Wynne Gray: All Blacks' cuteness cuts no ice

Panache turned to ache for the All Blacks yesterday when they digested the brutal realities of test rugby.

They fell to the Springboks in Cape Town, beaten by a side with more mental energy, more emotional stamina and a team pumped to defend their Tri-Nations title.
It was an international when the battle-hardened Boks beat a fresh but skittery All Blacks team, one which succumbed to the identical scoreline inflicted last week on the Wallabies.

Now the vanquished will meet in Sydney on Saturday with both sides shorn of injured stars like Stephen Larkham, Wendell Sailor, Tana Umaga and Byron Kelleher.

After the whitewash wizardry against the Lions, where hard work and elan overcame the dysfunctional tourists, the All Blacks experienced the anguish of defeat yesterday.

At the highest echelon of sport, the mind is the most influential weapon available to combatants.

The Springboks had no cerebral clutter at Newlands. They played with an unerring search-and-destroy purpose in defence. They were not mesmerised by the All Blacks' razzle-dazzle which flummoxed the Lions.

Targets were to be hit, hard. The All Blacks had to be jolted out of their comfort zone, they had to be denied the luxury of time on the ball.

The tactic was no surprise to the All Blacks. It was a strategy the Springboks used last season, the rush fish-hook defence, the up-and-in methods which suffocated the midfield.

But in near-perfect conditions yesterday at Newlands, the All Blacks were fretful. A product of a month away from the international arena? Perhaps.

They began with more collective anxiety than Auckland's sports celebrity scene. They scarcely settled. There was little sign they gained their poise even when they clawed back to 13-all.

They did not react well under pressure, they were feverish rather than composed. They did not want to work themselves into the test, they ignored chances to settle and regroup.

Rugby internationals are contests about stress, reactions to tension and yesterday the All Blacks flunked that exam.

They did not respect the ball, there were too many flighty passes, Hail Mary flicks, marginal offloads, or strangely indifferent kicking from Daniel Carter or Aaron Mauger to disrupt the midfield muddle.

They tried to be too cute while the disciplined Springboks kept banging away at the basics.

South Africa ground out the win. They were limited on attack but grabbed another Jean de Villiers interception and a sackful of Percy Montgomery points as the All Blacks infringed.

Too often the concessions came from impetuous moments like the short dropkicks out of the 22m or simple errors like an offside, a lost lineout or Daniel Carter shelling an easy pass near his posts.

Gift points, which were a golden haul for the Springboks in such a tight test.

From their own golden glow of the series slaughter of the Lions, the All Blacks will now have to deal with the repeat demons of their offshore Tri-Nations failure.

Last season, coach Graham Henry conceded the All Blacks were over-trained going into the Tri-Nations as they scrambled to uneasy domestic victories before they fell over twice offshore.

This time they were rested and stumbled, unable to compete with the Springboks' intensity and cloying defence.

The All Blacks are due to land in Sydney today where their recent test record is not flash. Since 1998 when matches were shifted to Homebush, the All Blacks have won just twice out of eight tests against the Wallabies.

It will take the All Blacks a few days to recover from the onslaught at Newlands and their long-haul flight.

They will also have to rid themselves of the mental scarring, the hurdle of not winning an offshore Tri-Nations contest since 2003.