All Blacks Moving In For The Kill

The All Blacks are promising no let-up after putting the Wallabies to the sword yet again in the Rugby Championship opener in Sydney.

The world champions piled on five second-half tries to turn a one-point deficit into a commanding 38-13 victory at ANZ Stadium on Saturday night.

Despite the rampant display, the All Blacks were quick to claim the job was only half done before returning to their Eden Park graveyard looking to clinch the Bledisloe Cup for a 16th straight year.

"We've only got one hand on the trophy," said skipper Kieran Read, who made a triumphant return to the Test arena with a typically wholehearted 80-minute captain's knock after undergoing spinal surgery last December.

In a chilling warning to the Wallabies, coach Steve Hansen insisted the All Blacks still had plenty of improvement to come.

"We weren't 100 per cent clinical, there's no doubt about that," Hansen said.

“There's plenty for us to work on in the next seven days, but there's enough to be happy about."

The All Blacks were uncharacteristically off their game early, trailing 6-0 until the 39th minute and forced into error by the Wallabies' aggressive defence.

But a try, pretty much out of nothing, to halfback Aaron Smith in the shadows of halftime gave the merciless Kiwis momentum heading into the sheds.

"The first half was like two big bulls in the ring head-butting each other," Hansen said.

"They had momentum for the first 20 and then we managed to get a bit of ball and keep it and force them to make a few tackles.

"Whilst we didn't score the points we wanted to score in that 20-minute phase, we did put them under a lot of pressure and I think in the end that pressure mounted and in the second half we were able to take advantage of it."

Not everything went New Zealand's way, with rugged centre Ryan Crotty lasting only 13 minutes before being forced off following a nasty head clash with teammate Beauden Barrett.

"He's been knocked out so he won't play next week," Hansen said.

Hansen also said winger Rieko Ioane is unlikely to back up after succumbing to a hamstring injury early in the second half.

by SMH.com.au

The Wallabies Tight 5 is poor and their loosies much better - so the contest was always going to favour the AB's.

Unfortunately the opposite is true about the Springboks - their Tight 5 will be competitive - their loosies in the last test a lost cause.    They will never be able to compete with the AB loosies on the ground and unless they are changed and we have a third option line-out option - the game will be lost before it has begun.   

I am afraid the center combination of last Saturday would also be a disaster against the AB's.  They will be run to pieces by their opponents.   

The problem remains - since 2012 the Springboks won only one test against the AB's and the reason for that was that we had a decent halfback combination in the test we won.  For the rest we suffered as a result of aimless kicking representing ball possession handovers with no game plan at all in evidence.   That was exactly what the AB's needed for counter-attacking purposes.  There could have been more wins - but w e must aways bear in mind handicaps like Morne Steyn and Matfield being in the team  

Rassie has a game plan at last and that will make the Springboks more competitive, but I think beating the AB's will be a step too far at this stage after 6 years of poor coaching and team selection.. .     

The Bok loosies were very dominant. Kolisi was invisible, but still strong in contact. Though I do expect he will be overwhelmed by New Zealand. The level of power from Eben, Whitely, Marx et al was awesome. We will be much better prepared for New Zealand  physically. Now, the question remains, can they defend against New Zealand? There were a lot of positives. None of the glaring errors that have been the norm the past few years. They looked like tests quality players. The Boks were providing quick, clean ball most of the game. Pressured Argentina on too many of theirs.

Australia will not beat New Zealand. Losing Folau will in all likelihood be the end of the contest before it began. 

Damian and Kriel have no success as a partnership. How many times has Damian linked up with Kriel? Maybe once? How many times has Damian linked up with 10? What came of any of the ball he had? Kriel is like JJ, a man that wants to run at open space. He has poor defensive awareness and cannot create anything. Both players are blunt cul-de-sacs. Damian has directly conceded more than twice the amount of tries he has scored of assisted. Let that sink in. 

@Bluebok: Onto Hougaard. You are right, he never did settle. In 2012 he was the scapegoat for some very rough and shoddy work by the pack. I can't recall a Bok side having such slow ball than they did throughout that first test. He had to hack repeatedly for the ball and had no protection outside him. As soon as he touched that ball he had an Englishman right in his face. He made a game saving try saving tackle after Bismarck was beaten by the ruck fringe. Pienaar, who replaced him, was significantly worse. I thought he got a raw deal. There were several Bulls who Meyer discarded hastily to alleviate pressure from the fans. In 2014 Hougaard looked to be forming a nice combination with Pollard. It was the best halfback play of the year. Meyer discarded both Hougaard and Pollard for Reinach and Lambie. What a mistake that turned out to be! Such a pity the latter pair mysteriously came away with the plaudits. Hougaard was never a totally dependable 9, but he was far from what the critics claimed he was.

