All Blacks reclaims Tri-Nations’ crown with a thrilling win over Springboks
New Zealand continued their winning streak as they added another trophy to their credentials by winning the Tri-Nations trophy. With this win, the All Blacks are the dominant force in the Southern hemisphere as of now. They defeated South Africa with a score of 29-22 at the FNB Stadium in Soweto. As the score suggests, the match was a thrilling contest between two outfits battling for different objectives.
All Blacks broke the Springboks’ defence on two occasions in last three minutes of the match to record their win. Like in the early matches, it was the Springboks defence which turned out to be their Achilles’ heel. This is the third loss for the hosts by the All Blacks in a single year and it also ruined the 100th Test match for Springboks’ skipper John Smit. 95,000 plus packed the FNB Stadium which earlier hosted the FIFA World Cup final in July, making it the largest audience for a Test in South Africa.
The hosts started the match confidently as Schalk Burger scored their only try of the first half. New Zealand fought back with the kick from Tony Woodcock as he levelled the score. Fly-halves Dan Carter and Morne Steyn also scored from kicks whereas Dagg scored a try for the All Blacks. Carter opened the scoring with a penalty which was awarded after Juan de Jongh fouled Cory Jane. Springboks responded within minutes as Gio Aplon opened the midfield through his counter-attack which later culminated in a penalty for the All Blacks at the ruck. Steyn converted the penalty sweetly amid crowd support.
The All Blacks’ onslaught was halted by a much disciplined Springboks defence but the visitors’ persistence was finally awarded when Donnelly exploited space in their defence to score a try. Carter’s conversion further reduced the lead collected by the hosts. The match displayed grit as well as physicality. Even referee Nigel Owens was accidently flattened by scrum-half Jimmy Cowan. The restart saw Steyn adding to hosts’ supremacy through his 4th penalty after Woodcock was penalised for scrummaging. Steyn’s latest conversion took their lead to five points and prompted their coach to change the tactics. Peter Dec Villiers, while sensing victory, committed his team to a defensive strategy. They attacked the All Blacks only on breaks in otherwise a docile second half. This also prompted All Blacks’ coach Graham Henry to introduce Piri Weepu who instilled a fresh dose of spirit into visitors. He attempted to find space around the fringes and at one moment, he gave Carter some space along the touchline. He almost scored a try when he dodged JP Pietersen before missing a chance to score.
Springboks were successful in absorbing All Blacks’ pressure as they sustained their attacks. Read’s undisciplined tackle awarded another penalty to the Springboks which was easily converted by Steyn. With this penalty, the hosts extended their lead to eight. However, this lead turned out to be futile as Carter’s penalty kept All Blacks within striking distance. New Zealand, who has been enjoying phenomenal form of late, showed their resolute defence as they kept on attacking the Springboks’ defence. They were finally awarded in the closing minutes when sloppy play from the hosts allowed them to come back into the match. An inane forward pass was intercepted which resulted in McCaw scoring a close try. This try turned out to be their comeback point for the All Blacks. Cater missed the conversion which left the score tied on 22-22. However, it was New Zealand who had the last laugh when Dagg penetrated Springboks to score the decisive try of the match. He outmanoeuvred Nonu before scoring a try to gift All Blacks the Tri-Nation title.
However, Dan Carter sustained injury which may keep him out of rugby for some time. “It's reached the point now where it is restricting his ankle flexibility and, in turn, affecting his calf muscle strength, so now is the right time to have surgery, ” All Blacks doctor Deb Robinson said. On the other said, Carter said, “Given that movement in my foot is being affected, it's obviously in my best interests to have the surgery now. I've been in this situation before and understand what is involved so will get through the surgery and rehab and then look forward to getting back into rugby.”
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