaGrubster said in All Blacks Vs Springboks RC Week 2:
If Da Frizzell had played like this in his earlier test matches then there wouldn’t have been any criticism of him. It’s only in the last 2 matches where he has played to this standard.
Long May it continue
It's absolutely his best game in black by a margin the size of Africa. Fitting.
Been years and years since he even had a game like that in super rugby.
@kiwiinmelb said in All Blacks Vs Springboks RC Week 2:
Yeah tick for Richie
Nepo ought to get assist for Richie's try. At previous scrum, with a lock on each cheek he made TdT hinge (penalty wasn't on Williams's side).
So on 5m scrum PSDT had to remain bound which opened the space for Richie.
9 marks off bench.
As predicted.
NZ Herald player ratings.
Beauden Barrett - 8
A premium effort, well worth the price of admission at an unfamiliar venue for non-leaguies. Barrett made a telling difference with his distribution from hand and foot either at the back or as first receiver. Lucky not to concede a 25th-minute try after losing the ball in the air against the shortest outside back in world rugby.
Some others
Tyrel Lomax - 5
At 129kg, the biggest of the starting players gave a solid shift.
Rieko Ioane - 6
Winger-cum-midfielder continues to develop as a ball-carrying centre. Distribution knack was untested in the no-space physical encounters.
Jordie Barrett - 6
Fullback-cum-midfielder shone in Mendoza, but faced tougher test here against RWC-winning Bok midfield. With much of the traffic in his channel, defence and breakdown work was the order of the night. Did carry-and-bash well when the chances came.
@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks Vs Springboks RC Week 2:
@Machpants Nepo was great off of the bench tonight.
I have criticised him heaps and still not sure but the Bok forwards are giants and size / scrum matters. His two scrums were important.
@Mattasaurus said in All Blacks Vs Springboks RC Week 2:
Frenchie wasn't too bad - but had his French flair moments - felt he got very loose with rucks at times - specifically with the entries and holding your feet.
I thought the Boks got away with spinning their feet around after entry - so starting straight then rolling around the side.
@Frank said in All Blacks Vs Springboks RC Week 2:
Some others
Tyrel Lomax - 5
At 129kg, the biggest of the starting players gave a solid shift.Rieko Ioane - 6
Winger-cum-midfielder continues to develop as a ball-carrying centre. Distribution knack was untested in the no-space physical encounters.Jordie Barrett - 6
Fullback-cum-midfielder shone in Mendoza, but faced tougher test here against RWC-winning Bok midfield. With much of the traffic in his channel, defence and breakdown work was the order of the night. Did carry-and-bash well when the chances came.
But if that's them on an average night, it bodes pretty fucking well when they turn up the dial right?
Lomax playing at 200% of today's effort would be the prop performance of our lifetime.
@kev said in All Blacks Vs Springboks RC Week 2:
@Mattasaurus said in All Blacks Vs Springboks RC Week 2:
Frenchie wasn't too bad - but had his French flair moments - felt he got very loose with rucks at times - specifically with the entries and holding your feet.
I thought the Boks got away with spinning their feet around after entry - so starting straight then rolling around the side.
Yeah that was happening a heck of a lot in that period where they started to come back into it.