Match Report: All Blacks v South Africa, Fourth Test | Rugby's Greatest Rivalry
It was a frustrating performance, where the confidence of the Springboks, the defending two-time Rugby World Cup champions, shone as much as the All Blacks struggled for continuity and luck.
Opportunity creation for the All Blacks was the least in the four Tests. At the same time, the South Africans enjoyed their chances to the full, capping the series with an emphatic win that will leave the New Zealand camp with plenty to think about as they contemplate their likely Rugby World Cup meeting next year.
South Africa scored two tries in three minutes early in the second half, the first after 48 minutes came from a scrum penalty, followed by another kick to the corner. The lineout maul yielded yet another try for hooker Malcolm Marx.
Then, from a scrum conceded after a kick from the restart, first five-eighths Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu ran into space and into the All Blacks’ 22 where the Springboks big men blasted their way forward, before flanker Pieter-Steph du Toit scored to secure a 15-point advantage.
Frustrations followed when halfback Cam Roigard was tackled without the ball in a key movement, and wing Josh Moorby soon after couldn't get a decision in his favour when taking a tackle that wasn't ruled early, typical of the All Blacks’ lack of fortune.
WATCH: All Blacks v Springboks Fourth Test highlights (available in selected territories)
The game wasn’t without positive moments for the All Blacks. They showed that in the second quarter, when they were down by 10 points and the Springboks dominated possession, they couldn’t turn it into more points.
The All Blacks’ chance came when South Africa conceded a scrum penalty. The Springboks were pushed deep into their 22m. The All Blacks worked a front-of-the-lineout move with captain and hooker Codie Taylor regaining the ball and setting in play a 32-phase movement which sapped the Springboks’ defence.
Powerful surge after surge was contained as the All Blacks’ big men attempted to probe for advantage. It finally came to the backs, and blindside wing Will Jordan entered the line to race in beside the posts, putting the All Blacks within three points at half-time.
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The All Blacks’ penalty problems were evident from the outset, and by the third minute Springboks first five-eighths Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu had landed a third-minute penalty goal.
But once they got consistent ball, the All Blacks found their attacking rhythm, and after moving the ball right and back to the left, quick hands and an injection of speed from fullback Damian McKenzie took the play to the line.
From the ruck, halfback Cam Roigard threw a long pass across the goal-line to find Taylor in place to take the ball and score in the ninth minute. And in touching down, he claimed his 24th Test try, the most by an All Blacks hooker, heading off Dane Coles
South Africa continued to use the ball, running it from set pieces, and from their own feeds to scrums, they extracted penalties and gained valuable ground. In the 14th minute, that saw the Springboks mount a 10-phase surge into the All Blacks' 22 and from a ruck close to the line, it was second five-eighths Damian de Allende who powered over for the Springboks’ first try.
After an extended enforced break when match officials lost their ability to communicate, the All Blacks suffered a harsh blow resulting from a ruling that wing Josh Moorby offended when attempting to place the ball in a tackle. The All Blacks had built a position of advantage on the blindside by Roigard and No8 Peter Lakai.
From the penalty, the Springboks kicked to the corner for the lineout where halfback Morne van den Berg cut back to score in the 22nd minute.
All Blacks counterpunch in the final quarter
The Springboks' double-try second-half burst drew a final quarter response from the All Blacks when first five-eighths Richie Mo’unga landed a penalty kick just out from the corner flag. Another front-of-the-lineout play saw the All Blacks build a drive. Roigard charged around a ruck, and in the resulting play, flanker Ethan Blackadder scored.
But the Springboks weren’t finished. In the 71st minute, wing Kurt-Lee Ardense scored when the ball bounced free in the Moorby tackle incident, while with five minutes left, replacement flanker Cameron Hanekom, the player involved in the Moorby tackle, scored after taking the ball from Jordan, who had got back in cover.
A final response from the All Blacks came in the last minute when replacement Beauden Barrett crossed to score.
It completed a series that lived up to its reputation and encapsulated some of the outstanding rugby that has marked the rivalry, albeit with South African experience and power outdoing what the All Blacks could consistently offer.
Match Score Sheet
South Africa 43 (Damian de Allende, Morne van den Berg, Malcolm Marx, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Cameron Hanekom tries; Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu 2 con, pen; van den Berg con; Mannie Libbok 2 con) New Zealand 28 (Codie Tayor, Will Jordan, Ethan Blackadder, Beauden Barrett tries; Damian McKenzie 4 con). HT: 17-14
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