SA v NZ

[backdoc]

Very interestring game, with some great tries.
NZ back row emphatically improved over last week.

I think holding back Marx/Koch etc backfired today, as evidenced by Marx coming on at c 30 mins, and Koch destroying the NZ scrum when he arrived late in the game.

Am may be the best player on the planet currently. Savea was pretty amazing.

How anyone can consider Pollard an inadequate replacement for Ford at Tigers - well, let's see shall we. I think he is on 14 consecutive successful kicks apart from anything else.

No spoilers

[Shugs]

Agree backdoc Pollard is a fantastic player. As much as anything I think the main difference between him and Ford may be availability. Tigers benefitted hugely last year just by having Ford constantly available. Am is the real deal as is Koch - and he’s a Wasp!

[backdoc]

"Am is the real deal as is Koch - and he’s a Wasp!"

Yes, I can hardly believe it myself.

Am is what I thought we were getting with Fekitoa.

I still fancy SA to win in NZ.

[Shugs]

It will be tight. I can’t put my finger on it but NZ are just missing something. Still a great team but the inevitability of them winning is diminished. The depth of talent SA have is staggering - especially in the forwards.

[MarleyWasp]

I still fancy SA to win in NZ.

They're trying a new format this year to cut down on travel. The next two rounds see Australia host South Africa in Adelaide and Sydney and New Zealand host Argentina in Hamilton and Christchurch. The final two rounds see home and away ties between Argentina and South Africa and Australia and New Zealand.

[Bloke in North Dorset]

It will be tight. I can’t put my finger on it but NZ are just missing something. Still a great team but the inevitability of them winning is diminished. The depth of talent SA have is staggering - especially in the forwards.

I did a long project in SA ‘99 for a group of ex MK/ANC fighters. At the time blacks still saw Rugby as a white sport and even within the white community it was seen as mostly an Afrikaans sport.

That was despite Mandela’s magnanimous gesture in ‘95.

That was more to do with politics and blacks being deprived of access to facilities. As the political stigma of playing a “white/Afrikaans” game has fallen away and blacks have more access to facilities it has led to more natural athletes choosing rugby.

My guess is that success on the world stage is now attracting even young blacks to rugby.

[mike909]

Good win for NZ - but they do - as Shugs suggested - still seem to be missing something. And it seems at least, in part, down to attitude. Their decision making was "varied" and too often were unable to reset as required and seemed too often to look to the impossible pass.

The SA try after 58ish mins was such an example. NZ score penalty, receive ball and instead of resetting and kicking into touch up field - ended up losing possession and SA run in an easy one.....NZ's backline has real edge - but were not as organised as Wales were vs SA in the recent series. Wales were really good, ball in hand, and in making decisions about when to go and when to reset. NZ seemed to try too hard too often.

As for SA - showed that if you run their bulk around, it doesn't last. We need refs, like yesterday - to keep the game moving. SA were still getting away with "rests" and this needs action. Luke did a decent job at ruck time too.

[hopwood]

Spoiler alert *

For me….NZ are just lacking a bit of rugby intelligence around the field.
Not something you would normally say about an ABs side.

For me, they lack a bit of rugby IQ at centre.
They miss a Conrad Smith style of player.

And although Clarke (on the wing) is a big unit going forward, I don’t feel he always makes good decisions.
Furthermore, he’s been responsible for poor positioning in defence too. I would quite like to see Ioane go back to the wing instead of Clarke…and bring in a smart centre.

Jordie Barrett is a bit like Freddy Steward…good under the high ball, but just lacks a bit of dynamism going forward.

Their pack fronted up last night and they were much improved in the breakdown.
But, they relied on a few key referee decisions to fall their way, which on other days could have easily have fallen to SA. Marginal calls…although probably correct.

It seems other teams have upped their defensive systems…and the ABs have lost a bit of confidence because they can’t puncture a line as easily as they used to.
They’re having to work out different ways to break down much-improved defences.

It should be a fascinating Championship, especially with our WC opponents Argentina, thrashing Australia last night.

[westwaleswasp]

The new imbalanced schedule,  together with the fact that NZ have lost that aura, and SA are a great team and yet frighten nobody, makes for a great championship. Argentina are a daisy team, some days they do, most days they don't. But when they do they are electric.

SA are a team waiting to be spanked by any ref who gets the game going. They have been getting away with a lot for a while, and I think over the next two years the tide will turn. It might not be in time for the next WC.

NZ still have innate awesomeness, but they look vulnerable at the breakdown and their pack as a whole seems unable to neutralise the opposition strengths as they used to. Without that they look human and mentally frail, but I would not put it past them to change the coaching team and ve successful, just like SA did.

[BlackAndGoldSunglasses]

I wonder how many of the current NZ team would make a "World XV"?

Far cry from 2015 when the question would have been whether any ABs wouldn't be included!