All Blacks Rise Another Level

By Gregor Paul in Dunedin

9:19 PM Saturday Oct 19, 2013

NEW ZEALAND 41
AUSTRALIA 33

Anything the All Blacks can do, the All Blacks can do better. Brilliant against South Africa, they were somehow at a level above tonight.

Absorbing, relentless, brutal, deft, subtle, flexible, direct, brave - they were all of that and more.

They were, unquestionably, impossible to defend against: the point of attack was wherever they wanted it to be.

They were a threat when they defended; they were a threat when they kicked and they were most definitely a threat when they passed and ran.

And here's the crazy thing - Australia played better than they have all year. But what were they to do? They fronted, they gave all they had, cleverly attacked the right channels, recycled, tackled and still got blown off the park. They scored tries not many other teams would have had the flair or imagination to sniff out and yet they were always chasing without ever convincing they were going to quite get there. But the All Blacks will need to be wary - the Wallabies used Israel Folau well, Will Genia came good and they are on the right track.

But there is still a gap between them which begs the question: how good are these All Blacks? Definitive statements on that will have to wait, but when they score 30 points in a half while conceding the territory and possession stakes by a distance, then they cleanly have a fair idea what they are doing with the ball.

It's the clinical and ruthless way that they attack which sets them apart. So often the lament in the modern game is of chances missed: of precision only up to a point. The All Blacks haven't left much, if anything on the field this season and were operating at an incredible one attack-one try ratio that left the Wallabies dazed.

The movement, the awareness, the skill, the speed - it was devastating. The pressure the All Blacks exerted was total. Kieran Read and Sam Cane were immense at stopping Wallaby runners on the gainline, lifting and driving them back and then this black wave would swarm over the ball and they'd be off. Defence one second, attack the next and runners were everywhere, queuing up, knowing the man in possession would have the ability to make the pass before, through or after contact.

Cane needs particular mention because he filled every inch of his No 7 shirt. He graduated from being in all the right places to being in all the right places and doing all the right things.

He had both presence and presence of mind to own the contact zones and perhaps, finally, demand to be seen as Sam Cane rather than the bloke standing in for Richie McCaw.

The physical contest wasn't really anything of the sort - that's the best way to sum it up. The world knows the Wallaby tight five love nothing more than a girls night in, with a weepy movie and a bottle of Chardonnay - but they ditched the handbags and got stuck in. That they came off second best was down to the technical excellence of the All Blacks.

They held their line to the point where they would isolate a ball carrier, double team and keep him off the ground. Charlie Faumuina was frighteningly good at it, twice stripping the ball in a flash.

It was demoralizing for Australia. All that effort, all those phases and only as they turned to chase back did they realise they had been pawns in the All Blacks' game-plan: that all the time, the All Blacks were keeping them where they wanted them, just biding their time to pounce.

What also helped in that regard was the tenacity of New Zealand's scrambling defence and solidity in the tackle when they needed it.

No one did more on that front Charlie Piutau. Early in the game he managed to halt Israel Folau twice in 20 seconds.

Not only was his defence outstanding, but so too was his wider contribution. He danced away from the touchlines when he had to, chased high balls and was always on hand.
The power and work-rate of Ma'a Nonu was a big part of the offering as was the composure and spark of Israel Dagg.

New Zealand 41 (J. Savea, S. Cane, A. Cruden, K. Read tries; A. Cruden 3 pens, 2 cons; B. Barrett pen) Australia 33 (A. Ashley-Cooper, M. Toomua, T. Kuridrani tries; Q. Cooper 3 cons, 3 pens, DG)

Australia hit back just before halftime with a try to Ashley-Cooper, created by a long and accurate pass from Cooper, who also converted.

Toomua scored after Kuridrani intercepted a pass from Savea in the 47th minute, cutting the lead to 33-26 and inflaming Australia's hopes of an upset. But Read's 54th minute try, after brilliant interpassing by Brodie Retallick, Cruden and Ma'a Nonu put New Zealand ahead 38-26 and snuffed out the Australian challenge.

"We're obviously bitterly disappointed with the result," said Australian captain James Horwill, who was replaced early in the second half. "We came here to win and we never like to lose but we're proud of the effort the boys put in. We went out swinging and that's what we wanted to do."

_____

New Zealand 41 (Julian Savea, Sam Cane, Aaron Cruden, Kieran Read tries; Cruden 3 conversions, 4 penalties; Beauden Barrett penalty), Australia 33 (Adam Ashley-Cooper, Matt Toomua, Tevita Kuridrani tries; Quade Cooper 3 conversions, 3 penalties, dropped goal). HT: 30-19.

