SAVEA IMPACT
No 11 scores three tries as All Blacks trounce France 62-13.
One down, two to go. That was very much the collective attitude of the All Blacks after blowing France away and moving into the World Cup semifinals on an emphatic note.
No heads were in the Cardiff clouds. While many reached for superlatives and others suggested they had one hand on the Webb Ellis Cup, the defending champions were quick to point out nothing had yet been achieved.
With South Africa looming at Twickenham on Sunday morning (NZ time), there is no getting carried away.
Sure, the All Blacks will savour arguably their best World Cup performance. The pace, power, physicality and panache on display in the resounding nine-try, 62-13 win at Millennium Stadium was right up there with the 45-29 semifinal rout of England at the 1995 edition.
Jonah Lomu scored four stunning tries in Cape Town that day; Julian Savea steamrolled his way to three in similar style on Sunday (NZ time). The similarities from a comprehensive point of view did not end there, either.
But the pats on the back will be shortlived.
‘‘The edge during the week; that uncertainty of not having a game next week ... the way we performed was pretty special,’’ hooker Dane Coles reflected.
‘‘We’ll keep our feet firmly on the ground. Steve [Hansen] and the coaches will make sure of that. I’m sure most of the boys are aware of it as well. We’ve guaranteed ourselves another week, that’s what we wanted to do.
‘‘It’s a big week mentally so it’s nice to catch up with family and friends then it’s back to business. We’ll enjoy it as much as we can with a few cokes, not coke and bourbons.’’
The secret to this performance was that mental edge. It was evident in the way the All Blacks started. After cruising through pool play with some patchy form against three teams they were always going to beat, this was a dramatic transformation. They were Usain Bolt-like out of the blocks.
The French had no chance from the outset. The first scrum came in the 33rd minute, highlighting the All Blacks’ high-tempo attacking brilliance. No-one can stick with them when they are allowed to play in such fashion.
Replicating that clinical, switchedon ruthlessness is now the challenge as they relocate to London.
‘‘Next week there’s uncertainty and we’ll have to go one better,’’ Coles said.
‘‘We know what we’re capable of when we get things right. It’s easy to do something once but we’ve got to do it again.’’
The performances of Dan Carter and Ma’a Nonu spoke volumes of motivation levels burning across the board. The only downsides came with injuries to prop Wyatt Crockett (groin) and wing Nehe MilnerSkudder (shoulder).
Joe Moody’s cameo off the bench, six days after landing in the UK as a replacement for Tony Woodcock, eased any nerves there. MilnerSkudder would be a bigger loss. If he doesn’t recover it would not surprise to see Ben Smith shifted to the right wing and Beauden Barrett start at fullback. Waisake Naholo may considered too much of a risk.
Reverting to type is the best way to describe the Springboks. Heyneke Meyer’s emotional reaction after a 74th minute Fourie du Preez try pushed his men to a scratchy 23-19 win over Wales summed up the relief more than anything.
Kick, maul, and bash will be the Boks approach. Predictable, yes. But they will be a huge step up from the French.
‘‘That’s the Boks but they can play when they want to,’’ Coles said. ‘‘The loss to Japan has brought them tighter. They want to prove people wrong.’’