Deysel steals show as All Blacks keep plenty in reserve
THEY flocked to the home of Olympic athletics to watch a rugby match while expecting a cricket score. Yet in keeping with the spirit of the underdog in this World Cup, Namibia refused to let that happen
The rank outsiders kept the margin of victory by the All Blacks below the half- century to leave with their heads held high.
Their thunderous rearguard action will be the main memory of this match, while clues about the true might of New Zealand were hard to deduce because they fielded largely a second XV.
Victor Vito, Nehe Milner-Skudder and Sonny Bill Williams caught the eye, and how England would love Sam Burgess to provide some of the latter’s offloads against Wales.
In the end it was nine tries to one, but the surprise was that even when down to 14 men for 10 minutes at the end, and with talisman Jacques Burger off the field, Namibia’s damage limitation was fairly successful.
The ovation granted to them from all corners of the ground at the end was thoroughly deserved, and if anything concerns Kiwi coach Steve Hansen it would be the lack of an extra gear in the closing quarter of the match.
The real strength of the All Blacks might remain obscured in a weak group that will see them breeze into the last eight. They had their hardest match first, against Argentina, and might be undercooked when the tricky stuff starts.
Hansen pledged before the match that the opposition would be ‘treated with respect’, even if it was like a team from the Isthmian League taking on Manchester United in the FA Cup third round.
Namibia, formerly German South-West 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, except on nights like this.
There were shades of FA Cup tales in their team, which 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 — nowhere else but England can you charge top price for a ticket with the guarantee that people will turn up.
With Richie McCaw on the bench, 23-year-old Sam Cane was made captain and his first decision was met with a chorus of boos.
It took four minutes for the All Blacks to win their first penalty and, in front of the posts, he opted for fly-half Beauden Barrett to take the 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 was dashed as the black tide quickly began to engulf them.
On six minutes Vito forced himself over in one corner and three minutes later 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 penalty from 30 yards, and we had to wait for 20 minutes for the first bit of All Black 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 the twinkletoed Milner-Skudder got a fifth before half-time. His lunge into the corner was referred to the TMO — it was one of those evenings when the video replay was the nearest thing you could find to some tension.
With Berger and fellow flanker Tinus de Plessis driving their comrades on, Namibia were magnificent in the second half.
After a succession of impressive phases, centre Johan Deysel charged through two tackles to drive over the line and reduce the deficit to 41-14.
The Namibia try 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.
A brace of carry-over tries from Julian Savea, and one at the death from Codie Taylor that supplemented the All Blacks’ lead, should in no way wipe the sense of pride from the tournament’s lowest ranked team.