Ken Borland

It is palpably unfair, but Springbok captain Jean de Villiers is painfully aware that if his team lose to the world champion All Blacks at Soccer City on Saturday then general opinion in the country will be that South African rugby is going to the dogs.

An impressive 31-8 victory last weekend over Australia lifted the mood, but has also created unfair expectations that the Springboks are favourites to beat New Zealand, who boast 939 test caps compared to South Africa’s paltry 490, and are, of course, the World Cup holders and unbeaten in 15 matches stretching back a year.

“We need to keep on evolving and, in this country, that’s usually judged by the result alone. If we put on a bad show, then we’re back where we started. We gained some momentum last weekend, and we want to build some more to take with us on the end-of-year tour,” De Villiers said on Friday.

“We played very well last weekend, but the pressure is still on us to perform. Australia had injury upon injury during that game, which definitely had an impact, so we’re not suddenly thinking we’re a great team. We’re happy with the improvement shown, but we’re very aware that we need to step up to another level this weekend.”

South Africa overwhelmed the Wallabies and did enough up front to beat the All Blacks in Dunedin in their last two outings and that has definitely added to the expectation.

But the All Blacks received plenty of flak from their fans for that performance in Dunedin and are also chasing the world record for successive wins, currently sitting on 15 with just three more needed to equal Lithuania’s mark set in 2010.

And that means Richie McCaw’s men have a point to prove and will come out firing.

“Our big goal is to be better than we were 12 months ago and if we don’t get things right tomorrow, then we’ll undo a lot of the good work we’ve done. Even though we’ve won the Rugby Championship, there’s still this big challenge ahead of playing the Springboks at home. It will be a huge test of where we are as a team,” McCaw said.

Eighthman Kieran Read was even more demanding in his analysis of what was riding on the game.

“It would really cement our number one status to win away from home against one of the top sides. If we don’t win, then a lot of what we’ve achieved goes out the window. To be number one, you can’t just win at home and it’s really important to win this weekend, there’s no bigger challenge than playing the Springboks at home,” Read said.

The one area where the hosts should definitely show an improvement as compared to their last match against the All Blacks will be in turning their possession into attacking opportunities.

With Johan Goosen making his first start at flyhalf, they scored five tries against Australia and could of scored more, thanks to an attacking edge that had been absent until then.

De Villiers will not place the hopes of the team in one man, especially one so young and still relatively unproven at the highest level, but he did confirm the 20-year-old Free Stater would be a key figure.

“Johan will be under pressure, but not a lot seems to bother him, he just gets on with the job. The bigger the event, the bigger his response seems to be. He’s a great player with unbelievable talent and a good head on his shoulders,” De Villiers said.

McCaw acknowledged Goosen’s threat.

“Goosen certainly played well last week, he got good ball and used it well so guys like Bryan Habana could benefit. He certainly backs himself and we’ve seen his ability with the Cheetahs in SuperRugby, so we’ll have to keep an eye on him and limit the amount of good ball he gets,” McCaw said.

While the All Blacks must be favourites on Saturday and will surely not deviate much from their expansive, fast-paced game that likes to get the ball wide, there is still plenty of intrigue surrounding the match, the 85th in this great rivalry between the two greatest rugby nations.

De Villiers is relishing the cat-and-mouse build-up to what should be an epic occasion on the outskirts of Soweto.

“We expect anything from the All Blacks, this mental battle, trying to outwit each other, that’s what’s great about Test match rugby. But we have an idea what we think they’re going to bring to the table,” the Springbok skipper said.

The Springboks will be tested in the scrums by the quality front row of Woodcock, Hore and Owen Franks, although Jannie du Plessis, Adriaan Strauss and Tendai Mtawarira have been in good form themselves.

We can expect an almighty tussle in the lineouts, New Zealand coach Steve Hansen recognising South Africa’s strength in that area by choosing Adam Thomson in the squad ahead of a more traditional openside flank in Sam Cane.

The All Blacks obviously have proven match-winners in McCaw and flyhalf Dan Carter, but Duane Vermeulen and Francois Louw were destructive forces in the ruck last weekend in Pretoria and it will be vital that they keep the New Zealand loosies in check.

