From: ccfj@hippo.ru.ac.za (F. Jacot Guillarmod)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.rugby
Subject: "All Blacks triumph over Fighting Boks"
Date: 16 Aug 92 17:14:19 GMT
Article-I.D.: hippo.1992Aug16.171419.9357
Organization: Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa

Lifted without permission from the Sunday Times, Johannesburg, August 16 1992

"All Blacks triumph over fighting Boks" by Dan Retief

South Africa (0) 24
Tries: Danie Gerber (58min and 81min), Pieter Muller (75min)
Conversions: Naas Botha (3), Penalty: Botha

New Zealand: (10) 27
Tries: Zinzan Brooke (34min), John Kirwan (49min), John Timu (59min)
Conversions: Grant Fox (3) Penalties: Fox (2)

   SOUTH AFRICA                              NEW ZEALAND

Own Ball: won 10 lost 2  LINEOUTS         Own ball: won 20 lost 2
     (11)21              RUCKS & MAULS          (20)37
     (3)10               SCRUMMAGES             (6)4
     (11)15              PENALTIES CONCEDED     (3)9
     (13)22              KICKS INTO TOUCH       (7)14
     4 out of 8          KICKS AT GOAL          5 out of 8

() denote halftime

Player of the day: Michael Jones.

Referee: Sandy MacNeill.

Crowd: 72000

=============

Naas Botha's brave Springboks were unable to shake off the flaws left by
years of isolation as they went down fighting against the All Blacks at
an emotion charged Ellis Park yesterday.

Down 10-27 after 60 minutes the Springboks were faced with conceding a
record margin of defeat against a committed and intense All Black team,
but the pride which has historically sustained South African rugby saw
them claw their way back from the brink.

Leading the charge was veteran Danie Gerber, a juggernaut of restless
energy and determination, with two tries in the south-eastern corner
where he had devastated England in South Africa's last official test in
1984.

In the end, the Springboks left the field rueing their lack of
experience, stunning missed chances and upset with Australian referee
Sandy MacNeill.

The three-point margin of defeat seemed ininitesimal and thoughts turned
to what might have been - particularly a shattering lapse of
concentration which befell James Small, a man who up to that moment had
been the pick of the Springboks with his solid defence.

Sensing that the pacy Bok backline had the beating of the All Blacks,
Botha started to fan the ball wide in a bold bid to wipe out the big
deficit.  A flat skipped pass unerringly found Theo van Rensburg ranging
up from full back and he in turn put Small in possession with a clear
run up to the line.

With the crowd already applauding a try, the ball popped out of the
rightwing's hand and the chance had gone.

But, bold as the fightback was, the Springboks could have no real
quibble about the All Blacks victory in a momentous one-off match which
marked South Africa's return to international competition.

Speculation that the All Blacks would reveal special tactics proved
unfounded as they stuck to the tried and tested pattern which has been
the hallmark of their rugby - solid, low-slung driving, control of
possession, and massing numbers around the ball.

What the All Blacks did do is raise the tempo and intensity of their
game and the Springboks took a long time to adapt to the higher pace
maintained by a team tempered in eight tests leading up to yesterdays
match.

The All Black pack, with Michael Jones a dynamo at the centre of all the
action, deserves credit for laying the foundations of what will be seen
as a historic win - the first time ever that the visiting team has been
able to win the opening test, even though this is not a series, in the
history of the two great rivals of the southern hemisphere.

For the first time on their short tour the All Blacks had the look of
sleek thoroughbreds as they dominated the lineouts and provided ball
from the loose as if on a conveyor belt.

Experience, concentration and alertness proved to be critical and the
All Blacks first try was pertinent demonstration of taking one's
chances.  After a sustained period of attack the All Blacks were awarded
a penalty near the Boks' line and Brooke quickly tapped the ball to
himself and charged over before the Springboks had mustered their
defensive line.

It was probably too much to expect of the Springboks to take on and beat
one of th worlds most powerful rugby nations without any preparation.
That they came as close as they did is a tribute to their collectively
brave spirit and refusal to accept defeat.

In the end the home sides chances were sacrificed on the altar of
political expediency - the intervention by Mluleki George some months
ago which led to cancellation of a tour which had been arranged to
Romania.

In an atmosphere crackling with electricity, the match got off to a
pulsating start when Sean Fitzpatrick, the New Zealand captain,
cynically punched Naas Botha the first time he got anywhere near him.

Botha's maturity was evident, though, as he refused to allow this piece
of blatant provocation and another tussle some time later to upset him.

Fox, painstaking and deliberate, put the All Blacks on the board as the
teams sparred for ascendancy.  It was not until the 34th minute that
Brooke got the first try, a score which was a just reward as the All
Blacks had methodically outplayed the Springbok forwards.

The home team, frustrated by referee MacNeills lineout interpretations
and on the receiving end of some dubious decisions, had two great
opportunities to score on either side of halftime.

Gerber, cocking a snook at Western Province selectors who this season
have ignored his enduring talents, seemed to have scored in the right
hand corner, but MacNeill ruled he had lost the ball.

Soon after the restart, Pieter Muller ran strongly on the blind side but
instead of trying to power his way over spoilt his pass to Gerber.

The killer try against the Springboks came directly as a result of two
indiscretions by Robert du Preez.  The big scrumhalf, who experienced an
indecisive and unhappy debut, went offside at a scrum to allow the All
Blacks to relieve pressure on their line.  

Then he missed an attempted kick back from which the solid Tuigamala
launched a spirited counter attack.  Bunce exposed Naas Bothas achilles
heel by running hard at the flyhalf, broke through between the Bok
skipper and Pieter Muller, and with the Bok line in disarray Kirwan cut
back to score at the posts.

A clever piece of interplay between Jannie Breedt and Theo van Rensburg,
when they launched an attack by throwing the ball in quickly from touch
as the Boks hit hard, with Botha and Pieter Hendriks slotting in out of
position to put Gerber away.

The All Blacks impressive ability to immediately raise the level of
their play was again in evidence as they scored their third try right
after this setback.

Driving in waves up the middle to expose again frail Springbok tackling,
the Black juggernaut sucked in the Springbok loose forwards to make
space for fullback John Timu along the right hand touch line.

The All Blacks were well served by their loose forwards Jones, Brooke
and Jamie Joseph who ensured that they were able to corkscrew the ball
effectively to keep the Springboks on their heels.

Both Jones and Brooke consistently beat the Boks to the draw at the back
of the lineout.

Robin Brooke's competitiveness at the front of the lineout, where he and
Ian Jones vigorously contested every Springbok put in, denied the Boks
control in an area of the game in which they though they might have a
platform for attack.

Apart from Du Preez and Bartmann, who was twice spoken to sternly by the
referee because of foul play and again conceded critical penalties, most
of the Springboks did enough to warrant re-selection for next weekends
showdown against world champions Australia at Newslands.

-- 
  F.F. Jacot Guillarmod     PO  Box 94     \        |     ccfj@hippo.ru.ac.za
  Computing Centre       Grahamstown 6140   \      /     +27 461 22023 xt 284
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