The All Blacks had the world champion Springboks on the ropes at Ellis Park. Scott Robertson’s men were that good – until they weren’t.
With their pack going toe-to-toe, the All Blacks pressured the Springboks into mistakes. Collectively the All Blacks defended with commitment, competed physically, found space, kept the ball alive between backs and forwards and could’ve comfortably won.
Pointing the finger solely at the All Blacks’ inexperienced bench for the final-quarter capitulation is the easy option. Sure, this was a factor compared with the bomb squad’s impact, but the reality is the All Blacks have minimal options to definitively transform their impact for this weekend’s rematch in Cape Town.
After taking the fight to the champs at their spiritual home and landing the more decisive shots, the All Blacks’ biggest mistake was to stop playing.
Whether it was intentional or subconscious the All Blacks attempted to protect their 10-point lead. More than any other aspect, this sparked their downfall.
With the champions rocked and rattled, rather than seeking to land the knockout blow the All Blacks reverted into a conservative shell.
They largely parked their attack, the intent to move the ball and the set moves that broke the Springboks on the edges to set up two Caleb Clarke tries. The All Blacks instead kicked incessantly and inaccurately to gift the ball to the Boks and invite them back into the compelling contest.
This conservatism was a game management failure and it cost the All Blacks another famous win in South Africa. It led directly to the Boks flicking the pressure gauge, winning repeat penalties, Ofa Tuʻungafasi’s yellow card, reviving the fever-pitch crowd and the locals roaring to the finish with two late tries.
It’s all too convenient to blame the officiating blunders, specifically the Bongi Mbonambi try that should not have stood after he clearly lost the ball over the line, for the defeat.
While in the age of invasive technology Mbonambi’s try should never have been awarded, it was the second in the match. The All Blacks recovered from there to dominate until the 62-minute mark. And, viewed through an objective lens, the All Blacks had their share of favour, too.
Codie Taylor’s opening try from a maul should have been scrubbed out for Tyrel Lomax blocking the Springboks the chance to sack Ardie Savea, the All Blacks lineout jumper.
Sam Cane is also fortunate to escape punishment for his high contact in the 49th-minute tackle that left Springboks captain Siya Kolisi with a fractured cheekbone – the fallout from which is merely starting in South Africa.
In all three incidents, the officials were absent.
The greater concern for the All Blacks is their failure to score points in the final quarter of their past three tests. At the most critical juncture, the All Blacks are wilting.
Two of those instances were in the split series with the Pumas, in the loss in Wellington and the response at Eden Park, the latter following a clinical first-half performance that put the result well beyond doubt.
The lack of comparative penetration from the bench against the Boks will be a focal point of improvement. With the breadth of versatility throughout their starting backline, can the All Blacks continue the luxury of carrying specialist wing Mark Tele’a on the pine? Particularly when he played 14 minutes.
Dalton Papali’i, provided he recovers from his thumb injury, and Wallace Sititi will come into contention to offer more impact this week. Otherwise, though, Patrick Tuipulotu and Ethan de Groot’s injury-enforced absences leave few avenues to beef up the All Blacks bench with proven test performers.
On this occasion, Tuʻungafasi’s yellow card left the All Blacks scrambling one man short for the final 12 minutes – which undoubtedly contributed to an inexperienced group of replacements battling to match their heralded opponents.
The most definitive lesson the All Blacks must absorb from Ellis Park to Cape Town, though, is to seize the mentality to continually take the game to the champions.
Don’t attempt to protect the lead. Don’t go away from what’s working. Be brave, be bold, until the last blow.
Two years ago, the All Blacks surged over the top of the Boks in their underdog triumph at Ellis Park that saved Ian Foster’s tenure. This time they paid the price for attempting to protect their buffer by kicking away their advantage. The All Blacks kicked 28 times against the Springboks – the overwhelming majority of those handing over possession.
Boxing title challengers who fade from fast starts to leave the result in the judge’s hands away from home rarely prevail.
Despite the defeat, the All Blacks must double down on their positive approach when it matters most. They had ample opportunity to put their foot on the Springboks’ throat, only to lack the requisite ruthlessness and confidence to keep playing, keep attacking.
With another chance in the offing, they can’t lack the same conviction again.
Liam Napier has been a sports journalist since 2010, and his work has taken him to World Cups in rugby, netball and cricket, boxing world title fights and Commonwealth Games.
