Match Details
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28 |
Kick off times:
7:35pm
(Local) Sat 12 Jul
5:35pm
(AEST) Sat 12 Jul
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30 |
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Head to Head:
Played 75 : New Zealand 42, South Africa 30, Drawn 3
Last Time:
16/08/08 : New Zealand 19 - South Africa 0 at Newlands, Cape Town
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A brilliant individual try to Springbok scrumhalf Ricky Januarie gave World Champions South Africa a well deserved 30 – 28 victory over the All Blacks in a scintillating Tri-Nations match played at Carisbrook in Dunedin tonight.
With just four minutes to go Januarie, the diminutive Stormers scrumhalf, darted from the back of a ruck before kicking over the head of All Blacks replacement fullback Leon MacDonald and regathering brilliantly to dive in for a spectacular try and bring the scores level at 28-all.
South African replacement flyhalf Francois Steyn then coolly steered through the conversion to give the Springboks a famous victory. The win was even more memorable as South Africa played the last seven minutes with 14 men as their captain, lock Victor Matfield, had been sinbinned for a high tackle – one of a number in the game by both sides.
The win was the Springbok’s first ever at the ground in 87 years of trying and broke a run of 30 unbeaten matches at home by the All Blacks. The last team to beat the All Blacks at home were also World Champions, Clive Woodward’s England team that won 15 – 13 in Wellington.
The win for South Africa has thrown this year’s Tri-Nations tournament wide open and sets up a fascinating Bundaberg Rum Rugby Series clash between the Qantas Wallabies and the Springboks in Perth next Saturday night.
Much had been spoken about the before the kick off of the physical tactics the Boks might use to try and unsettle the skilful New Zealanders after the All Blacks claimed last week’s Test between the two countries in Wellington.
But the All Blacks negated that right from the kick off by moving the ball quickly away from contact and not allowing the Springboks any much sought after collisions to assert physical dominance. Indeed in the opening passages it was like South Africa was chasing shadows, such was the speed of the All Blacks ball movement.
New Zealand jumped to a 6 – 0 lead after ten minutes thanks to two penalties from flyhalf Dan Carter, after South African infringements, and it looked like a repeat of last week’s 19-8 victory was in the offing.
But the much maligned Springbok coach Peter de Villiers had learnt his lessons very well. The Springboks scrum had the edge over the All Blacks and South Africa also boasted a much improved kicking game thanks to the boot of restored fullback Percy Montgomery.
And it was Montgomery who brought the Boks back to 6- 3 after 12 minutes when All Blacks flanker Adam Thomson was penalised by Australian referee Matt Godard for coming in at the wrong side of the maul. The penalty flow was steady in the opening stanza.
On 17 minutes Carter make it 9 – 3 after Bok flanker Juan Smith was penalised for a high tackle on his All Blacks namesake, centre Conrad. But two more penalties to Montgomery brought the scores back to 9-all after 22 minutes.
Another penalty, this time against Bok hooker Bismarck du Plessis for offside, enabled Carter to put New Zealand in front again 12 – 9 on 25 minutes.
Then came a key moment in the game when New Zealand lock Ali Williams went off injured on 28 minutes, bringing Chiefs lock Kevin O’Neill on for his Test debut and taking much needed experience out of the All Blacks line up.
Suddenly the All Blacks began to look frazzled and soon after from a line out close to the New Zealand line the All Blacks grounded the ball over their own tryline after a wayward tap down, to give the Boks a scrum five metres out.
South African No.8 Joe van Niekerk took the ball from the base and ran wide before passing to winger J P Pietersen who slid over in the corner to put the Boks up 14 – 12 with half an hour gone. Montgomery missed with the penalty attempt from wide out.
When du Plessis then picked up the ball from a ruck straight from the kick off and charged twenty yards up field it was easy to see the tide had swung towards the Springboks and they were on top heading towards half time.
Springbok flyhalf Butch James landed a drop goal soon after to take the Boks out to 17 – 12 and it could have been more if not for some over-confidence by Matfield that led to Carter kicking a penalty goal after the half time siren to send New Zealand in 17 – 15 down.
New Zealand came back re-charged after half time with MacDonald coming on and Mils Muliaina shifting to wing with Sitiveni Sivivatu going off.
They had clearly been given instructions by coach Graham Henry to hold on to the ball and eventually the gaps would come and they carried the plan out capably holding the ball through ten phases on several occasions with only desperate Bok defence holding them out.
The Boks also had their chances in counter-attack with Montgomery and then prop C J van der Linde both squandering chances to put flyer Bryan Habana away.
But eventually the All Blacks possession and skills showed when after another ten phase build up superb inside balls by first Conrad Smith then scrumhalf Andrew Ellis saw replacement No.8 Sione Lauaki scramble over for a try. The conversion from Carter put the All Blacks back in front at 22 – 17 on 56 minutes.
Montgomerymissed a chance to narrow the gap when O’Neill was harshly penalised for a late tackle on Springbok centre Jean de Villiers but James made no mistake with his own effort on 62 minutes after Habana was brought down in a desperate high tackle from MacDonald that easily could’ve seen the Crusader fullback go to the bin.
A superb Carter drop goal edged the All Blacks back out to 25 – 20 with 65 minutes gone but yet another penalty against Thomson allowed James to pull the gap back to 25 – 23 with 13 minutes to play.
But when Matfield was carded it seemed the All Blacks would hold on until Januarie popped up for his moment of magic.
Probably the most quietly-pleased person in the stadium after the game was Springbok coach de Villiers who, after being branded as a political “puppet” during the week by former All Blacks prop Craig Dowd, is the first coach to lead South Africa to victory in New Zealand since Nick Mallett in 1998.
Full Time
Tri-Nations
South Africa 30(JP Pietersen, Ricky Januarie tries; Percy Montgomery 3, Butch James 2 penalty goals; Francois Steyn conversion; James drop goal) defeated New Zealand 28 (Sione Lauaki try; Dan Carter 6 penalty goals, conversion, drop goal) at Carisbrook in Dunedin. (Half time: Springbok 17 – 15)