All Blacks: Bench play vital role in stunning All Blacks' win

By Wynne Gray

5:30 AM Monday Oct 7, 2013

As predicted, NZ reserves had major influence on test outcome.

Impact from the bench, former All Black coach John Mitchell predicted, might prove to be the critical difference in the Rugby Championship shootout.

Mitchell and the NZRU do not see eye to eye but his conjecture proved right on the money with current supremo Steve Hansen.

"We emptied our tank and theirs because we think we have one of the best benches in the world," Hansen said after the pulsating 38-27 victory against South Africa.

Beauden Barrett found some gold nuggets when he came on for the injured Aaron Cruden and the coach delivered higher praise for Steven Luatua who was used on the blindside and then lock in a busy last quarter.

The All Blacks were stunned when Bryan Habana scored twice inside the opening quarter.

A double response came from Liam Messam whose selection has never been watertight and who came under further heat this week with confirmation Jerome Kaino was returning to New Zealand. Messam surged over for his first with help from Chiefs teammate Brodie Retallick and then, crucially, skipped over when the match had run well into halftime.

The Boks clocked off and the All Blacks dialled in after Kieran Read pilfered the ball from a breakdown. His teammates kept the ball moving until Andrew Hore offloaded the last vital transfer for Messam on a damaging cut run to the line.

It was a crucial blow to the Boks' morale and an example of the work ethic and All Black skill components. Their widespread athletic flair is a shade up on the Boks who have dextrous forwards like Francois Louw to offload out of the tackle but also a few clunkers.

In the same move which delivered Messam's double, five eighths Aaron Cruden caught and passed so quickly under pressure that he sucked in a defending forward.

Later there was a telling grubber kick out of defence by Sam Whitelock which changed the momentum and Read showed his class to claim the last vital try. Defensive heroes from both sides littered Ellis Park but Julian Savea's race back to clobber Willie Le Roux then Barrett's desperate chase and ankle tap on the same player were vital All Black gems.

It was compelling rugby. It was a test in which the All Blacks matched everything thrown at them.

Altitude, counter-attack, forward menace - they brought their combat kit with all the physical and mental weapons needed to confront the Springbok armoury.

Two decades ago Warwick Roger wrote Old Heroes which was a compelling account about his teenage connection to the 1956 series in New Zealand as the All Blacks clashed with the Springboks. In 2013 the country has some New Heroes, a group who kept cool as they journeyed to the red-hot atmosphere of Ellis Park and claimed their prize in the heart of enemy territory.

Thrilling All Blacks claim title

 By Patrick McKendry

6:37 AM Sunday Oct 6, 2013

All Blacks 38
Springboks 27
The All Blacks have defended their Rugby Championship title with a victory over the Springboks at Ellis Park this morning in a pulsating test which featured several moments of controversy.
The result means the All Blacks have yet to be beaten in the Championship's two year history. In what is likely to be their toughest test of the year, they stood up to the physicality of the Boks and in the end had too much skill and fitness for the home side.
Skipper Richie McCaw, back from his knee injury suffered four weeks ago, played the full 80 minutes with fellow loose forwards Kieran Read and Liam Messam, who scored two tries, also playing starring roles.
One of the biggest talking points could be the mistake by All Blacks manager Darren Shand, who mistakenly put Keven Mealamu's name on the team sheet instead of Dane Coles', the hooker taking the field in the second half when replacing Andrew Hore.
A match official took the field to alert referee Nigel Owens of the discrepancy, with Shand telling Owens it was merely a "complete typo''.

In a thrilling test in front of a crowd of almost 64,000, the lead changed hands several times, with the Boks, who needed to score a four-try bonus point and deny the visitors anything in order to win the Championship, holding a 15-7 lead in the first half.
In the end it was replacement first-five Beauden Barrett who had the honour of sealing the competition win with his individual try, one of five by the All Blacks, with 20 minutes remaining.

Gallery

The All Blacks showed courage and determination in the hostile arena, with the Boks enjoying periods of dominance. The home side scored four tries, including a double in the first quarter by Bryan Habana. It is the first time since 2010 that the All Blacks have conceded four tries in a test. They also had to cope with the sinbinnings of Messam and replacement prop Ben Franks in the second half.
Messam saw yellow for a ruck infringement, Franks for a swinging arm to prop Connie Oosthuizen's jaw.
However, despite the disadvantage, the All Blacks refused to concede anything.

