All Blacks crush South Africa after bad start

Sitiveni Sivivatu dives in to score a try. Ross Land / Getty Images

All Blacks 45 South Africa 26

Two barren years trekking to South Africa ended today for the All Blacks when they soaked up their own inadequacies before blasting away to a 45-26 victory in Pretoria.

Unproductive visits to Ellis Park and Newlands for Graham Henry's team were forgotten at Loftus Versfeld as his side maintained their unbeaten record in a pioneer season of player experiment.

While the Boks dipped to their fifth straight defeat and growing inquisitions about Jake White's credentials as coach, the All Blacks were able to tick off further success for alternate test players in their squad.

For much of the week the All Blacks tried to rid their bodies of the fatigue of long-distance travel while getting acclimatised to the rarified air in Pretoria. Training was limited, the emphasis on strategies to outwit the Springboks and saving the interchange XV's vigour for the international.

The All Blacks made a shocking start which was complicated when they lost fullback Leon MacDonald and tighthead prop Greg Somerville to serious leg injuries and played perhaps their worst half of rugby this season.

However the All Blacks went into the sheds at halftime 16-11 ahead because of their occasional brilliance and even greater incompetence from the Boks.

If the All Blacks wanted to compile a video manual of "nasties" they only had to film the first half.

Captain Richie McCaw muffed two early restarts, Daniel Carter kicked one out on the full, the scrum took time to settle, the lineouts were a schemozzle while there was enough inattention to ruck defence that Fourie du Preez could scamper in for an early try.

There was an unhealthy lethargy about the All Blacks and it was only late in the half that they were able to generate any attack.

Replacement centre Isaia Toeava was at the core of many key moments and flunked the occasion. He ditched one long pass, could not latch onto a Carter stabkick in goal and then shelled an easy transfer for a try when the All Blacks countered from their own half.

Quality

Against a top quality foe or a sudden-death stage like the World Cup, those chances would mean the difference in the result.

Round those gaffes, Carter's serenity beckoned. He calmly laid on a chip for Neemia Tialata to flop on for a try ahead of a group of teammates and after the halftime hooter steered an enormous 62m penalty through the target.

Kicking coach Mick Byrne left his seat in the coaches box and Sir Brian Lochore did likewise for the staggering kick.

While they chortled upstairs, Henry's dressing room talk would have peeled the undercoat from the shabby labyrinth. If his demands were not met, there would be consequences.

Three tries in the third quarter was a decent response as some accuracy returned after the break, the attacking venom from Mils Muliaina and Carter's was far too lethal for the Boks' defence.

Chris Jack and Jerry Collins gave some sting as replacements but the lineout wobbles continued and had Luke McAlister not scored he would have been guilty of the most heinous blunder as he dummied a final defender with four teammates alongside.

The Boks were getting more flustered, more chaotic as they argued amongst themselves. As they turned their back on a penalty Collins tapped and sent Sitiveni Sivivatu 40m to the tryline then Muliaina strolled in at the corner.

It was the sort of planning the All Blacks envisaged to succeed as their predecessors did a decade ago when they claimed their first series win in South Africa at the same ground.

There was enough of the defiant temperament which has carried them to several close wins against the Wallabies but it was necessary after that woeful beginning.

The Boks played with the desperation and narrow vision that accompanies their rugby infrastructure. They tried to drag the All Blacks into combat, into a static slugfest where they could impose their physical brutality and strangle the tourists' flair.

Over-inflated

Before the test Henry wondered whether his side would succumb like last year because of an over-inflated opinion of their ability built on the Bledisloe Cup and Tri-Nations triumphs.

His concern was justified with the inattention to core duties at the start. The theory that 11 changes would guarantee enough enthusiasm, attitude and skill was looking lame.

Carter was the crucial man for the All Blacks. He has always felt the Springboks were an easier side to combat because they lacked alternate game plans. They were opportunist, bullish and gritty but too often the backs seemed an add-on to the forwards and he attacked that perception.

He used his instincts and his teammates, especially the outstanding Muliaina, let their natural impulses to flow.

It was no contest between the All Black sword and the Bok baton.

The coaching blueprint worked, eventually, though Anton Oliver's throwing wavered against the backdrop of some slow calls and Bok challenges.

New No 8 Chris Masoe was an impressive contributor until he damaged his left ankle and will join Somerville (torn achilles tendon), MacDonald (torn hip muscle) and Reuben Thorne (broken thumb) as casualties for next week in Rustenburg.

Thorne brought a dependable experience in the looseforwards while Tialata was in stubborn form when he was forced to swicth to tighthead.


New Zealand 45 (N Tialata, L McAlister, S Sivivatu, M Muliaina, R Gear, tries; D Carter 4 pen, 4 con.

South Africa 26 (F du Preez, J Fourie 2, tries: P Montgomery 2 pen, B James pen, A Pretorious, con)

Halftime: 16-11