ALL BLACKS PROVE THEY HAVE PLENTY IN RESERVE:
THEY flocked to the home of Olympic athletics in London to watch a rugby match but expecting a cricket score. That Namibia avoided a battering at the hands of New Zealand was testament to their courage.
Heck, as well as their defensive heroics, the plucky underdogs even scored a try courtesy of Johan Deysel which the centre later described as ‘a dream come true’.
It was nine tries to one in the end, but clues about the true might of this New Zealand team were hard to deduce because of the superiority of what was largely a second XV, with Victor Vito, Nehe Milner-Skudder and Sonny Bill Williams catching the eye.
The real strength of the Kiwis might remain obscured because they are in a group that will see them ushered into the last eight. They have had their hardest match first, against Argentina, and the only worry for their fans is they might be suffering ‘undercooked’ syndrome by the time the tricky stuff starts.
Coach Steve Hansen pledged before the match the opposition would be ‘treated with respect’, and no sensible person would do ot her wise after what has happened i n this World Cup. Namibia battled for all they were worth but there was never any chance of it being another Japan v South Africa upset.
This was like a team from the Isthmian League t aking on Manchester United, or a littleknown qualifier tackling Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon.
Namibia, former German SouthWest Africa, is a land of sweeping deserts with an even smaller population than New Zealand’s, the difference being that most are not interested in rugby.
Their team included builders, teachers and salesmen, but their part-time element did not stop the happy hordes turning up at the Olympic Stadium. It was almost packed to the gunwales, even fuller than for the previous night’s match between France and Romania.
With Richie McCaw on the bench, New Zealand flanker Sam Cane was made captain — the fifth youngest in All Blacks history at the age 23 — and his first decision was met with a chorus of boos.
It took four minutes for New Zealand to win their first penalty and, in front of the posts, Cane opted for fly-half Beauden Barrett to take the simple three points on offer. The crowd need not have fretted.
If Namibia hoped to hold their own for at least the first 10 minutes, that dream was quickly dashed as the black tide soon began to engulf them.
On six minutes Vito forced himself over in one corner and three minutes l ater Milner- Skudder proved more clinical than he had done at Wembley, redeeming himself by going over in the other.
There was brief respite when Theuns Kotze kicked a Namibia penalty from 30 yards, generously greeted by the whole stadium.
We had to wait 20 minutes for the first bit of All Blacks magic, provided by Williams in the form of an intuitive, glancing offload to his outside centre partner Malakai Fekitoa, who went over under the posts.
Barrett was allowed to take route one through Namibian lines and Milner-Skudder got a fifth before half-time.
With Jacques Berger and fellow flanker Tinus de Plessis driving their men on, Namibia scored first in the second half through a third penalty. But it was followed almost immediately by a try for Julian Savea, who got the ball down underneath a heap of bodies.
Then came the golden moment for Namibia in the 53rd minute, when some impressive phases saw Deysel charge through two tackles to drive over the line.
It was met with a roar that could be heard around east London and resulted in a joyous smile that Deysel will wear all the way back to Africa.
But even with prop Jaco Engels sinbinned for serial offending in the scrum, and with the heroic Burger having to go off, the All Blacks were unable to do the expected damage, although further tries from Ben Smith, Savea and Codie Taylor added some gloss to the scoreline.
NEW ZEALAND: Slade; Milner-Skudder, Fekitoa, Williams, Savea’ Barrett, Perenara; B Franks, Taylor, Faumuina, Romano, Whitelock, Messam, Cane, Vito. Substitutes: Mealamu, Crockett, Woodcock, Read, McCaw, Kerr-Barlow, Nonu, B Smith.
NAMIBIA: Tromp; Philander, Greyling, Deysel, Marais; Kotze, Jantjies; Engels, Van Jaarsveld, Coetzee, van Lill, Uanivi, Burger, du Plessis, Damens. Substitutes: Van der Westhuizen, Viviers, Larson, Bothma, Venter, Kitshoff, Buitendag, Botha.
Referee: Romain Poite (France).