The All Blacks backs are the obvious danger. The masterful Carter has the world’s most accomplished current centre pairing in Ma’a Nonu and Conrad Smith to work with, while the attacking threat posed by the back three of Israel Dagg, Cory Jane and Hosea Gear is the stuff of nightmares.

If the kicking game is not absolutely spot-on, or the chase is tardy in any way, the All Blacks will punish the Springboks.

The previous rugby Test at Soccer City proves the point. With the scores tied up at 22-22 in the final minute, Nonu broke from deep and Dagg finished a spectacular match-winning try.

The All Blacks have shown a liking for the big stage and with over 90,000 people expected in Nasrec on Saturday, they will be out to dazzle.

http://dailymaverick.co.za/article/2012-10-06-boks-vs-all-blacks-the-heat-is-on

South Africa coach Heyneke Meyer praised a top-class defensive effort for his team’s five-try, 31-8 victory over Australia in their Rugby Championship Test at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

The Springboks became the first team in this year’s competition to register a try-scoring bonus point as wing Bryan Habana collected a hat-trick, but Meyer said the new-found attacking spark had its roots in their defence.

“You’re only as good as your defence, that’s how you put pressure on and then you score from turnovers. Our defence was awesome tonight. Australia want a high-tempo game, but these players always put their bodies on the line,” Meyer told a news conference after the Test.

Captain Jean de Villiers also credited other factors for the try-scoring spree that took their tally from six to 11 in five matches.

“The space is not always there but when your territorial game is as fantastic as it was tonight and we were really good at the breakdown, then you can afford to run the ball more. It worked nicely for us tonight,” De Villiers said.

While the Springboks enjoyed a steady diet of front-foot ball, Wallaby coach Robbie Deans was bemoaning a total lack of momentum for his side.

“South Africa played well tonight, they should be given credit. They were very good around the collisions and didn’t allow us much front-foot ball. Their defence was very effective and we used up players trying to run at them or to stop their ball-carriers,” Deans said.

Australia also had tremendous misfortune with injuries, with fullback Berrick Barnes and outside centre Adam Ashley-Cooper having to leave the field in the first half. With eighthman Radike Samo and lock Kane Douglas also limping off, the Wallabies then had to finish the match with 14 men because referee Alain Rolland would not allow injured hooker Tatafu Poloto-Nau to be replaced, ruling the visitors had already used seven substitutions, with prop Benn Robinson returning to the field in the second half after going off before the break.

“It was bizarre and the carnage of all those injuries was unprecedented in my experience. We were still in the game at half-time, but had to finish with a halfback on the wing and, with all those injuries, it was just asking too much for us to get home,” Deans said.

The Wallabies coach believed the decision to not allow replacement hooker Saia Fainga’a on the field was unfair.

“The fourth referee said at the time we could replace Tatafu, then that decision was changed. Benn Robinson was a strategic substitution in the first half and his situation was irrelevant.”

Despite the impressive, convincing win, Meyer said the Springboks’ finishing still needed to improve, with flyhalf Johan Goosen, fullback Zane Kirchner and replacement centre Juan de Jongh all having close looks at the tryline but failing to score.

“I’m very proud of this young team tonight, but three tries were just a centimetre away and you have to convert those. So I’m not happy with that, if you create those opportunities, you must put them away,” Meyer said.

The Springbok coach also liked his team’s efforts in the lineouts and scrums, and their discipline at the breakdowns, while he said Goosen made a top-class first start at flyhalf, despite missing two early penalties.

“Johan struggled during the week with a heel injury and he wasn’t 100% in the warm-up. He said that after 10 minutes it was hurting, but he showed his character and said he would keep playing, he just couldn’t kick. He’s a thrilling prospect, he showed a lot of pace, he was superb, but it will take time before he is a finished package,” Meyer explained.

Australia already have a full XV of players out injured, but their previous fitness woes are starting to look like a mini-crisis with Deans admitting SOSs would need to be sent for players to join the squad in Argentina.

“We will need to bring players across, which is going to be very challenging because we’ve already delved deep into our resources. Getting visas is also not straightforward for Argentina and there’s a possibility some players won’t arrive in time for training,” Deans said.