Video

``That's a hell of a match to win. I haven't seen the Springboks play a match like that for a long time,'' McCaw said.
Habana's double gave the Boks the advantage after Ben Smith went through or past three defenders to score the All Blacks' first try.
However, Messam struck back with the help of a Brodie Retallick shove over the line and the loose forward scored a superb second after the halftime hooter which got the All Blacks back to a 21-15 lead.
A Willie le Roux try gave the Boks the lead again before Barrett, who replaced an injured Aaron Cruden, kicked a penalty as the lead continued to seesaw.
Barrett was at fault for Jean de Villiers' try, the Boks skipper running through him and Ma'a Nonu, but the Taranaki first-five struck back with a brilliant individual effort, which he converted, and then made an incredible run to get back and tackle Le Roux after an intercept.
It is the first time since 1997 that the All Blacks have won at Ellis Park.
All Blacks (Liam Messam 2, Ben Smith, Beauden Barrett, Kieran Read tries; Aaron Smith 3 cons, Beauden Barrett pen, 2 cons)
Springboks (Bryan Habana 2, Willie le Roux, Jean de Villiers tries; Morne Steyn pen, 2 cons)
Halftime: 21-15

Rugby: Boks shortened up by big display

By Gregor Paul 

New Zealand 29
South Africa 15

It must be terrifying for rugby's chasing pack that the All Blacks can dust off the Springboks these days without Richie McCaw, Dan Carter or Israel Dagg.

And it wasn't so much dust them off, either. This was emphatic. A better team playing better rugby getting the result they deserved.

The Boks will agitate for days, weeks, maybe even months to come that they were hampered by an unjust red card.

There's certainly merit in debating whether it was just or not, but they will be wasting their time, quite spectacularly missing the point, if they think that was the difference. They weren't going to win with 15 men - for the simple reason that no side is ever going to be able to come to Eden Park and win by only running into contact not space.

It was always a little hard to be carried away by the Boks' optimism about their chances. Their confidence had been fuelled by hammering Australia, but seriously, that really doesn't count for much.

There was never any prospect of the All Blacks capitulating at the coalface.

That's not how it works and the All Blacks gave one of the great defensive
performances.

Their structure held and towards the end of the game, they were smashing the Boks for fun. The ease with which the All Blacks absorbed the Boks cast them in the role of George Foreman in the Jungle: they slugged away at the All Blacks, every blow followed with a whispered inquiry if that was all they had.

All of which made it feel like there is a never ending well of self-belief, courage and composure embedded in this All Black camp - epitomised by outstanding captain Kieran Read.

He gave the ultimate 'follow me' performance. He was everywhere, he was low in the carry, driven, hard, resolute and calm - and almost scored a hat-trick.

If the Boks thought they had seen a crack with the absence of McCaw, they didn't so much as get the crow bar out the tool bag.

Not far behind the skipper were Sam Whitelock and Brodie Retallick - a lock pairing with edge and authority. The latter discovered a fearsome running game.

Beauden Barrett is on the hero list. Thrust into battle after 20 minutes, he made a big statement about his big future.

The focus shouldn't be on individuals, though, as this was a night where the All Blacks inspired with their collective effort.

Not only was their defence superb, they went well at scrum and lineout, held the Boks to just one rolling maul and didn't give much away at the breakdown. When it came to the actual playing of the game, the bit the Boks always forget is just as important, the All Blacks were light years ahead. They created space and exploited space. The Boks wanted to keep running into contact and more often than not, they would run once too often, spilling the ball.

It was the All Blacks who were missing their big names, scrambling around with the kids from their bench, but it was the All Blacks who were more accurate and aware.

The Boks were of course restricted in what they could do because they were reduced to 14 men.

Was it unfair? Probably. Reckless, brilliant, deliberate - or possibly even a bit of all three, the intent of Bismarck du Plessis's thunderous hit on Daniel Carter will be debated for weeks yet.

He deserves the benefit of the doubt on the first yellow card. Carter was fair game, du Plessis was onside, he timed it beautifully and he clobbered his man. The head coming through was a bit ugly, but he did use his arms and rugby has to be careful that it doesn't react automatically to big hits that really do need to be part of the game.

But his second infringement was bad. A deliberate elbow to Liam Messam had intent. It was Messam who was at the core of the scrap that ensued after the Carter tackle and du Plessis clearly hadn't forgotten.

And those exchanges in the seconds after that first incident were further indication of why this Springbok side fancies itself. They think they are big enough and bad enough to bludgeon and bully their way to the top of rugby's pecking order but their chronic lack of footballing skills will always leave them vulnerable.

The challenge they presented last night was exclusively physical. There's almost 20 years of history that says that's not enough to gain a win at Eden Park.

