THE last time that South Africa failed to score in a home test was exactly 105 years ago, so it must have come as quite a humiliation when it happened yesterday. New Zealand came to Newlands looking for revenge after being turned over by the same opp
onents in Dunedin a few weeks back, and their 19-0 win in the Cape puts the men in black back in the Tri Nations driving seat.
Richie McCaw's sublime left-foot grubber kick set up a seventh minute try for centre Conrad Smith, but it remained a 5-0 game until late into the second half when the Blacks made the game safe with two more scores from Dan Carter and Keven Mealamu, the latter intercepting a home pass as the Springboks attempted to run out of defence.
Still, the match could have been all over by half time. The normally reliable Carter somehow contrived to fluff five of his seven shots at goal, including three missed penalties between the 10th and the 30th minute that he would normally have nailed. In fact, the flyhalf's stats were actually just two from nine if his two attempted drop goals are included.
Perhaps the wind was a bigger problem than it looked because Percy Montgomery returned the favour. The veteran full back enjoyed mixed fortunes on the day that he became the first Springbok to reach the 100-cap mark, missing two penalties early in the second half, either of which could have sparked the Springbok fightback.
Naturally enough it arrived in any event. With the All Blacks defending a precious five-point lead, the Boks hammered at the visitors' try-line early in the second half, bayed on by a crowd full of drummers. The green tide was broken by two events which pretty much summed up the entire match. They lost a turnover on the All Blacks line and, when they mounted their next attack, they lost another turnover on the All Blacks 22.
Quite simply, the home side was roasted at the breakdown with the new ELV's playing into the hands of the smaller but more athletic Kiwi forwards. Time and again the Springbok attacks came to nothing simply because they were unable to keep their hands on the ball for long enough to build any pressure.
They also made far too many simple mistakes. He may be the best scrum-half in the world, but Fourie du Preez looked anything but in yesterday's match. The World Cup winner kicked dead at least twice and he was not the only culprit. Indeed, the die may have been cast as early as the first kick off which Butch James hoofed straight into touch. Nor did the bench help. Ricky Januarie fumbled at the base of the scrum when he came on and Frans Steyn failed to find touch with a penalty when he replaced Montgomery.
The match was played at great intensity but it was still a scrappy affair with the referee erring on the fussy. He incensed both the partisan Cape Town crowd and the home skipper Victor Matfield, who claimed that he was only penalising one side at the breakdown. There was an element of truth in that but Burger was still lucky to stay on the field after goodness knows how many warnings.
In the end, South Africa were probably happy not to concede a bonus point for a fourth New Zealand try. Replacement prop John Alfoa had an opportunity that was wiped off by the TMO before Carter popped up at the end of a long series of phases to find a gap under the posts.
The fly-half wasn't going to miss from that range and he then converted Mealamu's effort five minutes from time after Jean de Villiers had forced a blind pass on his own goal line that will bring him out in a cold sweat for weeks to come.
His namesake, Pieter de Villiers the Springboks coach, was already under pressure before this match and the heat will only intensify after this lacklustre performance from the world champions. At least they earned a 0-0 draw 105 years ago.
South Africa: P Montgomery (F Steyn 56); PJ Pietersen, A Jacobs, J de Villiers, B Habana (C Jantjes 47); B James, F du Preez (E Januarie 59); T Mtawarira, B du Plessis (A Strauss 75), CJ van der Linde (BMujati 75), A Bekker, V Matfield (captain), S Burger (L Watson 59), J Smith, P Spies (D Rossouw 75).
Replacements: 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22.
New Zealand: M Muliaina; R Kahui, C Smith, M Nonu, S Sivivatu (I Toeava 21); D Carter (S Donald 75), J Cowan (P Weepu 52); T Woodcock, A Hore (K Mealamu 60) G Somerville (J Afoa 47),B Thorn, A Williams, J Kaino, R McCaw (captain), R So'oialo (A Thomson 76).
Scorers: New Zealand – Tries: Carter, Smith, Mealamu; Cons: Carter (2)
Referee: Matt Goddard (ARU)
The full article contains 841 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
