South Africa gained the upper hand in Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry last week, going 2-1 up with a 29-24 victory in Johannesburg. It was a composed and clinical finish to the game from the Springboks, scoring 17 points in less than 15 minutes to hit the lead and wrestle the game out of New Zealand’s control, in what could prove to be a pivotal passage of play for this series.
It was a red-hot start to the game from the All Blacks, as they attacked with any opportunity to see Ardie Savea score a double inside the opening 30 minutes, but he exited the game shortly after with a dislocated shoulder and that seemed to sink New Zealand’s confidence.
South Africa were awarded a penalty try moments before halftime to tie the game 12-12 and while it was tight for the next 20 minutes, the Boks powered home with their maul, kicking and composure getting them over the finish line.
The big men of the Boks did plenty of damage, with Malcolm Marx, Jasper Wiese and Pieter-Steph du Toit among their best, while Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel wreaked havoc in the midfield and Ethan Hooker was reliable under the high-ball.
Despite being responsible for much of the running rugby being played in Soweto, the All Blacks often struggled to overcome the final hurdle and get deep into SA territory, with their ball security and kicking proving to be problematic. The questionable decision to sin bin Ruben Love, leading to a Springboks penalty try shortly before halftime, also proved to be a big moment for the game, while the flaky defence of Leroy Carter led to a couple of South Africa tries.
South Africa have largely settled with their Soweto squad this week, but Damian Willemse slots back in at fullback for the injured Cheslin Kolbe, and Morne van den Berg starts at halfback after an excellent defensive showing last week. Dave Rennie, on the other hand, has to deal with a few injury-enforced changes, with Savea, Quinn Tupaea and Luke Jacobson all out. Peter Lakai, Anton Lienert-Brown and Ethan Blackadder are their respective substitutes, while Ethan de Groot, Codie Taylor and Fletcher Newell form a new front row and Josh Moorby takes Carter’s spot on the wing.
A lot is on the line for both teams here, with the Boks eager to win the first crown of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry, while the ABs will be wanting to avoid defeat in Dave Rennie’s first series. The bad news for New Zealand, though, is that their injuries heave them with a couple of gaping holes. The loss of Savea not only hurts their all-round game, but his leadership and fire, as we saw in the first 30 minutes last week, is irreplaceable. Tupaea has also been in great form this season, regularly making metres up the middle of the park, and the inclusions of Rieko Ioane and Beauden Barrett on the bench don’t fill me with hope. This series has been tight throughout but these few changes tip the scales in the Boks’ way again.
Best
South Africa -4.5 ($1.90)
Value
Power Plays — South Africa to Win by 6 – 10 (refund if South Africa Win by 1 – 5 or 11 – 15) ($4.00)
Try Scorer
Malcolm Marx ($13 First, $2.25 Anytime)
Same Game Multi
Malcolm Marx Try / Cam Roigard Try / Jasper Wiese Try ($16.95)
