The All Blacks thrashed the Springboks 57-0 in Albany on Saturday to hand the South Africans their heaviest-ever defeat, reports JON CARDINELLI.
Bok coach Allister Coetzee said that the All Blacks were vulnerable. He said that his team was quietly confident ahead of the clash at the North Harbour Stadium. He said that this game against the world’s No 1-ranked side would show how far the Boks had come in 2017.
The Boks conceded six tries and 41 points in Christchurch last year. They conceded nine tries and 57 points in the record defeat in Durban.
Eleven months later, and the Boks’ problems at the set piece, the gainline and on defence were still painfully apparent. Coetzee’s charges conceded eight tries and 57 points to claim yet another unwanted record.
The visitors were outmuscled by the All Blacks at the collisions and breakdowns. Raymond Rhule, who had struggled on defence in the previous matches against France, Argentina and Australia, was brutally exposed on the right wing.
Malcolm Marx succumbed to the pressure and failed to find his jumpers at the lineout. Francois Hougaard and Elton Jantjies took some horrific options, and the backline as a unit made it easier for the All Blacks defence by crabbing across the field.
Jantjies missed an early shot at goal. To be fair, the final scoreline was a true reflection of the Boks’ performance. The Boks attack deserved zero.
In the end, it was the All Blacks who showed an improvement on their previous performances in 2017. The forwards put pressure on the Boks lineout. The defence did well to contain and then turn over the Boks ball-carriers.
When the All Blacks had the chance to run, to score, and to entertain, they did not disappoint.
The hosts won a penalty in the 18th minute, and Aaron Smith having spotted the space behind the defence, opted to take it quickly. An accurate chip-kick bounced into the hands of Rieko Ioane, who went on to score.
Beauden Barret would not be outshone by his halfback partner, though. The Boks backline crabbed across-field for the umpteenth time, and it wasn’t surprising to see Nehe Milner-Skudder rushing up to make the intercept. Courtnall Skosan did well to chase the All Blacks winger down, but failed to prevent Milner-Skudder from offloading to Barrett.
Oozing confidence, Barrett flipped a no-look pass out of the back of his hand. Milner-Skudder ran a great supporting line to collect the pass and finish.
The All Blacks maintained the pressure to score two further tries before half-time. The Boks were breached repeatedly on Rhule’s wing. When the hooter sounded, the contest was effectively over at 31-0.
Those who were waiting for a brave Boks fightback would have been disappointed. The visitors failed to respond. The leadership, as well as the desire to go down fighting, was sorely lacking.
By contrast, the All Blacks maintained their focus and composure. They surpassed the 50-point mark in the 74th minute.
A hunger to inflict further pain on their traditional foes was apparent when they kicked a penalty to touch after the hooter. A successful assault on the tryline allowed the All Blacks to record the biggest-ever win over the Boks.
The result sees the All Blacks strengthening their position at the top of the Rugby Championship standings. They have answered their critics with this resounding performance in Albany. They have made a mockery out of Coetzee’s suggestion that they are vulnerable.
Indeed, it was the Boks’ vulnerabilities that were mercilessly exposed on the day.
All Blacks – Tries: Rieko Ioane, Nehe Milner-Skudder (2), Scott Barrett, Brodie Retallick, Ofa Tu’ungafasi, Lima Sopoaga, Codie Taylor. Conversions: Beauden Barrett (7). Penalty: Barrett.
Springboks –
All Blacks – 15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Nehe Milner-Skudder, 13 Ryan Crotty, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Rieko Ioane, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Kieran Read (c), 7 Sam Cane, 6 Liam Squire, 5 Samuel Whitelock, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Nepo Laulala, 2 Dane Coles, 1 Kane Hames.
Subs: 16 Codie Taylor, 17 Wyatt Crockett, 18 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 19 Scott Barrett, 20 Ardie Savea, 21 TJ Perenara, 22 Lima Sopoaga, 23 Anton Lienert-Brown.
Springboks – 15 Andries Coetzee, 14 Raymond Rhule, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Jan Serfontein, 11 Courtnall Skosan, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Francois Hougaard, 8 Uzair Cassiem, 7 Jean-Luc du Preez, 6 Siya Kolisi, 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Eben Etzebeth (c), 3 Ruan Dreyer, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Beast Mtawarira.
Subs: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Steven Kitshoff, 18 Trevor Nyakane,19 Lood de Jager, 20 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 21 Rudy Paige, 22 Handré Pollard, 23 Damian de Allende.
Photo: Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images