Wing Bryan Habana used his predatory instincts to claim a hat-trick of tries as South Africa squeezed Australia relentlessly and beat them 31-8 (half-time 14-3) in their Rugby Championship Test at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

The Springboks regained their attacking spark in front of a passionate crowd of 44 463 at their most secure home venue, but the victory was set up by their big men up front, who dominated the collisions and successfully disrupted the Wallaby lineout.

South Africa could have won by an even healthier margin, but goalkicking woes continued to dog them as flyhalf Johan Goosen missed the first two penalties and scrumhalf Ruan Pienaar then failed with two penalties and two conversion attempts.

Habana ran in tries in the 29th, 62nd and 79th minutes to become South Africa’s leading try-scorer against Australia with eight in 16 Tests, beating Breyton Paulse’s mark of seven.

Fullback Zane Kirchner and flank Francois Louw scored the other Springbok tries, with Pienaar adding three conversions.

Australia, who were ravaged by injuries and finished with 14 men because they had used all seven of their substitutions, scored a 66th-minute try through replacement centre Mike Harris, while flyhalf Kurtley Beale kicked a first-half penalty.

After the 20-year-old Goosen, starting in place of the experienced Morne Steyn, missed two penalties in the first 10 minutes, South Africa decided to aim their next kickable penalty to touch. The rolling maul was well-defended by Australia, and loose forward Michael Hooper almost stole possession at a ruck, but in the end the home side managed to get the ball out right where Kirchner darted over in the corner for the opening try.

A minute later, a brilliant attacking sally by Goosen was stopped just short of the tryline by centre Pat McCabe and the Springboks’ kicking yips continued when Pienaar missed a long-range penalty.

But in the 29th minute, eighthman Duane Vermeulen, who lit up the first half with his brilliant foraging at the rucks and steely defence, made a break, Goosen was in support, Pienaar threw a dummy and made a half-break before Habana pounced on the pop pass and sliced through for his first try.

Pienaar’s conversion put South Africa 14-0 ahead and they were well on top at halftime even though the lead was narrowed to 11 points by a Beale penalty.

Just a minute before half-time, Kirchner was forced out on the corner flag by Adam Ashley-Cooper, who was playing at fullback because Berrick Barnes went off with a chest injury. Ashley-Cooper knocked himself out in the process though and was taken to hospital with concussion.

The Springboks again relied on their rolling maul to set up their first try of the second half, Louw scoring as the Wallabies’ defence shattered. Replacement prop James Slipper was yellow-carded just before the try for ruck infringements.

Habana earned his second try through quick thinking, finding hooker Adriaan Strauss with a quick lineout throw and then getting the ball back and sprinting clear from halfway, before notching his second hat-trick in 82 Tests with a minute left in the game as he ran in a breakaway try set up by Louw’s break and quick hands from fellow wing Francois Hougaard and replacement flyhalf Elton Jantjies.

Australia’s only try was set up by Beale, making his first start at flyhalf, as he kept the defence guessing, embarking on a crossfield run before straightening and throwing the ball out wide for Harris to score.

But the Wallabies were then reduced to 14 men and just seven forwards when referee Alain Rolland ruled they were not allowed to bring on replacement hooker Saia Fainga’a for the injured Tatafu Polota-Nau because seven substitutions had already been made, with loosehead prop Benn Robinson returning to the field after being replaced in the first half.

While Habana stole the limelight, it was the outstanding Springbok loose trio of Vermeulen, Louw and Willem Alberts that kept their opposition on the back foot, the bonus point for five tries leaving South Africa on 12 points and still in contention for the title if Argentina upset New Zealand later on Saturday.

Scorers

South Africa – Tries: Zane Kirchner, Bryan Habana (3), Francois Louw. Conversions: Ruan Pienaar (3).

Australia – Try: Mike Harris. Penalty: Kurtley Beale.

Both South Africa and Australia will be looking to make amends for past defeats when they square up in their Rugby Championship Test at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday.