New Zealand 29 (K. Read 2, B. Retallick tries; D. Carter con; B. Barrett 2 cons, pen) South Africa 15 (B. du Plessis, P. Lambie tries; M. Steyn con, pen).

It's still the Garden of Eden for All Blacks

The temptation is to declare this a great All Blacks' victory led by a stirring display from their stand-in skipper. But this result will always have the proverbial asterisk beside it because of a farcical red card dished out to Boks enforcer Bismarck du Plessis, just minutes into the second half.

Yes, the All Blacks won well to extend their undefeated run in 2013 to seven tests and make it four from four in this Rugby Championship. And, yes, Kieran Read was magnificent as he led his men admirably in the absence of the injured Richie McCaw and scored a try in each half for good measure.

But for nearly half of this contest it was 15 men against 14 - du Plessis sinbinned in the first half for a flat-out bad decision - and red carded less than two minutes into the second half for a raised elbow in a tackle. That tilted this delicious match decisively in the home team's favour.

The All Blacks did what they had to. They didn't make the borderline calls. Read led brilliantly, Brodie Retallick produced another scintillating display of his all-round skills, and flankers Sam Cane and Liam Messam stood up to their physical challenges splendidly.

The scrums were a mess throughout - a glaring advertisement for the fact the new regulations haven't worked. Beauden Barrett also stepped in admirably for the injured Dan Carter after just quarter of an hour and was decisive in all he did, while the rest of the backs played their parts in a high-tempo contest.

The match did take a toll on the All Blacks. Carter's shoulder looks bad, while Israel Dagg departed at halftime with a leg injury.

The Boks were all fire and brimstone, but were taken out of the contest by the du Plessis red card. We won't know how good they really are until the return at Ellis Park.

After all the talk about whether the All Blacks would cope with the Bok physicality, it took just three minutes for the home side to answer those doubts with a rollicking forward try to skipper Read. It came after Ma'a Nonu's cleverly angled kick had set up a lineout just 5m out, and once Owen Franks made the first hitup, it was left to Read to power over with a little help from his mates for an early 7-0 lead.

Morne Steyn got the South Africans on the board five minutes later with his first penalty, and then things really kicked off in an action-packed 16th minute when the All Blacks lost Carter, and the Boks lost du Plessis to the sinbin.

The hooker's shoulder charge on Carter looked dodgy, but replays showed the hit was legit and that referee Romain Poite had over-reacted big time.

The All Blacks may have lost their master playmaker in the incident, but not their cool once everything settled down after some pushing and shoving.

Barrett made a bad start when he missed touch off a penalty, but made up for that in the 22nd minute when his big break up the middle set up Retallick for a clean run between the posts.

At 14-3 down, the Boks were not done. Just after the half-hour mark they declined a shot at goal and were rewarded when the returned du Plessis was driven over via a 10-man shove. Only a late Barrett penalty extended the All Blacks' lead to seven by the half.

Then the game turned. Two minutes after the restart du Plessis had raised his elbow into the throat area of Liam Messam, and Poite had flourished his second yellow card for the tough hooker, followed shortly by the obligatory red.

From there - as is the way with these things - the contest was effectively decided.

The All Blacks added second-half tries to Read and Sam Cane, who had a storming game, to bring up the bonus point, and a match-winning 29-10 lead with a dozen minutes left.

It then got rather ugly. The All Blacks lost Read (lineout infringement) and Ma'a Nonu (late shoulder charge) to yellow cards, and suddenly the Boks pounced with a 75th-minute try to Pat Lambie off Steyn's nicely weighted cross-kick.

At 29-15, the visitors had a sniff of a bonus point, but the match finished with the All Blacks making the tackles they needed to and the visitors denied a crumb of consolation.

The All Blacks continue their 19-year, now 32-test unbeaten run on Eden Park, and the Boks must wait for another tilt at ending their own 76-year hoodoo on the ground. But one thing is for sure - the rematch, and championship decider, at Ellis Park in will be something special.

UPSIDE

The days of the All Blacks needing Richie McCaw and/or Dan Carter to operate near their best may be over. With the skip absent and Carter lasting just 15 minutes, the New Zealand machine ticked along nicely. But, of course, that red card leaves us unable to make any definitive judgments.

DOWNSIDE

Bismarck du Plessis' dreadfully unlucky sending off for two so-called yellow card offences was a stain on what was shaping as a wonderful test. Rugby's ridiculous red card rules ruin another big occasion and leave us thirsting for the rematch in Jo'burg.

STAR MAN

The All Blacks have themselves a new Captain Fantastic. Kieran Read was magnificent, with a try in each half, as he muscled up big time to show the Boks they're not the only tough guys running round in international rugby. Quality leadership too.

