Rugby: All Blacks miss Whitelock's class

Brodie Retallick is tackled during the Rugby Championship match between the All Blacks and the Springboks in Wellington. Photo / Getty Images

The trouble with having two of the best locks in the world is that it is immediately obvious when one is unavailable.

How the All Blacks missed Sam Whitelock against the Springboks in Wellington tonight. Jeremy Thrush is a big improver but he doesn't have the skill level of Whitelock - few do.

Thrush came into the game more in the second half, but the lineout wasn't up to its usual standard - Victor Matfield, in particular, saw to that - and the scrum slipped too.

Whether that was a direct result of Whitelock's absence, we'll never know. One thing is for certain, and that is Whitelock's work in receiving kick-offs is vastly under-rated. The Boks targeted Kieran Read in this area and the No 8 wasn't without fault.

As a result there was more work placed on Brodie Retallick's shoulders, but, and here is the good news - he coped magnificently.

Already known as a battering ram and one of the best cleanout operators in the world, he has taken his ball handling to a new level. Against the Boks he was used as a link man in midfield off phase play, a sort of giant inside back. In the first half he passed the ball twice as often as midfielders Conrad Smith and Ma'a Nonu.

To have the ability to make pin-point decisions after mixing it with a pack the size of South Africa's is a special thing and the All Blacks' coaches should make his continued good health one of their top priorities.

The decision by Matfield, 37, to return to the test arena from retirement has clearly been a good one. His teammate Eben Eztebeth was replaced, but there he was at the end, still rumbling on. He doesn't do as much around the field these days but as a lineout specialist he is extraordinary.

To Retallick's credit, he stole one from from his opponent in the second half, but the All Blacks couldn't control it.

The Boks' excellence in this area, combined with their commitment at the breakdown and incredible scrambling defence, meant the All Blacks had to dig extremely deep to win this.

The final lineout, with Keven Mealamu throwing in, was an extremely nervous moment for the home side. It was another lesson that the margins at the top level are extremely small. The Boks were underwhelming in their victories over the Pumas and defeat to the Wallabies, but here they looked an entirely different team.

The other All Blacks' forward to impress with his handling skills was Read, occasional slip apart. His offloading game appears to be back - he made two in the space of a minute and his catch and assist for his Crusaders mate Richie McCaw showed an understanding that only hours of practice can bring.

The two loose forwards are forever paired at the end of training and that try was payback time. The same goes for Retallick's enhanced skillsets. As a young player in North Canterbury he was a self-confessed dislike of hard work on the training paddock. That is certainly not the case any more.