Springboks clinch 2009 Tri Nations

The Springboks squeezed out another win over the All Blacks on Saturday in an "epic" (in the words of John Smit) test match in Hamilton, to clinch the 2009 Tri Nations tournament, only the third time in the tournament's history that they've managed to win it. It was a must-win game for the All Blacks to have any chance of an unlikely come-from-behind steal of the cup, but they had to win and prevent the Springboks from getting any points on the log to stand a chance. Satisfyingly for Springbok fans, their team went out with real belief and commitment to not just defend their position on the points table, but to win the game - which they did by 32 points to 29.

Springbok brilliance

The Springbok victory was built on their usual pressure game, coupled with a few moments of individual brilliance to score:

• Francois "bazooka" Steyn: we've come to expect long-range kicks from the audacious fullback, but three 50m-plus kicks in a match? Must be some kind of record! And he missed an equally long drop-goal attempt in the second half - but not by all that much!


• Fourie "sniper" du Preez: his try was brilliant. First he put up the kick, then challenged for the catch, doing enough to disrupt Rokocoko's catch. Bakkies Botha then carried strongly to within a couple metres of the line, only for Du Preez to once again get his hands on the ball for a quick snipe to claim the try.


• Jean "interceptor" de Villiers: As he's done so often in the past, he read the All Blacks move to perfection for an easy steal and run in to score under the posts.

Apart from the significance of the match in the context of this year's Tri Nations tournament, it was also a special moment for a couple of other reasons:

• It was the third Springbok victory in a row over the All Blacks - when last did that happen?


• As long as he's been playing for the Springboks, this was John Smit's first win over the All Blacks in New Zealand! Lately there's been a lot of hype about how the Springboks are the world's best team yadda yadda, but let's not forget the All Blacks have had the edge over them in the last few years, particularly in the Tri Nations.

All Blacks not too shabby

Although the All Blacks couldn't quite do enough to win the match, they played their part in a gripping encounter, looking particularly dangerous with the ball in hand. They had a fair amount of success spreading it wide to outflank the Springbok defence (which, it must be said, was awesome on the day), and won the second half. Unfortunately they were once again let down by a misfiring lineout which took away a lot of their momentum, or the result could have been different. Although at the moment they're not quite the force they have been for so long, this is still an awesome team that'll beat most teams any day of the week.

Australia 18 - 19 New Zealand: Tri Nations round 5

Saturday's Tri Nations encounter between the Wallabies and All Blacks in Sydney was every bit as entertaining as we could have hoped. Both teams played with ambition and intensity, but the All Blacks broke Australian hearts by edging it in the last few minutes to keep hold of the Bledisloe Cup for another year, and more importantly, to keep alive their chances of winning the 2009 Tri Nations.

Backline play

It was refreshing to see both teams try to bring their backlines into the game, in contrast to the effective but rather boring tactics we've seen from the Springboks in the tournament so far. Dan Carter had a clear impact on the game in respect of moving the ball out wide and bringing his outside backs into the action, and while neither backline really fired on all cylinders, the teams are to be commended for their efforts.

Defensive pressure

The fact that we only saw a single try in the game is testament to the commitment of both teams' defence. It was positively ferocious at times, a fact underlined by the amount of blood lost by players from both sides! In fairness the All Blacks could have scored several tries in the second half, but were let down by minor infringements at the last moment each time.

New Zealand had all the territory, possession and momentum in the second half, and probably deserved their victory in the end. But by now the Wallabies must be wondering what they have to do to get a win in this competition. They didn't play badly at all, and showed clear improvement in some of the areas that have let them down in previous matches. So far this year they've been starting well, but have proved unable to keep hold of their lead for the full 80 minutes.

State of the competition

Things are nicely poised going into round 6. All teams still have a chance of winning the tournament, although Australia must beat South Africa in the next match to stay in it. The Springboks have the "luxury" of being able to afford a couple of losses and still win the tournament, and although I'm sure they will want to nail it down at the first opportunity, that knowledge in the back of their minds may be their undoing on Saturday. One thing's for sure, you can never write off a side like Australia while they still have a fighting chance.

Tri Nations round 3: Springboks 31 - 19 All Blacks

The All Blacks were once again comprehensively outplayed in yesterday's round three Tri Nations encounter with the Springboks in Durban. While the Kiwis looked dangerous with the ball in hand, they were once again let down by indiscipline and numerous basic errors which robbed them of any momentum. The Springboks' superior tactical game also meant the majority of the game was played in the All Blacks half, so even when they did get their hands on the ball, the Springboks were able to scramble their defence and neutralise the attack.

Springbok records

In contrast to the All Black woes, it was a game of records for the Springboks. John Smit became the most-capped test captain of all time after leading his team for the 60th time, and is fast approaching the status of a legend of the game. His influence has undoubtedly had a lot to do with all that the Springboks have achieved over the last few seasons.

Another player who wrote his way into the record books was Morne Steyn, who scored all his team's points, and in so doing became the highest individual points scorer in a Tri Nations match. Not bad for a player who many critics have been saying is one dimensional! Steyn was once again impeccable with his goal-kicking, missing only one of ten attempts. But he was also good on attack and solid in defence - in fact, apart from one kickoff which went directly into touch, I don't think he put a foot wrong all day. After an excellent Super 14, he has successfully broken into test rugby and shown that he can cut it at the highest level.

Also worth a mention is new boy Heinrich Brussouw, who has been particularly impressive since making his international debut for the Emerging Springboks against the British Lions a few weeks ago. He has had a lot to do with South Africa's dominance at the breakdown, and is going to make it very difficult for the coach to leave him out when Schalk Burger becomes available to play again.

All Blacks not out of it

The All Blacks will be disappointed with their performances in South Africa, and will have to face the inevitable media frenzy when they get back home. But it's too soon to write them off in the competition - the points table is still "on serve", as it were, and the Springboks and Wallabies still have their main overseas leg to come. The other advantage the All Blacks have is a three week break until their next match on 22nd August, then another three weeks before the next on 12th September - time for them to regroup, review their game plan, and possibly bring in some fresh blood (Dan Carter, anyone?). And in between they have South Africa and Australia knocking the stuffing out of each other.

Still anyone's tournament

The Springboks are in pole position to take the tournament at the moment, but in my opinion, the All Blacks' "ordinariness" simply opens up the tournament, meaning it could come down to bonus points in the final analysis, depending how the chips fall. The Wallabies are certainly in with a good chance themselves - remember they dominated the first half of their match against the All Blacks.

I for one am expecting this tournament to go right down to the wire.