All Blacks lack extra sting

South Africa 21 New Zealand 20

It was the last of the rotation policy and the end of a 15-test winning sequence.

After the test at the Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace, much was made about the lack of edge to the All Blacks, that their passion did not burn as fiercely as the Springboks.

Yet the side had been overhauled: there were 10 changes from the side which had less time to recover from jetlag, acclimatise to altitude and managed to beat the Springboks last week in Pretoria. That team had as much at stake as the side which played yesterday. The alternate XV gave yesterday's side the chance to cleansweep a mini-series in the republic.

Comments about the All Blacks having less desire and desperation yesterday than the Boks provoked an uncanny flashback to Sydney in 1999 when they complained about being outpassioned by the Wallabies.

Lock Ali Williams was one of those asked to back up yesterday and felt he lacked a little extra sting.

He was not looking for an excuse; he wore the defeat and agreed the All Blacks were not as clinical as they needed to be to pacify South Africa. They lacked enough control to put away their rivals.

"As a rugby player it's quite hard to get up week in and week out," Williams said, especially after the All Blacks had retained all the trophies this season.

"You know you are playing for your black jersey and that brings out the best in a lot of players but sometimes she is a hard road here and I mean I am not putting any excuses on anything," he added.

He defended some of the struggles in his lineout area of expertise.

"Lineouts are a contested area, it is always going to be a shitfight, it is always going to be niggly you know, so you can't expect to get a hundred per cent the whole time," he said.

Defeat would burn away for all those who played and hoped to get a chance of redemption on the end-of-year tour to England, France and Wales.

Coach Graham Henry has stated he will treat that more like a World Cup campaign. Players will be asked to play successive weeks, he will veer away from the rotation strategy he has employed in nine tests this season to sift and grow his depth.

Captain Richie McCaw, Daniel Carter and Mils Muliaina started each of the six Tri-Nations tests, Chris Jack and Williams were involved in all the tests as starters or from the bench. Carl Hayman might have done as well but for his one week out with concussion.

Those players are the spine of the team, the go-to men for the coaching staff. There are others such as Keven Mealamu, Tony Woodcock, Jerry Collins, injury free Leon MacDonald and Aaron Mauger and probably Rodney So'oialo, whose mistakes yesterday were both glaring and expensive.

For the likely preferred XV yesterday plus Jimmy Cowan, Andrew Hore, Sitiveni Sivivatu and fill-in fullback Doug Howlett, there were too many glitches.

Before the test Mauger had spoken about how the side had worked on making their passes stick, about eliminating low percentage transfers to keep the heat on the Springboks. That concept disappeared with too many players guilty of poor timing or shoddy distribution.

Collins and So'oialo's risky passes were most glaring, Sivivatu looked as rusty as last week, Howlett was not comfortable in the fullback role, while Mauger cut and diced some breaks and then undid his good work.

Cowan passed soundly and sniped round the fringes early before being dragged into the struggles while replacement Byron Kelleher did not make much impact. Hore had his lineout troubles but did look handy at the forefront of some drives and was unfortunate to have a try disallowed.

There were chances. Woodcock had a pass slapped down with a try on, McCaw got away and could not find support, Mauger's snaking run was halted by a scrambling defence.

But some of the frailties will have Henry and co reworking some ideas about contenders for the end of year tour, perhaps taking a keener interest in fringe candidates making their way in the national provincial series.