South Africa vs New Zealand in the 5th Week of the Tri Nations By Derek Robson

Well, what did you think of this game? The Springbok second stringers performed very well indeed, against, arguably, the very best rugby side on the planet. Actually, this could be termed the third stringers by now, because the top 22 Springboks are being rested and another 6 are on the injury list. That’s 28 top players, which almost make up 2 teams of 15. The next on the list, were the team sent over to Australasia and of them, no more than 6 have ever played at this level.
Johan Muller did an outstanding job, as makeshift captain, after Bob Skinstad's withdrawal and he truly led by example. Muller had only previously stood in for AJ Venter, at captain, in the closing minutes of a Sharks match and Venter had, in turn, stood in for an injured John Smit, so it is fair to say that Muller had no real experience, at being captain of the team, at this level.
The Springboks could not realistically have hoped to beat the favourites, but did extremely well to contain the Kiwi attacks and minimise their scoring opportunities. Indeed, at half time, the All Blacks led by a very slim margin, with the scores at 12 - 6. The Springboks defended like demons possessed and the All Blacks must have been somewhat surprised.
Again, the game was marred by poor refereeing and it is through a poor decision, that the All Blacks took advantage and scored a very soft try. The yellow card for Wannenburg, was also a bad decision, especially as McCaw was guilty of exactly the same misdemeanour, but was not carded.
While it cannot be said, that the ref was directly responsible, for the outcome of this game, it does highlight yet again, the lack of good referees, at this level and the inconsistencies in their individual interpretations of the game. This is a very worrying factor and with the World Cup in just a few weeks time, let's hope that the ultimate winners, are not merely those that the refs smile upon. Their decisions and weaknesses, could have a tremendous influence, on what should be the ultimate test, of the best rugby playing nations in the world.
The last ten minutes of play, saw the New Zealanders suddenly wake up and put points on the board, finishing off with a score of 33 - 6. This could and perhaps should have been a whitewash, with New Zealand being expected to thrash the 'Boks, by far more points, but it shows the guts and determination of the weakened Springbok team, to have prevented a hiding.
Ruan Pienaar had a better game, this week, as did Murray, Pietersen and Cronje. Muller, van der Linde and van Heerden worked like Trojans, but Hougaard was very disappointing and Paulse was continuously out of position. Olivier also did not impress. All in all, they surprised many people with their gutsy performance.
This brings to a close, the South African campaign, for the Tri Nations cup and only one match remains. Next Saturday Australia and New Zealand will contest the ultimate result, to the title. South Africa cannot win the trophy this year, but have their sights set on a far bigger award - The World Cup.
It is a rare sight indeed, to see the coach of the losing team, smile so broadly, but Jake White has plenty to smile about. South Africa have an excellent first team and enough depth, in the form of replacements, to make selection difficult. Injury is the only factor, that White cannot control, but with him wisely having rested the big boys, this will hopefully be reduced.
Indeed, South Africa have an excellent chance of snatching the World Cup and their closest rivals will be New Zealand. Some of the chaps sent to Australasia, have showed that they may even be worth of promotion, to the World Cup squad. It will be interesting, to see who the final team is. This squad will be officially announced, on the 21st of July. One thing that White has achieved, is a special blend of players, with the experience from the old stalwarts and the raw exuberance and talent of the youngsters.
The latest betting odds on the World Cup are as follows. New Zealand - 2/5 South Africa - 5/1 France, Australia - 10/1 Ireland - 14/1 England - 33/1 Argentina, Wales - 50/1 Scotland - 200/1 Italy - 500/1 Samoa, Fiji - 1000/1 Tonga, - 2000/1 Romania, Japan, USA, Canada, Namibia, Portugal, Georgia - 5000/1
Time will tell, but let's not forget, there is still one more game to be played, in deciding the victors, of the Tri Nationspetition. Will the All Blacks, or the Wallabies triumph?
Derek Robson is an up anding, South African internet marketer, with a vision of empowering all fellow South Africans and non U.S folk, to have equal opportunity and success on the internet. He and his wife Sally have started a string of sites, resources, courses and articles, as part of Dersalsites.
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