Watched the game a second time

It still remains a spectacle and really one of the best matches for years.   In watching the full game a second time  I took note on a number of issues and would like to comment on the performance of some SA players:-

*   Kirchner was extremely poor at full back and did very little right.  When he ran with ball in hand he ran straight into defenders - and there being no support he lost the ball and had the potential of giving away penalties.   His tackling was poor and the last ball he kicked directly into touch was a match-loser.  

*   Morne  Steyn was also not up to standard.   He missed conversion of two tries - Morne under pressure will miss kicks at goal.   His tackling was diabolic - the end result being tries for the All Blacks - - according to ESPN he missed 4 out of 10 attempted tackles - other sources says 5.   He was standing flatter and passed balls even though he should in at least two cases kicked the ball himself.   Seemingly does not know always what to do with the ball.

*   Willem Alberts - played for about 38 minutes and in that time carried 1 ball for about 6 meters a 2nd carry gained no meters.   Made a missed tackle on Read - which let to the Ben Smith try.   Also contributed to Messam's  first try.   Fell over his own feet trying top tackle Aaron Smith and instead of covering a potential drive was in the maul and not anywhere in sight,   Was too slow to be a factor in defence out wide and normally arrived at breakdown points late with no consequential benefit to the team.   Took 2 line outs as well.   On average not an acceptable showing.

*  Juandre Kruger - did he actually play?   O yes - he failed to take to kick ins handing possession to the AB's and for the rest did squat  

*   Kolisi had a better game than Alberts - but in trying to catch a line out ball near the AB tryline - he knocked the ball on badly - handing over possession to the AB's and also put a stop to any Springbok attack.  He had an exceptional run with the ball and stopped Nonu from scoring a try.   However, for a loosie playing 43 minutes - his tackle count was extremely low - other than the Nonu tackle he made only  2 other tackles.   This was not on the whole not good enough.

There is one crucial factor that should be borne in mind.   The AB loosies often enough tackled Springbok backline players attacking through the middle or out wide.   The Springbok loosies was nowhere in sight.   However, Vermeulen and Louw played a crucial roles in the Habana tries and they certainly deserve credit for that.

Now for the bad one insofar as new Zealand  players are concerned:-

*   McCa played - but was by far the worst player in the AB side bearing in mind his stats as well.

*   Cruden came second in that stakes.   Did really nothing of note and his defence is very questionable.

*   Retallick came a close third - the brush off by Steyn when he attempted to tackle him was a joke.  

SUMMARY

I would say the weak links in the SDpringbok team was in fact the players listed above.   I think that on the whole some changes to the Springbok team is essential if we want to improve and develop the team to play better rugby.

Mozart

What did I mention that did not happen during the game?   I cannot say I have blinkers on - because I dealt with all issues that actually happened.   What I said did happen - so no blinkers needed.  You watched the game with your normal prejudice and could not see anything wrong in what some players were up to.

Did Morne miss all those tackles - or did he not?   Did he missed 2 conversions - yes or no?  Did he knock on the ball when Le Roux was caught near the try-line?  Yes or know - please be honest for a change.

Every other incident was as I described it - and the players you support all out were the bad eggs in the basket.

You call me a moron - but it takes one to identify one.   

Mozart

Ever heard of the famous Afrikaans expression - "soort soek soort" - you must be desperate to find companionship as a moron. 

Why don't you answer my questions?   If you are honest enough to do just that - please proceed - I would like to see your comments.  

Clever Mike ...you being very funny saying McCaw was our worst player. Bless you mate for that little gem.

In response i would have to say DeVilliers was the worst Springbok player as he spent the whole time yapping in referee Nigel Owens ear.

In honesty though who could doubt how influential the captains were and no doubt the great King Richie will be getting a gong out of this. Arise Sir Ritchie.

One of the greatest All Blacks ever to don the black jersey.

And btw Clever mike what was the score when Aaron Cruden went off injured.

