This afternoon the the Springboks leveled the four match series at one a piece and everything to play for in the final two matches. Todays match was a must win to give them a chance of winning the series so a loss was not on the cards two weeks running.
The All Blacks played well and do not believe they have any more extra gears to raise their game which the Springbok team is only starting to hit their straps. For some reason they have been off their game for their last two matches and today showed signs or rather glimpses they are coming back to some type of form. I would say this was a tidier performance with small improvements in defence which suffocated and smothered the All Blacks in loose play.
I think the All Blacks knew after winning the first match last week that they would face an uphill task this week as many of the points they scored last week were soft and gifted due to the Springboks handling errors. There was some type of backlash which was expected as things had to improve because the home team was very poor last week.
I am one who sits on the side lines and wants to watch the best teams in the world hammer this out and the best team must win fair and square. This should be the case over a four game series as the bounce of the ball and referee decisions will be evened out. The best team should win this and why we love watching and playing sport.
This week both teams will be looking for any weaknesses they can exploit after reviewing todays match. The Springboks still have a lot of work to do and need to keep on improving. The obvious weaknesses highlighted today which the All Blacks capitalized on was the rush defense leaving space out wide. The All Blacks scored two tries when using this space and the Springboks need to shore up their defensive structure. A few tweaks in training should make that happen and not leave them exposed on the back foot.
The set pieces like the scrum need to be looked at as the dominance was not there today and this is all about the timings. The All Blacks are not as strong up front and this needs to be taken advantage of as this would set the platform for front foot ball to attack the gain line.
Next weeks game is again just up the road from where I live in Johannesburg meaning the teams are back at altitude. Will this change of altitude effect the All Blacks having been down at sea level for the last week? Touring teams tend to struggle with the thinner air and history has told us the 60th minute is when this impacts the players.
Whatever happens in the last two matches the age of touring teams is back which is great for all those who love the sport. The players will enjoy the experience of experiencing the country for what it is and not flying in and playing then leaving the following day. This gives the teams a chance to build and improve as a squad and having four matches in a row will help both teams moving forward.
After what we have seen thus far there is very little to choose between the teams and we are talking about a 1% improvement here and there being the big difference. My money is on South Africa winning the series 3-1 or a drawn series with the fourth game being played in the United States in two weeks time. The SA team has got extra gears to find and no doubt next week and the week after they should be purring finding their form.
