Carter backs Barrett as No 1

Some people will focus purely on the result and brush aside the magnificent Springboks performance in Pretoria. For me, it was the best Springboks showing in the last five years. The All Blacks were ready for the Boks after Wellington, they were well prepared and yet for 70 minutes, I have never witnessed the All Blacks as comprehensively outplayed as they were.

In a complete role reversal from Wellington, the Springboks enjoyed the lion’s share of possession and territory and dominated in every single area. I had never before seen the All Blacks dominated by any team as much as they were against the Springboks at Loftus. I hadn’t witnessed the All Blacks look that average in my life.

It’s a credit to the Boks because you make another team look average. When the All Blacks carried the ball they made limited progress and, for most of the match, appeared devoid of ideas on offence. In contrast, when the Boks carried they made metres and their attack was penetrative. They made 165 more metres than the visitors and beat 11 more defenders.

However, instead of playing multiphase rugby the Bok strategy was to kick the ball into the corners. The chips and grubbers from Faf de Klerk, Handre Pollard and Willie le Roux throughout the match weren’t actually exits; they were semi-attacking kicks. South Africa kicked the ball on the All Blacks’ 10-metre line, with the whole plan being to change direction.

Traditionally, the All Blacks win the old-fashioned way. They dominate the territorial stakes, put your lineout under pressure and capitalise on your mistakes.

However, in Pretoria, they could neither boss the opposition lineout nor gain territorial ascendancy. Historically, the All Blacks contest lineout ball and get a It’s been one of the hottest debates in New Zealand rugby and now the man more qualified than most to pass judgment has spoken.

Dan Carter, arguably the best first five-eighth to ever pull on an All Blacks jersey, says Beauden Barrett is still the top pick for the No 10 jersey.

Richie Mo’unga continues to put pressure on Barrett following classy cameos off the bench against Argentina and South high percentage of it back. However, this time they didn’t.

They missed Brodie Retallick because he is an amazing lineout exponent. However, they still had quality individuals Kieran Read, Sam Whitelock and Scott Barrett.

But for the majority of the test, the men in black couldn’t get their hands on the ball in the right areas because the Boks were brilliant from a tactical perspective.

However, the reality is the All Blacks won and the question is, was it a case of the Springboks choking, the All Blacks’ amazing fightback ability or was it maybe just as simple as poor substitutions from Boks coach Rassie Erasmus?

I’m sure Erasmus will acknowledge the substitutions he made were not well thought out. In the final 10 minutes of the match, the Springboks made five substitutions compared to the All Blacks’ Africa in the All Blacks’ last two tests.

Mo’unga kicked the winning conversion in the All Blacks’ 32-30 win over the Springboks in Pretoria on Sunday morning when playing at first-five with Barrett switching to fullback when the Crusaders No 10 came off the bench.

But Carter told Newstalk ZB Barrett is still the best option to start in the No 10 jersey.

‘‘He’s still the number one 10 but to have the competition with Richie there, and when the time one permanent switch.

In the 73rd minute, Embrose Papier replaced de Klerk, Bongi Mbonambi swapped with Malcolm Marx and Tendai Mtawarira came on for Steven Kitshoff with six minutes to play.

It has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of the players that came on and is instead down to the fact it’s nigh impossible to come on and make a difference straight away.

Rugby is a game of flow and feel and in the first five minutes, as a starter or reserve, it’s difficult to catch your breath. Thereafter, you are able to get into the game and play well. In my opinion, Erasmus should have brought the aforementioned playing personnel on with 20 minutes remaining in the test because they would then have made an impact like modern-day finishers are supposed to.

While the men in green and gold is right in certain games for Beaudie to go to the back and Richie come on and add another string to the backline . . . it’s a really fortunate position the coaches have got with quality players to be able to bring on as replacements and add a little bit to the game when needed. It’s the kind of depth and competition you want in a squad.

‘‘For me, Beaudie is still the leader in that All Blacks side and what he’s achieved in the last three or four years has been incredible.’’