New Zealand 29 (Kieran Read 2, Brodie Retallick, Sam Cane tries; Dan Carter con; Beauden Barrett pen, 2 cons)South Africa 15 (Bismarck du Plessis, Patrick Lambie tries; Morne Steyn pen, con). Ht: 17-10

All Blacks just too strong for Wallabies

If you're starting to take this All Black dominance of Australia for granted, banish those thoughts.

New Zealand's vice-like grip on the Bledisloe Cup - and Wallaby rugby minds - is now so absolute it should be considered a national treasure.

Steve Hansen's All Blacks tonight secured the Bledisloe Cup for an 11th consecutive season as they despatched the Wallabies for the second straight week with another very impressive performance, winning 27-16.

Sure, it was a bit more competitive, a bit less comprehensive in front of a sellout crowd of 38,000 at the Cake Tin. But this was still an All Blacks outfit operating at a higher level than the Wallabies, able to dominate the set piece, eventually the breakdown and certainly the kicking contest.

Israel Folau's late intercept try made it all look a bit more respectable, but this was still a quality display from an All Blacks side who are going to be very hard to peg back in the Rugby Championship.

It was also a brilliant way to mark Tony Woodcock's 100th test, with the veteran loosehead prop becoming just the fourth All Black centurion. The sight of the black scrum making mincemeat of the Wallabies in the second half indicated he enjoyed himself immensely out there.

It was a fabulous debut from 24-year-old Cantab Tom Taylor at first five, too, before he went off late with a rib injury. The kid was composed, slotted five of his eight shots at goal and for a fourth-string No 10 he looks a classy operator indeed.

It was also another good night for Ben Smith on the wing, with two more tries to add to his growing haul. His only black mark was a bad tackle miss on James O'Connor, but we'll forgive him that as he continues to thrive out wide on the right. It was heartening, too, to see Israel Dagg running with real intent.

The forwards, of course, played their part, dominant at the scrum and eventually at the breakdown once the early Aussie fury was contained. They also caused plenty of mischief at the Wallaby lineout. Steven Luatua continues to look a natural at this level, Kieran Read and Richie McCaw again got through a ton of work and Brodie Retallick also had a strong game.

"We put them under a lot of pressure at scrum time and even at the lineout in the end we started to dominate on their throw," said Hansen when asked what got his team home. "The biggest factor was our ability to make the most of our opportunities. When we had opportunities, we scored."

McCaw said the Wallabies gave them real problems early at the breakdown, but important adjustments were made. "They brought the intensity we expected but probably didn't match for the first period. But we hung in there and when the momentum did change we capitalised on their mistakes."The Wallabies started with a hiss and a roar, but lost their shape as the game went on. Their kick game was again sub-par, and they fell off too many tackles. The good news for Ewen McKenzie is that he doesn't see the All Blacks again till the now dead third Bledisloe in a couple of month' time.

The Wallabies had brought the intensity through the opening half, but once again it was the All Blacks who revealed the strike power for a decisive 15-6 lead.

Naturally both of their first-half tries went to Ben Smith who can do no wrong at the moment. You get the feeling if he was dropped in a mud puddle he'd come up smelling of roses the way things are rolling for him.

They call him 'the Ghost' in this team, and he's certainly popping up in all the right places. Smith's two first-half touchdowns, both courtesy of brilliant handling inside, took his tally for the year's tests to seven in five matches, and five in the last two against the Wallabies.

The first came around the 27-minute mark, with the All Blacks trailing 6-0. Read did very well to snaffle an Israel Dagg high kick, and from there Conrad Smith, Ma'a Nonu, Luatua and Dagg played their part to put Ben Smith into space on the right.

Taylor slotted his first penalty, then narrowly missed a real thump from 52 metres out before the All Blacks struck again right in the shadow of halftime.

This time it was the impressive Luatua who carved the opening when he sliced clean through the defence and was only brought down short of the line by Michael Hooper's desperate tackle.

But Luatua did well to get back to his feet, and from there it was more crisp hands right, and that man Smith over in the corner for a score that must have knocked the stuffing out of the Wallabies.

The All Blacks failed to cross the Australian line in the second half, content to rack up four penalties to make the game safe, and Folau struck late when he snaffled Nonu's loose pass to dash 70m.

But this was New Zealand's night again. Too good, too strong. One more year, Australia.

New Zealand 27 (Ben Smith 2 tries; Tom Taylor 4 pens, con; Israel Dagg pen), Australia 16 (Israel Folau try; Christian Leali'ifano 3 pens, con). HT: 15-6