Just think if Bismark had'nt put that hit on Carter then Barret would'nt even have played. Divine justice in the end was'nt it? LOLZA

Clevermike why is  it that the media think Retallick has the making of a quality lock, even Colin Meads endorses him but SA fans continue to think he isn't?  He was only just shaded by Etzebeth in the game and Whitelock for me was the lock who contributed the most beating out Etzebeth? So maybe NZ does still produce quality locks contrary to SA opinion.

Blackadder

Sorry - I am and always was a big fan of McCaw - but I looked strictly at his performance on Saturday.   His stats was as follows:-

The performance of the All Blacks as a team was magical.   However, if you analyse the statsof McCaw - it was not on par with the general team performance inasmuch   as -

*   he carried the ball rarely (4 times) and in all carries he gained only 8 meters in territory;

*   he lost possession of the ball once;

*   he made 13 tackles - but missed five tackles completely; and

*   he gave away one penalty.

That in context of the game was not a top performance - I am sorry to say.  Incidentally the referee was kind to him - while lying on the wrong side of the maul, the referee gave Messam a yellow - while it should have been McCaw who should have been carded.

All captains talk to referees - McCaw probably more than any other captain.

Polyboy

I am a Whitelock admirer - but do not think much of Retallick for obvious reasons.   He is not really a good enough line out jumper - but his tackling stats are good and he is good in open phases of play and ineffective in tight phases.

Despite the fact that I always have Whitelock in my fantasy sport selections - a sign of my support no doubt - I do not agree with you about him being better than Etzebeth on Saturday.   My feeling is that Etzebeth was in fact better - if the following match statistics are borne in mind:-

I still have my doubts about Retallick and knows that most AB supporters do not agree with me on that score.  

Mozart

Still no rugby related comments - you really are an imbecile if you think you can keep quiet about what actually happened on the field of play and the problems in performance will vanish as if by magic.  What did I say that was not factual?  

 Clever mike...You could not be more wrong unfortunately buddy so stop talking a load of rubbish as Richie McCaw was not only the top tackler with 15 tackles, seven assists and only three misses.

But also top player for arrivals at the breakdowns.

 So i suggest you check your facts first next time before running off at the mouth.

The All Blacks made 141 tackles and 35 tackle assists in this match, missing just 19. In the first half they had to make 41 tackles, 14 assists and missed six. In the second half they made 100 tackles, 21 assists and missed 13 tackles.

Of those 141 tackles, 46 had to be made in the All Blacks' own 22. Of the 19 tackles the All Blacks missed, just three were inside their 22.

As i said Richie McCaw was the top tackler with 15 tackles, seven assists and three misses. Kieran Read was the next best with 13 tackles, six assists and two misses. Ma'a Nonu (11), Conrad Smith (11) and Aaron Smith (10) were also called upon to make plenty of tackles in this game.

The Springboks had to make 85 tackles and missed 31. They missed seven tackles in their own 22, four of which came when Ben Smith scored the opening try of the match.Top tacklers for the Springboks were Francois Louw with 10 and Willem Alberts with nine. Willie Le Roux was their worst tackler making just one tackle and missing six, while Morne Steyn made five but also missed five.

No surprise that yet again McCaw was the top player for arrivals to the breakdown, being in the first three players on 34 occasions. He was well backed up by Sam Whitelock (23 arrivals), Tony Woodcock (15) and Brodie Retallick (14).

The All Blacks won the breakdown with four clean steals and a penalty won for the tackled player not releasing. Read, McCaw, Retallick and Sam Cane all won turnovers.

Impact off the bench was key for the All Blacks with Wyatt Crockett having a busy 27 minutes with 12 breakdown arrivals and seven tackles, Steven Luatua stealing two lineouts off the Springboks in his 17 minutes, while Beauden Barrett scored a try, kicked a penalty and two conversions, and made a try-saving tackle when he ankle-tapped Willie Le Roux a metre from the try line.

