Well what can you say - it is difficult to remember a more complete All Blacks performance against South Africa for some time. I rank it right along side the triumph against France in Marseille last year.
Probably the most notable aspect for me was the hunger & desire of the All Blacks right across the park & the fact they didn't let up for the full 80 minutes. Maybe Bakkies tete-a-tete with Jimmy Cowan after 90 seconds added some fire to the belly but the All Blacks were up for this test & it showed. Not for the first time they raised their game at Eden Park where they do seem to lift to another level.
The anticipated wet weather didn't arrive and the All Blacks ticked all the other key areas I was concerned about before the test;
- Lineout - Excellent performance & I can't recall the AB's competing so much on the opponent's throw. Three stolen lineouts were the reward (thanks John Smit). This set piece excellence extended to the scrum as well where the Boks were continually under pressure. Magnificent.
- Physical battle at breakdown - As John Smit said himself after the test "We were nowhere in the rucks." There can be no higher praise for the AB effort. That pressure led to turnovers and also meant that the Boks had no platform for Morne Steyn to work off especially as The General was not there to take the pressure off him.
- Goalkicking - Apart from one early scuffed attempt Dan Carter kept the scoreboard ticking over well.
It seems unfair to single out only a few players for praise but I have to admit that some players who I questioned in the past had superb games. Like he did in Marseilles Mils proved there is still life in those ageing legs & has answered the challenge from Israel Dagg. He handled the high ball with applomb & made ground every time he counter attacked.
I have likened Kieran Read to Rueben Thorne in the past but he showed up everywhere in this test & stood out at the breakdown. A nice angled run for his try was just reward. Jerome Kaino adds some steel to the mix & always seems to raise his game against South African opposition. No loose forward can perform unless their tight five is doing the business (ask Pierre Spies) so a collective thumbs up for their effort as well.
It will sound like nit-picking but there were a couple of areas where the All Blacks can improve. One was their own discipline that let them down a few times with stupid penalties for offside or detaching which handed the Boks points. The other was some of the tactical kicking by Cowan & Carter - sometimes the ball just needs to be put out so you can regroup & start again.
The Boks will be doing plenty of head scratching after this performance particularly around the performance of their pack. They have one enforced change in the tight five but will make at least one more there & probably in the loose forward mix as well. Expect them to come roaring out of the gate next week.
As for the All Blacks, the challenge is now to bottle what they had at Eden Park and reproduce it consistently. But for now let's enjoy a top notch performance.
