Johannesburg - It was more second-half heartache for the Springboks on Saturday night as they went down 27-20 to the All Blacks in a tightly-fought and hugely entertaining Rugby Championship match.
After conceding an over-time try to lose to Australia last week, the Boks conceded 10 points in the final six minutes on Saturday night to lose another close game and questions around the team’s ability to go the full distance will now again come to the fore.
The Boks fell apart badly in the closing stages following lock Lood de Jager’s substitution, and the fact the scrums were uncontested in the final 20 minutes. It allowed the visitors the space and time to run at the Boks and they made the most of the situation, scoring through Richie McCaw after a clever lineout move before debutant flyhalf Lima Sopoaga sealed the deal with a late penalty.
It’s a result that will hurt the Boks and their coaching staff, because for the majority of the match the hosts dominated proceedings.
They were sound in the set-pieces, with the lineout especially impressive - De Jager and Eben Etzebeth showing the Boks can manage without Victor Matfield. Both locks were also busy in the loose and made numerous tackles.
But Bok captain on the day Schalk Burger was the standout performer. He was immense as a ball-carrier and took the role of basher in the side, getting his team over the gain-line, while his big tackling knocked the visitors back on several occasions.
Heinrich Brüssow also enjoyed a good return to the Test arena and with his scavenging at the breakdowns, the Boks controlled the game in the first period. Good, quick ruck ball allowed the home side to dictate matters for long periods and with Ruan Pienaar providing swift service, Handré Pollard again showed his immense potential.
The Bok No 10 varied his game well and got his centres Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel to ask questions of their more fancied opponents.
They ran hard at the gain-line and stood their ground in defence. Kriel was especially impressive in just his second Test and he was rewarded with a wonderful try after halftime, Pollard setting him up with a perfectly-timed pass.
Kriel, though, showed he’s also a great distributor; his deft inside ball to a charging Willie le Roux on 10 minutes paving the way for a dominant first half for the Boks.
They dominated the territory and possession stats, looked full of running and used the whole width of the field. But the All Blacks, as we’ve come to learn over the years, are never quite out of the game and they hit back on the stroke of halftime when Ben Smith ghosted through for a converted try.
A Dane Coles score on 50 minutes levelled the scores at 17-17, but a Pollard penalty made it 20-17 with more than a quarter of the match remaining. And despite the All Blacks going down to 14 men following the sin-binning of Sam Whitelock, the Boks could not score again. The New Zealanders could, and they showed again why they’re such a dangerous and lethal team.
There were some very impressive performances from the Boks and some of their attacking play was top-notch, but they also made silly mistakes, and their inability to close out the game and score when they were in a position to do so will be something coach Heyneke Meyer will be very worried about so close to the World Cup.
The Boks now have just two matches left - both against Argentina - before heading to England and their assault on the Webb Ellis trophy.
South Africa (10) 20
Tries: Willie le Roux, Jesse Kriel; Conversions: Handré Pollard (2); Penalties: Pollard (2)
New Zealand (10) 27
Tries: Ben Smith, Dane Coles, Richie McCaw; Conversions: Lima Sopoaga (3); Penalties: Sopoaga (2)
Weekend Argus