Springboks back with a bang

The stage was set for a brilliant game of rugby on the international arena. The venue was the Nelson Mandela Bay in Port Elizabeth with a capacity crowd of almost 46,000 screaming and delirious fans.

With the singing of the two national anthems and the execution of the traditional NZ haka, the crowd was ready for entertainment of a very high quality. As some of the commentators indicated they could not remember an occasion when the SA national anthem was sung with such enthusiasm and passion at an international event.

The Springboks came into the game on some rather lacklustre performances and the critics had written them off as not very serious contenders for the RWC due in NZ in about three weeks time. The Boks played as if they were a team possessed with Victor Matfield leading the side in the absence of regular skipper Smit. Whilst the SA game was won with their kicking ability, the fact that they were able to restrict the rampaging All Blacks to a single score was a tribute to their very tight defence.

In the opening stages the All Blacks made a lively start with fullback Dagg weaving and waltzing through the Springboks’ defensive line with consummate ease before flicking a well timed pass to Cowan who was denied a try by a great cover tackle from winger Bryan Habana. That obviously set the tone of the Bok’s for the rest of the game.  The All Blacks enjoyed a fair share of success in terms of possession and territory.  Their inability to convert those into points was their eventual downfall. On the other hand, whenever the Boks made it to All Blacks territory they came away with points on the board. Quite contrary to the general norm the All Blacks gave away penalties at crucial stages and that too within kicking distance. Morne Steyn back at his pet # 10 slot made it look easy and indulged in a drop goal for good measure. The Boks were physical and upfront and met the marauding All Blacks with a sense purpose and determination, not witnessed in previous games. The scrummaging of the Boks was fantastic and with the pack weights in excess of 900 kgs, one can imagine the intensity and hard work involved by the Boks as many a time they pushed the All Blacks back many metres.

A game of such intensity is rarely without its share of controversy and this was no exception. The NZ winger Dagg after a dazzling break was set to score by the corner flag before another cover tackle got him down short of the line. Dagg managed to get the ball away to the omnipresent Cowan who crashed over the line with the referee opting to ask the TMO for clarification.

The question asked was if it was a try – ‘yes or no’ – and the TMO confirmed there was nothing wrong with the grounding of the ball. The TMO then offered more information in a clear break from protocol. The referee accepted the offer of further input at which point he was told that there had been a forward pass prior to the ball being grounded.  While critics will argue this over the next few days, what is important is that the correct decision was made.