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DURBAN - The All Blacks are far from certainties to win the rugby World Cup after their 26-21 defeat of the Springboks, says Daily Telegraph rugby writer Paul Ackford.
One of Britain's top rugby scribes, the former England international said Sunday's error-ridden Tri-Nations test in Durban gave other nations hope for September and October.
"The striking conclusion from this absorbing test match -- won 26-21 by a patient New Zealand over a physical South Africa -- is that the World Cup, less than 11 weeks away, is wide open; that Ireland, Argentina, France, Australia and, to a lesser extent, England and Wales, are still in with a real shout; and that the Springboks and All Blacks are some way off from where they want to be if they intend to win the tournament," he wrote.
"Yesterday's encounter between the two alleged titans of the game confirmed that they are not as good as they think they are."
South Africa's newspapers meanwhile took a mixed view of their team's defeat.
The Sunday Tribune predicted there was more World Cup improvement left in the Boks than the All Blacks.
"It's some distance and some time away from Paris and while the All Blacks will not get significantly better, the Springboks conceivably can," Mike Greenaway wrote.
"For one thing, the Boks will surely select (injury permitting) better balanced combinations in the front and back rows, and surely will not again kick so much ball down All Black throats."
In the same paper, Mark Keohane wasn't so optimistic.
"The New Zealanders have balance to their attack and defence. The Boks don't. And that is the brutal concession coach Jake White will have to make if he has any chance of fixing it before Paris."
In the Sunday Times, former Springboks coach Nick Mallett said there were "alarm bells" around the normally powerful Boks' scrum which was shunted by the All Blacks.
"Dan Carter kicked poorly and had a quiet game -- yet the All Blacks were still able to win. That's a concern, because if he's on song he can cut a side to pieces," Mallett wrote.
Sunday Times rugby writer Simnikiwe Xabanisa predicted South Africa's domination of the Super 14, in which the Bulls and Sharks contested the final, may come back to haunt them.
"The players who brought so much pride to South African rugby by battering each other to a standstill to win the Super 14 are operating on reserves. Reconditioning seems a must, but can they peak twice in one year?"
- NZPA
