Carter sees off South Africa
New Zealand recorded a gritty 35-17 victory over South Africa at the Westpac Stadium in Wellington on Saturday -- but the all-conquering All Blacks struggled to rein in the sprightly visitors.
The Springboks exorcised some of the memories of last week's defeat in Australia with a commendable performance that shook the resolve of their hosts and denied the Tri-Nations leaders of an all-important bonus point.
South Africa opened the scoring with a try from Fourie du Preez in the first minute of play, but they were unable to capitalise on the early lead.
New Zealand rallied from the set-back and began to chip away at South Africa's lead with the dead eyes and steady nerve of Daniel Carter doing the damage.
But what a difference a week makes! And what a difference a boot makes!
The Springboks were barely recognisable from the half-hearted team that was thrashed by the Wallabies, probably causing a national sigh of relief in South Africa, but still the scoreboard tells of a heavy defeat. It was the boot that did it. Not entirely, of course, but as a telling factor.
Carter kicked seven penalties out of seven. Percy Montgomery missed his first three, all of them eminently kickable. Two of those misses were in the first half at a time when they could have given the Springboks back the lead.
In addition, Leon MacDonald and Carter were better at kicking out of hand than Montgomery and Butch James.
The Springbok back-three also looked wobbly, and produced the bizarre moment of the match when the All Blacks kicked off and nearly scored as veteran Montgomery had a senior moment and Bryan Habana was casual, as he was throughout another poor performance from a player who was once the best one-man strike force in the rugby world.
The boot was the main protagonist of this tussle in Wellington -- two kicks, one late in each half, were turned into tries. But the genius of Carter made a major contribution, as did Springbok sluggishness reminiscent of Brisbane last week.
Those were the obviously telling factors in a New Zealand win and a South African defeat.
South Africa were better at the line-outs, New Zealand at the scrums. New Zealand got mauls going better but the Springboks had a great one which almost led to a try.
Both teams countered mauls from five metres from their line efficiently. Both teams tackled in deadly fashion. In post-tackle play the New Zealand tactic of getting close to but beyond the tackler kept the Springboks away from the tackle and rendered that area relatively uncompetitive. It is a tactic of dubious legality.
The penalty count was high -- 15-11 against the Springboks but it was the first-half count that really sunk them -- 7-4 against, four of them goaled.
All of that said, it was a stern encounter, worthy of the great rugby history between the world's sternest rugby nations.
The Springboks were 80 minutes on the field against Australia and did not score a point. They played for 17 seconds against New Zealand and scored seven points. What a difference a week makes!
The Springboks kicked off deep. They put immediate pressure on the All Blacks who got the ball back to Carter who had Du Preez and Matfield charging at him. Du Preez charged down the kick. It bounced high in in-goal where Du Preez waited for the ball to come down, caught it with a fumble and fell on it. Montgomery converted.
There was a lot of kicking during the ensuing part of the game, the All Blacks banging it downfield, the Springboks banging it into touch. The result was that the first scrum came after 14 minutes. There were just six in the first half. But by then the Carter litany was being chanted.
When Matfield went off-side, Carter made it 7-3.
When Du Preez handled the ball in a tackle/ruck, Carter made it 7-6.
When CJ van der Linde was penalised for unbinding at a Springbok scrum, as he had been against the Wallabies, Carter made it 9-7 to New Zealand after 24 minutes.
When Van der Linde was penalised for diving at a tackle/ruck Carter made it 12-7.
That seemed to be what the score at half-time would be. But two important events were yet to unfold.
First the Springboks attacked and got the ball back from a tackle/ruck near New Zealand's posts but Habana, light, delicate wing, tried to bash past the New Zealand defenders when his backs were standing with width and longing. Back the Springboks went to a penalty which they made into a five-metre line-out. The All Blacks got stuck into their attempt at a maul and Chris Jack won a turn-over which enabled them to clear.
At the next line-out Matfield threw a horrible pass over the head of Wynand Olivier and suddenly the All Blacks were attacking. Du Preez was back to gather a kick-ahead. Kick it out and it was half-time. Instead he kicked low and long to Carter -- a massive mistake. Carter raced and stepped. Mils Muliaina's raced and passed. Things looked wobbly but Piri Weepu was on hand to snatch the ball up and force his way over. Ineluctably Carter converted and the half-time sounded with the All Blacks winning 19-7.
