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Brain Explosion: Bakkies Botha of the Springboks lines-up All Blacks halfback Jimmy Cowan -
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I appeared on a rugby chat show last week and was asked for my hopes regarding the opening Test of the Tri Nations series.
I didn't mention anything about the forward play or tactics or the like. I simply stated that I hoped Bakkies Botha would play the game cleanly and not sink to his notorious low standards of illegal play.
Sadly, Botha let himself and his team down- yet again.
I repeat my earlier assertions that the powerful lock is a wonderful player, but when he loses control of his discipline he is a menace. After his run of dealings with judicial committees, the SARU needed to bring him under control. No matter what they've tried, they've failed and now his string of misdemeanours has been stretched further. He's copped another lengthy ban and surely must be now regarded as a liability.
That's enough about Bakkies.
There were so many positives emerging for the All Blacks from the sensational Eden Park performance. One which would have struck many was the clear evidence as to why the selectors have stuck with Josevata Rokocoko.
A couple of other New Zealand wings have a workrate similar to his and they might be quicker in a straight line. But Rokocoko is more of a handful. When he engages the defence he makes them work hard, usually occupying the attention of two or three defenders. He is powerful, slippery and comfortable under the high ball. What's more, the combination he, Jane and Muliaina have developed is a major strength of this All Black team.
Joe repaid the faith the selectors have in him with a superb performance against the Springboks.
But his was only one of a number of high quality efforts from an All Black team which reached heights we see only occasionally. They produced some remarkable rugby, which was in many ways reminiscent of the "perfect match" against the Wallabies at Athletic Park in 1996.
That 43-6 annihilation of a good team was something special. The Eden Park crowd, and the millions of viewers who tuned into the first match of the Tri Nations, were maybe treated to an even more satisfying result. This game meant something. To beat the world's most impressive side has been a major achievement and of immense value to the squad's plans for the next two seasons.
The lineout deserves mention. I sat in the ground waiting for the first one to happen. It took ages- I think there were only two in the first fifteen minutes. The South African dominance of this area of the game has been awesome. They have caused enormous problems to every other team, particularly the All Blacks, so to watch them constantly scrambling to win their own ball and being forced to take the call away from Matfield, was very satisfying. The All Blacks challenged the Boks in this area and came away with a points victory.
Tom Donnelly, to my mind, was a standout player. His is a remarkable story of battling away seemingly unnoticed, then being called up for the national team at the age of 27. In a short time, he has become a vital component of the forward pack. After a nervous start, which was shared by most of the team, Donnelly was accurate at the kickoffs, an immense presence in the lineouts, showed athleticism in the loose with a remarkable scoop up at full pace and, I imagine, was a huge worker at scrum time.
For those detractors of Ma'a Nonu, and there are still plenty of them (one sat behind me at Eden Park), he gave many clear examples of why he is the selectors' first choice number 12.
The All Blacks have stunned us all with that result. The Westpac Stadium awaits, ready to rock to more scintillating rugby.