@Freifrau: The first loss to New Zealand in 2012 was as a result of Goosen being run right over by Nonu from a lineout. Literally. Which allowed New Zealand to pour through our defence. We were simply swarmed once they got in behind. The next was a try because Goosen inexplicably walked away from a ruck where he was the sole defender! New Zealand's 9 ran through and scored. It was 8-8 when Morné left. The next loss was through more defensive lapses by Goosen and Taute in particular. Goosen got run over again for a try. In 2013 the first game was the card game. In spite of being down a man we made New Zealand work. The return fixture saw us beaten as a result of no kicking. The Boks repeatedly ran from deep whereas New Zealand won the territory battle. We came close to winning the first game of 2014, it was very close. We won the next game. In 2015 we lost because of an illegal Lineout play and very scrappy ineffective backplay. Not because of kicking. In the World Cup we lost because we spent most of the game in our own half, trapped. New Zealand kicked us to pieces with grubber etc. In 2016 and 2017 we lost because every aspect of the team was ineffective. Right down to too many selection errors.

Clever Mike is obsessed with "defective aimless kicks".

bluebook

Maybe you read me incorrectly insofar as the halfbacks are concerned.  The only test we won we had a decent halfback pair - in the other losing  tests the halfback pair was poor.  Before the winning test Hansen made a remark that they knew exactly what to expect from Morne Steyn - but they do not know what will happen with Pollard at flyhalf.   That prove to be 100% correct and indicates to a large extent why the Springboks could not beat the AB's in more tests.

As to the center combination I will go back to the tests in which the Kriel- De Allende combination played against the AB's they were not overwhelmed - despite Pakie's and Mozart's BS and lies - copied by the other BSter - Nonu was dominated to such an effect that he was replaced early in the first test the two played as a combination against the AB's.   You may rest assured it did not happen.

The second test they played as a unit against the AB's was in the WC semi and they were again not dominated - despite the BS only Mozart cooked up in that test which no experts worldwide did not ever commented upon .   Fact is the combination made - despite a scarcity of balls made more line breaks than the AB's did (2 against 1) and fact is that they missed 3 tackles when the AB's controlled the game totally.   If you believe the BS spouted by Mozart and co (which in fact represent distortions of a vicious kind) you will also be disheartened. The Springboks converted 6 penalties and therewas a Matfield bugger-up that could have been a seventh conversion.  You sould hear how te Mozart BSter cxrowd tried to divert attention of that incident.

I will also trust De Allende and Kriel more than Esterhuizen and Am - who failed in both tests they played in June and was only slightly better against Argentina - fact is they were rather innocuous despite the try of Am.

The description given by AgainBSter is what it in fact total BS.   Morne Steyn was in fact the main reason for the 2012 Dunkirk test loss and in the subsequent test Morne - a total disaster in tests in 2012 - was dropped by Meyer and never played again in 2012.   Morne missed 6 penalty goal kicks that day and also missed one try conversion.  That was the main reason for  the loss. Obviously the missed goal kicks were never mentioned by our resident BSter  What he also failed to mention was Greyling playing from the bench as prop.   He was a disaster as well and was responsible for at least 3 of the points scored by the AB's with a yellow card to boot.  .  He went on to blame Taute - who never played in that test in Dunkirk for missed tackles and it proves further that he is lying through his teeth. 

In 2013 the halfback pairing was a further Morne disaster - he missed completely to find touch with two penalty line kicks in the away test and that put the Springboks on their back feet leading of scoring of two AB tries (14 points).   That was followed by a complete disaster in the home test where Morne made 7 tackles and missed 5 and aside from that was the direct reason for the second Nessam try - by not making a relieving kick seconds before the end of the first half.   Fact is Morne was run over in the first Smith try as well.   He also missed a tackle on Barrett and should at least be held 50% responsible for the scoring of that try. Obviously the BS about those incidents was covered up by Mozart and whatever AgainBSter's name was then.   When raised the response of those two were manic in that case and still is.

Beware as manic in their defense of the defective Morne Steyn is - so manic is their attack on De Allende and Kriel with falsification of facts being clear.  

