Resilience pays off for All Blacks
It wasn’t a vintage All Blacks performance. Don’t even try to state otherwise. Yet, somehow, they still managed to prevent themselves sliding down the cliff and into oblivion against the Springboks yesterday.
Behind 30-13 after Handre Pollard had converted Cheslin Kolbe’s try in front of a parochial South Africa crowd, the All Blacks had just 20 minutes to execute their great escape.
Tick, tick, tick. And they did it. It still seems difficult to believe the All Blacks won this test 32-30. Preventing themselves from becoming the first All Blacks team to lose consecutive tests to the Springboks since 2009 seemed improbable after Kolbe brushed the ball against the white line in a desperate dive.
Everything was stacked against the All Blacks. As if copping body shots from the Springboks wasn’t bad enough, they were adding to their own misfortune by making too many mistakes.
The Springboks had only to glance at their supporters to inspire themselves to secure a famous win.
Yet it was the All Blacks who finished fastest, blazing down the home straight as if it was they, not their opponents, who were being cheered on by their countrymen and women. And they did it at altitude, their fitness and mental resilience pushing them through the invisible barriers that threatened to suck them into a hole of despair. Tries to Rieko Ioane, Scott Barrett and Ardie Savea, with Richie Mo’unga slotting two conversions, followed.
Replacement openside flanker Savea, required to fill in for the injured Sam Cane three minutes before halftime, used superb technique to level the scores by scoring near a ruck in the final minute, and Mo’unga didn’t miss with the handy conversion to secure the victory.
The rise and rise of Mo’unga cannot be ignored. Starting first five-eighth Beauden Barrett continues to mystify and frustrate. His brilliance was not on show in this fixture. Barrett was unable to use his acceleration to punch through the organised and aggressive Springboks’ defence, his crosskicks didn’t work and some of his punting didn’t amount to much.
At least his goalkicking was precise, succeeding with two penalties in the first half.
Something had to change. The survival package involved Mo’unga taking the field in the 51st minute, with Barrett shifting to fullback and Ben Smith moving to the right wing.
With Mo’unga adding more energy from the playmaker’s spot, Barrett was able to contribute with his pace in defence.
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen got value out of his bench, replacing props Owen Franks and Karl Tu’inukuafe early in the second spell, but it was surprising he left halfback TJ Perenara on the bench until the 70th minute.
Perenara was all fizz and vitality, probing for gaps, arrowing out accurate passes and sending out the message that the All Blacks were still in the fight. Following his arrival Barrett and Savea scored close to rucks, the yappy halfback offering encouragement from close range.
So that was that. The Springboks were sunk by an All Blacks team without key players such as lock Brodie Retallick, hooker Dane Coles, blindside flanker Liam Squire and loosehead prop Joe Moody. Young centre Jack Goodhue was a late withdrawal because of illness.
That is some serious firepower to have sitting at home or in the stands.
Yet the All Blacks still mowed down the Boks when it mattered. Right on the final bell.