The All Blacks conceded nine penalties in this game which was less than their average for this Rugby Championship of 11.5, but they also conceded two yellow cards. Of those nine penalties, four were conceded in their own 22. The Springboks conceded just five penalties.

Turnovers cost the Springboks, particularly in the second half of the game. Of their 25 turnovers, 16 came in the second half made up of 10 handling errors, three lineout losses, two breakdown turnovers, being held up in a maul, and penalised for not releasing the ball when tackled.

The All Blacks conceded a total of 15 turnovers, of which nine were handling errors. They only conceded six turnovers in the second half of the match (three handling errors, a scrum penalty, a lineout and an accidental off-side).

Bryan Habana's two tries saw him pass Christian Cullen's record of 16 Rugby Championship/Tri-Nations tries to become the leading try scorer with 17, while Ben Smith set a new record for number of tries in a Rugby Championship season with his opening try of the game, finishing with a tally of eight.

It was the first time since 2010 that the All Blacks have conceded four tries in a Rugby Championship/Tri-Nations test.

Herald

Blackadder

The stats - quoted above by me on McCaw came from ESPN Scrum - who are normally very accurate and because they are normally very accurate.

Because you provided other stats - I also checked the Foxsport stats - which largely confirmed the above:-

   *  They also had tackles made as 13 and tackles missed as 5;

   *   They confoirm the loss in possession;

   *   They confiorm the penalty given away:

   *   They gave him as carrying the ball 3 times - not 4 times. 

I went further and checked the Test Rugby stats:-

   *   They also indicate 3 ball carries; but

   *   They credit him with only 11 tackles

   *   They confirm the loss of possession and penalty info of ESPN.

I creditd the team with excellent performances - but was critical of McCaw - his personal performance was to my mind - compared with the rest of the team - not really as good as it should be.   My personal observation was that he was not very visible during the test as he normally is.

Hard it is for AB supporters to accept criticism of McCaw - I was not overly impressed by his performances since his return from his sabbatical and the one on Saturday was about on par with his performances in other tests he played in this year.   In the case of the other two stats references I referred to the point allocations for McCaw was as follows:-

Foxsport        -        5

Test Rugby    -     125

A good performance in Foxsport terms would earn above 25 points - in the case of Test Rugby above 200 points.   In both cases he was in fact way below par - and really statistically and on the field of play he was nothing more than a satisfactory overall performer.

I know the Herald article quoted by you give a very positive picture of what McCaw did - but I do not know where they get their stats from and it does not seem as if they are correct    As you would see - my criticism of serial offenders in the Springbok side was extremely severe - my criticism of some AB players only marginally so.     Be it as it may - newspapers generally aim at increasing their sales - so I am always critical of their often enough biased comments.

I am afraid that great player as he was - McCaw is in a declining phase of his career.   He is not a shadow of the player he was two years ago - and there were signs that last year there were some decreases in his performance level.   This year his performances in tests were really not above average  but definitely not good . 

 Clever mike i can understand your perspective as its probabaly extremely hard for South africans to accept that a New Zealander is one of the rugby greats after all it has largely come at your expense. My commiserations you're obviously hurting badly and in damage control.

No mean feat though you will have to concede beating the Spingboks at home with only 14 men. That takes real leadership. A concept that obviously escapes you.

What players had better tackling stats and first to breakdowns arivals than McCaw then out of interest ?

Blackadder

Let me explain one thing.  Years ago - in fact a year before McCaw was included in the  All Black team - I wrote on a site similar to this one that I saw McCaw playing in the Super series and that I think he would be a rugby great.   At the time some NZ members said I was wrong in my assessment. 

Since then I have been an avid supporter and admirer of McCaw - not because of anything other than rugby performances.   There is no jelousy on my part - only what I hope - is objective assessment  of his capacity as a player.

Looking at performances I think McCaw reached his peak in 2009-10.   In 2011 he was still tops - but I noted a slight decline in performances in 2012 as compared to 2011.   Still a very good performer..

