New Zealand Dominates South Africa in Tri-Nations Opener
The New Zealand All Blacks held on to their spot as world number one with a top-notch showing against rival South Africa in the opening match of the Tri-Nations Cup. The All Blacks got off to a great start to the tournament with an important victory at home at Eden Park.
South Africa looked to be off to a good start as New Zealand’s Dan Carter missed his first penalty attempt, which was quickly followed by a converted penalty for South Africa by fly-half Morne Steyn. However, the All Blacks were quick to counter, bursting into the Springboks end and setting up at their opponents 22. After a professional foul from Springboks centre Bakkie Botha caused the star to be sent to the sin bin, the All Blacks were awarded a penalty and this time Carter made no mistake tying the game at three.
The All Blacks continued to press on as a wonderful run from their own end finished with a Conrad Smith try, the convert was easily made by Carter to give the New Zealand squad a 10-3 lead. The All Blacks would not let up as Carter hit another penalty to make it 13-3. Ma’a Nonu would cap off a dominant half with another try, while Carter kept up his impressive day at the tee hitting another conversion. The All Blacks moved into the second half with a 20-3 lead.
The Springboks pushed back, but were only able to muster another two penalties off the boot of Steyn to advance the score to 20-9. The celebration was short lived, however, as New Zealand added another try courtesy of Kieran Read, pushing the All Blacks advantage to 18. Steyn continued to produce with another penalty to give the Springboks 12 points and notch his fourth kick of the day. The day, however, ended as it started with Tom Woodcock converting a fourth All Blacks try in the game’s final minute.
Tri-Nations Implications
The 32-12 victory for the All Blacks puts them top of the table to start off the tournament and shows that they can still dominate at home. The four tries converted by the All Blacks also earned them a bonus point, meaning they sit comfortably with five. The defence of their fortress at Eden Park meant that the New Zealand squad retained their spot at the top of the world rankings, as well as avoided a fourth straight loss at home to the Springboks. They also maintained their dominance in Auckland.
The first match loss means the Springboks must regroup in time for their next match on July 17th, this time at Westpac Stadium in Wellington. Another loss of this variety would be a major set-back in their hopes to repeat as tournament champions.
To make matters worse the Boks have lost their star centre Bakkies Botha to a nine week ban that will keep him out of the rest of the tournament, a result of a head-butt on New Zealand scrum-half Jimmy Cowan.
It was understood that the schedule would not be kind to the Springboks as they have to start out on the road with two games in New Zealand. They are going to have to return to top form in time for their next match. However, if the Springboks are going to tie New Zealand at the top of the table they cannot strictly rely on the boot of Steyn and will need to get star line-out Victor Matfield involved. At the same time, the All Blacks experience looked to play a major role in the victory as the addition of Ma’a Nonu proved to be a smart decision from coach Graham Henry.
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