‘We were able to convert, and they weren’t,’ says All Blacks boss Rennie
· Citizen
All Blacks coach Dave Rennie was pleased as punch after his charges weathered a storm from the Springboks before counter punching their way to an impressive 33-16 win in Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Test opener at Ellis Park on Saturday.
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It was the perfect start for the All Blacks, with them tenaciously staying in the match despite the Boks dominating the opening 55 minutes, followed by a disastrous ill-disciplined final 20 minutes from the hosts which allowed the visitors to pull away.
A monstrous set piece showing from the Boks in the first half, powered by their dominant scrum, helped them comfortably lead the possession and territory stats, while they enjoyed multiple 22m entries.
However, they couldn’t make their supremacy count, squandering numerous opportunities, while only managing one try to two from the visitors, but two penalties from the boot of Cheslin Kolbe meant they took a 13-12 lead into the halftime break.
The second half started well enough for the Boks, with another penalty extending their lead, but straight from the restart a charge down from All Blacks lock Fabian Holland, who looked suspiciously offside, put them ahead 19-16 in the 48th minute.
The Boks looked to hit back immediately, putting pressure back on the All Blacks in their 22m, but they once again wasted chances, and the visitors then finally made them pay, as the Boks crumbled in the final quarter.
All Blacks pull away
A 58th minute score to flank Luke Jacobson gave the All Blacks breathing room, two yellow cards within two minutes to Marco van Staden and Cobus Reinach reduced the Boks to 13 men, and a second try to wing Will Jordan in the 74th minute sealed the result for the buoyant New Zealanders.
“There was nothing in that game. I know the score might sound convincing, but it was an absolute arm wrestle at 19-16,” admitted Rennie after the match.
“We were under the pump and the boys barred up. We defended and defended and then we were clinical when we got our opportunities. I am really proud, it was a massive effort. It’s a great result for us, but we are wary of the response that we’ll get next week.”
Rennie highlighted an interesting statistic after the match, showing the Springboks’ impressive finishing record prior to this match, proving just how terribly they played once getting themselves into the strike zone.
“We were under the pump a fair bit (in the first half), down on the penalty count and we gave away some, not-smart penalties. So that was frustrating that we kept giving them entries into the 22, but South Africa are the best in the world,” explained Rennie.
“They score five and a half points every entry (over the season previously), and tonight I think it was 0.9, whereas we were 3.7. I reckon that’s a big stat. We were able to convert when we got down there, and they weren’t.”