But the All Blacks won't care. They won and they won because their forwards stood up and kept coming to the Boks. They had no problem winning the ball - no issue fronting physically and they had that bit more imagination when they were in possession.
They couldn't show their skills in the same way they did against France but it was direct, functional stuff. The key to their win was ultimately their ability to force South Africa into making more tackles than they wanted.
They used the forwards to short pass and the backs were happy to do the same and it wasn't enough to break the Bok defence more than once, but it was enough to stretch them and tire them and with that they were able to take the gainline. Just.
Just as important was their defence. South Africa's was good - New Zealand's was better. They used it to smother the Boks and knock their big men dead in the tackle.
Dan Carter's boot has to be acknowledged - his penalties were important, his drop goal was huge. The All Blacks were a man down and in danger of slipping a little too far behind and Carter took a flat pass direct from a lineout and drilled it.
It was a big score. Meant the All Blacks had actually won the battle with 14 men and from worrying about going two scores down, they were suddenly a point behind.
Carter, though, would be the first to say he can't be singled out because the entire team delivered. Ben Smith delivered again - winning the aerial battle all in his own.
All of this could fit under the umbrella of the All Blacks being the ultimate side at dealing with pressure. That's what the game was all about. Taking tiny chances and holding their nerve in defence.
The scoreboard says the All Blacks did that better. The scoreboard says the All Blacks had to show a depth of character to fight their way back from a five-point halftime deficit and being a man down.
They always have belief this team. And no doubt the first half performance, while it wasn't perfect, gave them reason to believe. It wasn't easy to fathom how New Zealand reached the break behind and a man down. They seemed to have the ball for most of the half and were camped well inside Springbok territory.
Having scored early, there was a sense that it was always only a matter of time before the line would be breached again but maybe they just caught the Boks cold with Jerome Kaino's try.
They didn't offer much again. The All Blacks kept probing and bashing, but the green line wouldn't bend or buckle. They kept making their tackles and when they needed a bigger play they found one - and it was usually a turnover. If not that, then the All Blacks would be loose with their discipline. There was an edgy feeling about not converting pressure into points.
World Cup knockout games ebb and flow and the best way to remove some of the pressure is to take points when they are there to be taken. They didn't come and the Boks, who never looked capable of scoring a try, were winning penalties for fun.
It wasn't enough for them. It's New Zealand in the final.
- By Gregor Paul at Twickenham
