The idea he was universally revered in Canterbury from the moment he tookover the Crusaders in 2017 is a fantasy.
“Hmm,” one vastly experienced local All Black grumped to me at the time, “I suppose they might be able to dance a bit better before he’s gone.”
Robertson stayed his own man and it worked. What’s essential now is that he doesn’t get weighed down by the fact his team has stretched the string of losses to South Africa from two at the end of the 2023 World Cup to four.
It’s a massive tribute to Ian Foster’s resilience that although he had in effect been sacked by New Zealand Rugby before last year’s World Cup, the Springboks had a win in the final that was as narrow and nervous as the 2011 decider the All Blacks won 8-7 at Eden Park.
If there was ever a time for Robertson’s relentless optimism, it’s now.
The losses in Johannesburg and Cape Town were frustrating and infuriating. A lot of the damage done to the All Blacks was self-inflicted; chances were fumbled and foolish penalties conceded.
But the defeats weren’t humiliating. To lose by four points at Ellis Park and six in Cape Town showed the Springboks are better than the All Blacks — but there isn’t daylight between them.
Well done to the South Africans on two well-earned wins but their impressive run does not signal the end of the All Blacks as their toughest opponents.
All Blacks hooker Codie Taylor was a standout in their defeat to South Africa at Cape Town. Photo / Getty Images
The other standout was Wallace Sititi, who played his first starting test as if he was born for international rugby.
Given that Super Rugby Pacific patently doesn’t match the intensity with which the Boks play, it felt a risky call replacing the injured Todd Blackadder with Sititi. Two brief test cameos off the bench look pretty thin when facing a great of the game such as 77-cap Pieter-Steph du Toit.
Add in the fact Sititi noted last week it had “been a while” since he played at flanker rather than No 8, and if you were a Kiwi, you watched, if not fearfully, certainly nervously.
Sititi took on the Boks as if he wasn’t playing the best team in world rugby. His running was direct and potent, as was his defence. A new star looks ready to shine.
Kicking themselves
Goal kicking again was an issue for the All Blacks. Damian McKenzie didn’t kick poorly, but if ever the gods of rugby were making mischief, it was in the 63rd minute, when his shot hit the post and bounced away, and then in the dying stages, when what looked on screen to be a successful penalty was waved away by the referee and his two assistants.
It was one of the many terrific strengths of Dan Carter’s game that he could have a bad miss or two, and then step up to the tee again as if he had never missed a kick in his life.
Carter had a once-in-a-generation temperament. As good a kicker as McKenzie is, that icy attitude may not come as naturally.
Should have seen Specsavers?
The officiating played no part in the final result and the test flowed under referee Matt Carley and his team.
But if you were a Boks fan and replayed the “no try” decision against Eben Etzebeth in the 46th minute, or a Kiwi seeing obvious forward passes and knock-ons being allowed, you’d have to wonder if stringent eye examinations shouldn’t be required when Northern Hemisphere refereeing squads are running the show.
Joaquín Oviedo of Argentina celebrates after scoring against Australia. Photo / Getty Images
Nightmare across the Ditch
After their mediocre World Cup under Eddie Jones, the Wallabies had surely earned some better times with new coach Joe Schmidt.
Instead, after leading the Pumas 20-17 at halftime in Santa Fe, the Australians were whipped 67-27, with a second-half collapse Schmidt described as “falling off a cliff”.
Just what it means for the first Bledisloe Cup test of 2024 in Sydney in a fortnight is a mystery.
The All Blacks are bitterly disappointed after their South African trip. The Wallabies were embarrassed in Argentina. It might take a big squad of sports psychologists to decide which emotion is most likely to spark the biggest backlash.
