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All Blacks losing run goes on as Boks dominate RC opener

South Africa's Willie le Roux (L) reacts after scoring a try during the Rugby Championship international rugby match between South Africa and New Zealand at the Mbombela Stadium in Mbombela on August 6, 2022. (Photo by PHILL MAGAKOE / AFP) (Photo by PHILL MAGAKOE/AFP via Getty Images)

Wing Kurt-Lee Arendse scored his first international try but was then sent off as South Africa piled more misery on struggling New Zealand with a comfortable 26-10 victory in their Rugby Championship opener.

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The Springboks were more dominant at the Mbombela Stadium on Saturday than the scoreline suggests.

They bossed the set-piece and breakdown, with hooker Malcolm Marx particularly devastating in his 50th test.

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Replacement back Willie le Roux also crossed for a try and fly-half Handre Pollard kicked 17 points for the home side.

It was South Africa’s biggest win over the All Blacks since 1928, despite finishing the game with 14 players after Arendse was sent off for a dangerous tackle in the air after 75 minutes.

New Zealand managed a late try through flanker Shannon Frizell, but it is a fifth defeat in their last six tests. The result will pile more pressure on head coach Ian Foster, especially as they never looked like winning.

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“The Springboks threw a hell of a lot at us, we did quite well to absorb it but it took a lot out of us. They kept applying pressure, especially at the breakdown and that disrupted a lot of our flow,” All Blacks captain Sam Cane said.

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“We’re bitterly disappointed, it really hurts. We must get better at the breakdown and the contestables (in the air). I can’t ask any more of the team in terms of the belief and the effort. It is just small margins at this level.”

New Zealand made too many unforced errors with stray passes and knock-ons from carries and will have to show a vast improvement ahead of the second Rugby Championship match-up between the two sides at Ellis Park in Johannesburg next Saturday.

The Boks crossed for the first try on eight minutes as Pollard kicked a high ball that was not collected by All Blacks fly-half Beauden Barrett and Lukanya Am sent Arendse away to dot down in the corner.

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New Zealand got their first points in the 36th minute, with their first scoring opportunity. Jordie Barrett land ed a penalty from in front and they will have been relieved to go into the break only 10-3 down.

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Pollard landed two more penalties and a drop-goal, but Arendse’s red card with five minutes remaining gave the visitors a chance.

They scored a try after a superb break from wing Caleb Clarke, playing his first test in two years, was finished by Frizell.

But the Boks had the last say as Le Roux crossed for an easy score after another loose All Blacks pass in their own 22 provided him the opportunity.

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“It was a grind, exactly what we wanted. We wanted to match them up front,” Bok captain Siya Kolisi said.

“We were good with the high balls, we kept it as structured as possible and we had the discipline to make the tackles.

“Malcolm (Marx) was brilliant, every time there was a ruck he seemed to come up with the ball. He has been a big player for Springbok rugby for some time.”

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Comments

4 Comments
G
GG 1072 days ago

Cannot wait to hear from Ben Smith. Am sure that he will blame the Boks for something and have a pile of excuses why the ABs didn’t win.

S
Schneider 1072 days ago

Decent game...But for a great game - you need 2 teams to pitch up though. Boks were totally dominant...but as expected left the door open and with about 12mins to go the All Blacks were still in with a shout.


The Red card ...gave the All Blacks a try that flattered to deceive... I Can not remember the last time before this year, when an All Blacks side lacked such penetration and lack of imagination.


Their forwards are not up to standard for a top 3 team...as a result the backline will naturally suffer...but regardless, that backline is a poor imitation of the great All Blacks sides of old...


The once invincible, ruthless, All Black machine is barely grunting... Truth be told its been coming..since the Lions Tours a few years back...that and constant muddling with the Super Rugby format, throw in the big money pull of Europe and the "kids these days just dont wana play rugby" excuse...


The world is a different world post-covid..... Great for the other unions but I do feel a bit of sadness seeing a once untouchable foe stuggling aimlessly and heading into games like lambs to the slaughter.

A
Another 1072 days ago

You are not incorrect. However, a change in set up can still effect a speedy recovery. Look at how the Springboks were performing prior to 2018. There is personnel in the All Blacks camp that could build a good rugby team, and other players still left back in NZ. However, you need a coach that is responsive to the situation rather than picking a team with the same basic flaws each and every week.

G
GrahamVF 1072 days ago

Who was it who said watching South Africa play rugby sent him to sleep?

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JW 22 minutes ago
Beauden Barrett weighs in on controversial yellow card

Yeah theyve been back and forth on this ruling for years. They dished out yellow cards anywhere on the field, then basically went to scrums instead, then started penalizing again, and it is only recently that the yellow card has been used again.


For instance Aaron Smith got penalized by Barnes for sticking his hand out in the RWC in France and the TMO intervened wanting the harsher punishment (as it appears that’s where WR has the refs moving towards again), even though both Barnes and the TMO said/worded the infringement the same it would appear Barnes seemed happy to accept he should have carded him.


I actually felt sorry for Barnes in that WC/Final, he seemed to have developed a good feel for the game and ref’d those situations perfectly but was overridden but the TMO on multiple occasions.


The trouble with the law is that this weeks does look similar to Villieres, but it’s entirely possible BB was playing the man instead of the ball (which you can’t say in Villieres case). In that A Smith case there was still traffic well out from the goalline, and in that Eben example it was more deliberate and only 5m out with an overlap (and if talking about that French game, they ruled that to have gone backwards so we don’t quite know what they would have done). That last situation had been when, for the last few years, a penalty would possible be upgraded to a card, not so much the Villiere (or Smith) example. But that’s obviously changed. Back to Beauden though, the real problem with the law (we can accept a YC as long as they are consistent) is that he could put his arm into that exact same position for ether action, tackle, or block, and the ref has no real way of knowing which. This extends to the development of certain ‘slapping’ tackle techniques, where a tacklers intent is mostly to stop the offload, and includes getting the arm in the path of the ball, whether still held by the attacker, or released by them. This action is no less illegal and deliberate in it’s intent than Ebens. It’s not even reactionary (not that you can be lenient in those situations) like Villieres. And it has the exact same effect on the game, whether its its clearly been passed to a team mate, or someone it’s trying to offload to a team mate, of removing skill/attacking play.


Actually another aspect of contention with the law is that it is now classed as foul play. It’s been referenced that in this weeks example the pass went forward, into Barrett, so his hand wasn’t even in the correct position to block a legitimate pass, but because they ruled his intent was to block it, now being “foul” play the forward pass is ignored. So you’ve got someone sent from the field blocking a pass that wasn’t even a pass.

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