The All Blacks have begun preparations in Paris for the Rugby World Cup final while their South African opponents juggle drama concerning an alleged slur made by star hooker Bongi Mbonambi. Video / NZ Herald
By Liam Napier in Paris
It was a dark day - the largest loss in All Blacks history which could, on the eve of a World Cup final against the same opposition, spark trepidation among increasingly-hopeful supporters.
Two months on, the experiences of their target="_blank">Twickenham horror show could instead prove invaluable for the All Blacks in this week of all weeks.
From cards to injury carnage, everything that could go wrong did for the All Blacks in their record 35-7 loss to the Springboks. Before Cam Roigard’s late solo try, the Springboks seemed destined for a shutout.
In a match designed to shake off rust - and bank New Zealand Rugby a sizeable cheque by selling out Twickenham in a revenue-sharing fixture - the All Blacks got more than they bargained for in their final pre-World Cup test.
South Africa arrived fuelled by their humbling at Mt Smart Stadium, when the All Blacks blitzed the opening quarter to steamroll the visitors’ pack, to exact brutal vengeance and underline their World Cup credentials.
The All Blacks weren’t in the house mentally that night, with minds clearly drifting to the World Cup, and they paid the price as the Boks launched wave after green wave to own the non-contest from start to finish.
Sam Whitelock and Tupou Vaa'i look dejected after the Twickenham defeat. Photo / Photosport
As this All Blacks team has proven, though, light can emerge from dark times. Watching the Boks score three tries from mauls, dominate the scrums, inject seven huge forwards off the bench and relentlessly launch their powerful ball carriers will serve a welcome reminder of what to expect in this weekend’s World Cup finale in Paris.
“It was obviously a disappointing outing for us as a team and an All Blacks forward pack at Twickenham,” New Zealand hooker Samisoni Taukei’aho reflected. “You always take lessons from every game but a lot more when you don’t get the job done. We’ve reviewed that game and will take a lot of lessons which will help us build the week and what we need to do to come up against a physical forward pack.”
Context is needed when recounting that match. The All Blacks lost Scott Barrett to his second yellow card just before halftime - forcing them to play the entire second half one man short. Sam Cane was also binned during the first spell to leave the All Blacks clinging on with 13 men at that point.
The All Blacks’ second-half pack - already missing Codie Taylor, Shannon Frizell and Brodie Retallick through injury - had young forwards Tamaiti Williams, Fletcher Newell, Josh Lord, Tupou Vaa’i and Taukei’aho copping the full Boks brunt, after Tyrel Lomax departed with a thigh gash that needed 30 post-match stitches.
After somehow surviving two yellow cards in their inspired World Cup quarter-final victory against Ireland, defence coach Scott McLeod believes the All Blacks are now much more effective at navigating numerical disadvantages.
“Not so much from a motivational aspect but more in scenarios and how we respond,” McLeod said of the Twickenham experience. “We took a lot of learning out of that, particularly when we were down to 13 men and how we want to play the game. We’ve had a few cards through the tournament and we’ve shown that we’ve learnt through that, so that’s what we’ll take from that game.”
New-age All Blacks prop Williams had never faced South African opposition prior to this season. He savoured his first taste off the bench in the Mt Smart success - and then had a 34-minute rude awakening at Twickenham. Williams is now likely to be called upon to meet fire-with-fire and match the Boks’ bomb squad in the final.
“They’re massive and how clinical they are,” Williams said of his Twickenham takeaways. “If you give them a chance they’ll take it. It’s all about being clean and matching the physicality they’re going to bring, because it’s us that has to stop it. I’ve had some great lessons. We had a good win against them, and we got a hiding against them as well.”
The All Blacks team that seeks their fourth world title at Stade de France this weekend is a vastly different beast to the one that folded at Twickenham. Frizell, Retallick and Taylor significantly bolster the pack. The All Blacks’ set-piece platform and defence has improved out of sight, with those changes and their performances through the knockouts thus far invigorating their fully-fit squad.
From a mental perspective, the World Cup final could not be further removed from a pre-tournament hit-out.
Physically they have money in the bank, too, after widespread rotation through the pool stages and with Jordie Barrett, Frizell, Sam Cane and Lomax carrying lighter loads following their respective injury returns.
“They haven’t felt the full wear and tear of the whole tournament and they’re actually feeling quite fresh,” McLeod said. “Mentally and physically we’re ready for this. We’re quite excited already. We’re probably going to have to hold the boys back a little bit.”
The Boks are a different side to Twickenham, too. Indomitable hooker Malcolm Marx, who scored one of South Africa’s five tries that night and is a supreme breakdown exponent, has returned home due to injury. Handre Pollard’s clutch boot that sneaked the Boks past England in their unconvincing semifinal win is back. And the midfield will be contrasting with first-choice pairing Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel replacing talented 20-year-old Canan Moodie and Andre Esterhuizen.
Fundamentally, though, the challenge the Boks pose doesn’t change.
“They come from a country where they are very hardened and they know how to stay in and win the fight,” McLeod said. “They’ve shown that for many years. They showed that at the last World Cup as well. Not much of their DNA has changed.”
While the Twickenham pressure points will fuel the All Blacks’ resolve, the true relevance of that record defeat could be proving how far this team has come in two short months.