The Springboks will be looking to end a record five-match losing streak against the Wallabies, which captain Jean de Villiers admitted rankled him, while Australia will be aiming to win at Loftus for the first time in six attempts.
“We’ve only won one out of our last eight matches against Australia which is simply not good enough. That can never be acceptable and this team has now inherited that record so it’s our job to rectify that,” De Villiers told a news conference in Johannesburg on Friday.
The Wallabies, having won their last two matches in South Africa, including a 41-39 triumph in Bloemfontein on the highveld in 2010, have set their sights firmly on winning again at altitude at Loftus Versfeld.
“Every Rugby Championship match is a big weekend but the context of this game is that it’s a great opportunity to change history. We’ve waited a long time to win in Pretoria and that’s something we look forward to,” Australia captain Nathan Sharpe said.
Both teams have endured a troubled year, with new Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer boasting two wins over England but just a solitary Rugby Championship victory, against debutants Argentina in Cape Town.
Wallaby coach Robbie Deans, at the helm of the team for a fifth year, has two Rugby Championship wins over Argentina and South Africa at home to his credit, but his continued failure to engineer victory over his home nation New Zealand has seen him come under fire in Australia.
De Villiers said the Springboks were desperate to go out and win the Test for Meyer.
“We really believe we’ve improved over the last two matches, we just haven’t been able to get the result we wanted. We really believe we’re on the right track and we want to win more than anything for the coach, to take pressure off him and the rest of the management,” the centre said.
Both under-performing teams have boldly chosen flyhalves who will start for the first time in the number 10 jersey at Test level.
Deans is hoping former fullback Kurtley Beale will spark the Wallabies on attack in the absence of the injured Quade Cooper, whose social media attacks on the coach have provided an unnecessary distraction that Australian players have privately admitted they have had enough of hearing about.
“Kurtley is one of the better kickers in our side and I have no concerns over his capacity to do what we want him to do. He’s played a lot of flyhalf alongside scrumhalf Nick Phipps at the Melbourne Rebels, so it’s an established combination.
“If you look at both backlines, the match should clearly be a good spectacle, I expect both sides to be positive and because of the conditions, it’s likely to be pretty expansive,” Deans said.
Meyer has chosen 20-year-old Johan Goosen, who has shown a willingness to attack with ball-in-hand during his two appearances off the bench, in place of the experienced Morne Steyn, who has suffered a dramatic loss of form with the boot.
Francois Steyn has been withdrawn from the Springbok team after rolling his ankle earlier in the week and De Villiers will replace him at inside centre, with debutant Jaco Taute wearing the number 13 jersey.
Both teams look likely to make late changes to their bench. Wallaby loose forward Scott Higginbotham has tweaked his back and, if there is not a dramatic improvement in his condition on Saturday, will be replaced by flyhalf Mike Harris as the visitors revert back to a 4-3 split amongst the reserves.
Springbok prop Coenie Oosthuizen, who has played just 35 minutes of rugby since injuring his neck on his test debut against England on June 9, has been withdrawn due to stiffness in his upper body. Pat Cilliers, who has just 3 caps, is the replacement.
Teams
South Africa – 15-Zane Kirchner, 14-Bryan Habana, 13-Jaco Taute, 12-Jean de Villiers, 11-Francois Hougaard, 10-Johan Goosen, 9-Ruan Pienaar, 8-Duane Vermeulen, 7-Willem Alberts, 6-Francois Louw, 5-Andries Bekker, 4-Eben Etzebeth, 3-Jannie du Plessis, 2-Adriaan Strauss, 1-Tendai Mtawarira. Replacements: 16-Tiaan Liebenberg, 17-Pat Cilliers, 18-Flip van der Merwe, 19-Marcell Coetzee, 20-Elton Jantjies, 21-Juan de Jongh, 22-Pat Lambie.
Australia – 15-Berrick Barnes, 14-Dominic Shipperley, 13-Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12-Pat McCabe, 11-Digby Ioane, 10-Kurtley Beale, 9-Nick Phipps, 8-Radike Samo, 7-Michael Hooper, 6-Dave Dennis, 5-Nathan Sharpe, 4-Kane Douglas, 3-Ben Alexander, 2-Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1-Benn Robinson. Reserves: 16-Saia Fainga’a, 17-James Slipper, 18-Rob Simmons, 19-Scott Higginbotham/Mike Harris, 20-Liam Gill, 21-Brett Sheehan, 22-Anthony Fainga’a.