Early in the second half John Smit was silly at a tackle and Carter made the score 22-7.
The All Blacks were close to scoring soon afterwards when they won a turn-over after a line-out and went speeding wide on the left, the try nullified by a forward pass.
Carter then made it 25-7 from a tackle/ruck penalty, but with 18 minutes to go the Springboks got their second try.
Doug Howlett, under no pressure, knocked on near his 22. The All Blacks put huge pressure on the Springbok scrum but Jacques Cronjé got the pass to Du Preez in the fly-half birth. He kicked a long diagonal towards the right wing -- a perfect kick. Breyton Paulse, playing his 60th Test, caught the ball, scooted past MacDonald and scored. Montgomery converted.
Montgomery missed his third penalty but when Carl Hayman was penalised at a much-collapsed scrum, Montgomery made it 25-17. It was still a contest with nine minutes to play.
It was from that moment that Montgomery and Habana combined to give the All Blacks a chance at a try. The matter was referred to the television match official who detected a tiny knock-on off Ali Williams's wrist which resulted in a scrum to South Africa.
New Zealand tried a cross kick for big Scott Hamilton but Montgomery and Paulse combined to avert the danger. But when Montgomery was penalised for throwing the ball away after being forced into touch, Carter made it 28-17 with seven minutes left.
Then James returned a long, probing kick via the boot, and the ball found Carter on the touch-line. The maestro ran, chipped, gathered and gave to McCaw who scored. That sounds so easy -- and it was, even though it took over 50 metres to do it. Game, set and match.
The Springboks have reasons to be cheerful, they were better but still not good enough. The first edition of the extended Tri-Nations is not yet into its adolescence and its already beginning to look like a two-horse race.
Man of the match: No question -- Daniel Carter. Forget all others and forget his initial error, he was the major difference. He kicked 25 points and made the other ten for New Zealand. He tackled, kicked out of hand judiciously and was his side's general.
Moment of the Match: There was Daniel Carter's chip that led to Richie McCaw's try, there was Percy Montgomery's senior moment and there was Du Preez's hold-your-breath kick that produced Breyton Paulse's try, but the moment of the match was really that charge-down and try by Fourie du Preez that announced to the world that this was going to be a Test match.
Villain of the Match: There were moments of mild emotion but nothing that was obvious villainy.
The scorers:
For New Zealand:
Tries: Weepu, McCaw
Con: Carter 2
Pens: Carter 7
For South Africa:
Tries: Du Preez, Paulse
Cons: Montgomery 2
Pen: Montgomery
The teams:
New Zealand: 15 Leon MacDonald, 14 Doug Howlett, 13 Mils Muliaina, 12 Sam Tuitupou, 11 Scott Hamilton, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Piri Weepu, 8 Rodney So'oialo, 7 Richie McCaw (captain), 6 Reuben Thorne, 5 Ali Williams, 4 Chris Jack, 3 Carl Hayman, 2 Anton Oliver, 1 Neemia Tialata.
Replacements: 16 Andrew Hore, 17 Greg Somerville, 18 Greg Rawlinson, 19 Chris Masoe, 20 Jimmy Cowan, 21 Luke McAlister, 22 Isaia Toeava.
South Africa: 15 Percy Montgomery, 14 Breyton Paulse, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Wynand Olivier, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Butch James, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Jacques Cronjé, 7 Juan Smith, 6 Solly Tyibilika, 4 Victor Matfield, 4 Albert van den Bergh, 3 CJ van der Linde, 2 John Smit (captain), 1 Os du Randt.
Replacements: 16 Danie Coetzee, 17 Eddie Andrews, 18 Johann Muller, 19 Joe van Niekerk, 20 Enrico Januarie, 21 Meyer Bosman, 22 JP Pietersen.
Referee: Joël Jutge (France)
Touch judges: Alain Rolland (Ireland), Stuart Dickinson (Australia)
Television match official: George Ayoub (Australia)
Assessor: Steve Hilditch (Ireland)
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