Then followed the sabbatical and the latest tests.   There definitely was a serious decline in performances this year compared to last year and the performance on Saturday showed some of those elements.   In two of his first three tests he played in - he was fatter than his normal playing weight (he normally at his peak weighed 102 kgs) - in the first three tests his weight was reflected  at 108 kgs.   That type of increase affect mobility which could have been shortcomings in those tests.  He gave away 7 penalties in 2 tests and made some handling errors as well.

I was saddened by what I saw - not jealous or anything else.  However, we all have a problem of getting  older and McCaw is no exception.  In sportsmen aging affects performances in all codes of sport - and in McCaw's case it is also in evidence.

Sorry - but being an admirer - who never went along with criticism by other SA members and punched holes in their arguments of the past - I remain with what I said and that is that the performance decline is saddening.

 Clever mike ...but you fail to provide the stats to support someone had done better than McCaw therefore your appraisal of his performance on Saturday is totally invalid and you have no credibility - unless you can back up your assessment by providing another players name that has better stats than those of McCaws ( whom i remind you that you said was by far the worst player in the AB side )

You also fail to acknowledge the value of his leadership .

You are welcome to your opinion though as deluded as it may be.

Blackadder

Look at the stats of other  AB players only.   Five missed tackles is very bad and his ball carries were average.   Handing over possession and a penalty is also negative.     

 Cmon if you're so Clever mike, who had better tackling stats and first arrivals at the breakdowns.

Name that player . I'm waiting....

Couchpotato

i got it from stats of last year - ie before his sabbatical.   Being a strong supporter for years - I followed his career carefully.   He never was 106 kgs - in all tests he played earlier his weight was given as 102 kgs.   That was his weight from the start of his career till last year.   Fact is he picked up 6 kilos during his sabbatical.

I love the response of the NZ members - partly because of needling - but one thing is for sure - the longer McCaw hangs around - the longer we will have Cane out of contention.   That really is the future star amongst the NZ loosies.  

Hopefully McCaw is still in contention during the 2014 RC - would love to see that - because another year and it would be sure - he will be worse than he was this year - so - hurrah for McCaw.

One thing I always wonder about - why does players not retire from playing rugby while at their peak?  Why do they stay on if it can damage their reputation in the long run?   Just a thought though.    

 So Clever mike...now i've taken you to task ,you're admitting that you're a complete fraud and were talking a load of codswollop.

Thats all i wanted to hear mate.

I'll remember that for future reference that anything you post is complete BS and i will disregard it as such.

And Clever mike, i'm sure all Saffas would love King Ritchie to retire afterall he's left your proud sporting nation totally and utterly shattered.

Hail King Richie...Long may you reign.

Im telling you all and I notice post started on this but it was the EXTREMELY POOR decision to replace Bismark with Strauss that cost the Boks that game.

Bismark was on fire and hes a true leader in that team - hard and tough...

Losing Habana didn't help but either but - AIGs admittedly showed their class and with fair refereeing decisions they still managed the win.

Completely agree though that McCaw over the hill - and stats back it up - I hope the AIGs do retain him for next RWC...

On that Boks shaping nicely for RWC - I wonder if they'll retain their current inside backs?? Surely new halfback on the cards...

BTW Barrett showed his class and could easily take over from teeny tiny cruden. 

Cloudy

I start the debate on McCaw because I know it is regarded as heresy by the NZ supporters if McCaw is criticized in any way.  It was a bit of needling - but there is one thing I am serious about.  McCaw is not the player he was a year ago.   His performances this year in tests was not those of the McCaw I followed for years and admired a lot.

Whether the NZ supporters want to know it or not - there is a decline in his performances and the absence from playing rugby for more than 6 months may have been the reason.  However, what is likely is that McCaw's age is catchimg up wioth him and we all know that age is a factor in rugby.

The above may be my observations - and NZ fans may differ from me - but I believe it is an issue which should be under the microscope and followed continuously to ensure that it ultimately not affect NZ rugby detrimentally.