So I am delighted we have at least not the BS combination we had before 2014 and when Morne was the Springbok flyhalf in 2017.    Lastly it was not I who described Morne Steyn's out of hand  kicks as BS - it was the NZ commentators who said they were over the air.   That was exactly also the case in the English test when the crowd booed Morne in the PE test.

Problem is kicking is an integral part of the game - but aimless and defective kicks are matchlosers as it only means handing over of possession to the opposition.  The joke is Mozart and co do not know the difference between poor aimless kicks and strategic kicks - they stated on site there are no such thing as poor kicks.    

.      .        

The scores are level 8-8. Morné is substituted. Form the very next lineout, Nonu runs right over Goosen which busts our defence wide open. From there New Zealand scores a try. All this, but Morné was the reason why we lost. This is the dishonesty that is getting you flogged on every thread.

The Barrett try was JJ's and Jean's failing. A basic reading of play would have deduced that. And be sure, I mean basic. Bare minimum required to know what is happening. 

I imagine how you write these gargantuan tomes. A young chap who sweeps your chimney strikes up a conversation with you about a game that was played the day before. It intrigues you greatly, so you retire to your basement, where you sit in front of your old, creeking desk. Crayon in hand, you etch your darkest imaginings as you craft a wild and fanciful tale - Not too unlike Bilbo Baggins I might add. Proud of the object of your labour, you have it typed up here.

The rest is history. One. Big. Boring. History. Ende. 

Nothing about the 6 penalties goal kicks missed by Morne?   Is that not history as well or is it supposed to be just rubbed out as if nothing has happened?   Morne was substituted after he made the missed goal kicks balls-up and the BS out of hand kicks means nothing.   Dishonesty can be applicable only to you,

I also checked the timeline on that match and here it is:-

PENALTY: Morne Steyn gives South Africa the lead from the kicking tee

TRY: Great hands and feet creates the space for Israel Dagg to cross in the corner.

Habana - try

PENALTY: Aaron Cruden has no trouble from the kicking tee to level the scores

TRY: Aaron Smith spots a gap and speeds through the Boks' defence to touch down for a try.

CONVERSION: Cruden adds the extras to give the All Blacks some more breathing room

PENALTY: Great kick from Goosen brings the Boks back within range

PENALTY: Cruden edges the All Blacks nearer victory with his second victory

PENALTY: Cruden edges the All Blacks nearer victory with his second victory

PENALTY: Cruden sets the seal on the All Blacks' win in the final act of the game

You better check your facts - the score was never 12-12 when Morne left  and the Springboks only scored  1 try in the match. and Goosen kicked one of the penalty conversion - note the word great in that sentence.  The final score was 21-11 - the score when Morne left was 13-8 at minute 59 with a conversion to follow - effectively 15-8.   

Finally in that game the center pairing was Fat Fransie and De Villiers - Engelbrecht did not play in that match either - so no Taute and.no Engelbrecht.  I also want to remind you that both Kirchner and Fat Fransie's Steyn's defense were piss poor and they were the reason for the actual scoring of the two tries.

In the 2014 test Morne did not miss the tackle on Barrett?   O yes - he slapped Barrett on his back wishing him well on the way to scoring the try.   The nasty ESPN did not accept that and registered it as a missed tackle,   Another falsification as per normal on your part.  

If you can just become honest for a change and stop being prejudiced you may see some real occurrences on the field of play and not slander some players and glorify others - who were in fact the real reasons for losing of matches.      

I expect more from you than trying to falsify info - even to the extent that you listed two players who never played in the game you claimed that they played in.  

So cry your heart out,    Poor bugger lies does not help anymore.  Totally discredited again.

Another empty article.

The All Blacks were uncharacteristically off their game early, trailing 6-0 until the 39th minute and forced into error by the Wallabies' aggressive defence.

Nearly a full half time and ABs were behind by 6. Terrible stuff. One try was enough to reset the lead. Apart from that...

The game told one thing: it takes one half time to the ABs to bury their opponents. They do not need to play two halves.

That is the current stage of lack of competition in rugby.

He got caught out - Morne was subbed at minute 59 after the try was scored and before the conversion was kicked.  If  Goosen was subbed before the try scored at minute 59  - this sub would have been earlier than minute 59 in the previous break in play..  There were no try scored after Morne was subbed.

By the way Nonu never made a line break in that game - if he ran over Goos en as claimed by you - it would have been a line break.

Listen I know you get caught with your pants down sitting in your own shit - so stop this crap and admit you lied and were wrong.