NZRugbyReview’s Official Guide to Beating South Africa… in South Africa

The All Blacks will play the Springboks in Durban at Absa Stadium on Sunday, 3:00 AM New Zealand time, backing up after a loss the previous weekend in Bloemfontein.

Second time round, we’ll be hoping that the Bloemfontein was just a minor glitch on the radar. Messrs. Henry, Hansen and Smith certainly will, and to help cease their worries here are six things the All Blacks must do if they want to win this test.

1. Give the ball to Conrad Smith With his second touch of the ball last weekend, Conrad Smith set up the All Blacks first (and only) try. Good stuff. In the final minute of the half, if Stephen Donald had been able to pass the ball to Smith after making a break, New Zealand would probably have scored the decisive try. With his every touch of the ball Smith looked dangerous. The All Blacks will have to try and dish the footy to him as often as possible.
2. Control the scrums The All Blacks have a very good scrummaging front row, with Owen Franks being technically sound, either Andrew Hore or Keven Mealamu slotting in at hooker and Tony Woodcock was making Matt Dunning collapse like an ostrich two weekends ago. They also have the best scrum coach in the world in Mike Cron, so there is no reason why they shouldn’t be dominant come scrum time. If they are, they will offer a sound base for the backs to build on and allow the likes of Joe Rokocoko and Sitiveni Sivivatu to run rampant.
3. Take the three-points from penalties I don’t see the point of the quick tap rather than a pot shot at goal, especially if it’s within Stephen Donald’s kick-ability range. Donald is in the best form of his life. He only missed one goal attempt last weekend and went 5 from 7 at Eden Park the week before against the Wallabies. He was the reason Robbie Deans is still anguishing over what it’ll take to wrench the Bledisloe Cup from New Zealand’s grasp. There have been no shortage of penalties awarded to the All Blacks these past weeks, and three points is, after all, almost half the value of a converted try.
4. Keep the intesity on the whole game Last weekend the All Blacks mounted a stirring fightback in the second half, and in Auckland two weeks ago against Australia they did the same. They sneaked home by 6 points at Eden Park, but given the level of rugby in the Tri-Nations particularly from the Springboks, the All Blacks can’t wait till the final 40 minutes to start playing real rugby. They will have to try and play as they did after the half-time break in Bloemfontein for the whole game on Sunday in Durban.
5. Bottle Donald’s tactical kicking; let Cowan to box-kick at will Stephen Donald’s tactical kicking game has been more than questionable these past two games- especially his seemingly pointless up and unders. Conversely, Jimmy Cowan’s box-kicks have been extremely effective and pressuring, partly due to to chase but whatever reason it often causes the backline to cough up possession, allowing the All Blacks to gain ten or so metres with the defensive line in disarray. Cowan needs to have permission to kick as he sees fit, while Donald should hang up his tactical kicking boots, because they just aren’t working for him.
6. Challenge come line-out time Bakkies Botha and Victor Matfield are the best pair of line-out jumpers in world rugby, but New Zealand should not be intimidated by the two. If they time their challenges correctly, they should be able to steal more than their fair share of line-out ball, especially with Isaac Ross and Rodney So’oialo in the fray for them. On the same topic, Keven Mealamu or Andrew Hore (whoever is starting hooker) needs to go for So’oialo at No. 2 early on, not towards the back to up their confidence levels and increase their chances of winning ball on their own throw.

Amanhã acontece a segunda partida do Tri Nations 2009, entre Springboks e All Blacks, em Bloemfontein, em partida que pode decidir o novo líder do ranking da IRB.

Sem dúvida será uma grande partida. Os All Blacks atuais campeões do torneio, enfrentam os atuais campeões do mundo e vencedores do último tour dos Lions, ainda que seja consenso que os Lions são um desafio mais fácil frente os homens de preto.

Para melhorar o retrospecto em casa (os Boks venceram apenas uma das últimas quatro partidas em casa contra a Nova Zelândia), vão contar com o força máxima, e isso inclui Bakkies Botha, que já cumpriu suspensão. A única ausência é Schalk Burger, ainda suspenso. Os neozelandeses contudo, vem com Richie McCaw, que fez grande partida em sua volta aos All Blacks e agora contam também com Joe Rokocoko na linha em um grande confronto contra nomes como Bryan Habana, Jaque Fourie e Fourie du Preez.

  Onde assistir:

No O’Malleys, ao vivo, a partir das 11h30 e no All Black, na segunda feira, a partir das 20h30 (VT). Nenhum dois dois cobra entrada ou consumação (o O’Malleys cobra para jogos de madrugada, porque considera que ainda é balada).

É possível ainda assistir ainda pelo Justin TV