A big decision and the Springboks ill-discipline proved a decisive factor in their loss to the All Blacks on Saturday.
All Blacks captain Ardie Savea (with ball) and Springbok eighthman Jasper Wiese (in front of him) were involved in a contentious late incident during their Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Test at Ellis Park on Saturday night. Picture: Floris van Schouwenburg/Gallo Images
All Blacks captain Ardie Savea admitted he had been very anxious, after an upright tackle on Jasper Wiese late in the match against the Springboks almost proved costly, before his team cruised to a comfortable win in their Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Test opener at Ellis Park.
The tackle was reviewed, after there seemed to be head contact between Savea’s shoulder and Wiese’s head, but referee Matthew Carley decided that the initial contact was on the chest, with the Bok player’s head then whiplashing onto the shoulder.
It proved to be a big decision in the context of the match, with it not even being a penalty, meaning that Marco van Staden’s indiscretion at a ruck in the red zone just a few moves later, saw him yellow carded.
Comeback hopes ended
At that stage the Boks were trailing 26-16, but any faint hopes that they could still respond were then dashed a minute later when Cobus Reinach followed Van Staden off the field after a deliberate knock on, which allowed the All Blacks to use their man advantage to seal a 33-16 win.
Speaking during the post match press conference, Savea said he was pleased the decision went in his favour, and was happy with the composure shown by his team throughout a tough match.
“I’ll be pretty biased tonight that I’m happy about the decision. But yeah, I was nervous, but they made the decision, they made the call, and that worked in our favour,” said Savea.
“You talk about being composed in tight moments, and you could just see the boys were really present in the moment. All you can ask for as a leader is for everyone to do their job, and everyone did that.”
All Blacks coach Dave Rennie also backed the ref’s call, and admitted that it changed the game, in giving them some breathing room, which allowed them to see out the win relatively comfortably.
Technically the right call
“Technically, it’s the right call. You’ll see the footage that when Ardie hits him, his head comes forward, and that means that your first impact’s on the body, if the head goes forward,” explained Rennie.
“If it goes backward, it means first impact is straight on the head. So it’s a really good refereeing, and good to see at this level.
“We were under the pump for a number of minutes, maybe the next five or six (after their third try). So to come out of that and then get a little bit of territory, and then I think somewhere in there we got a 50-22, and we’re down there (in the Boks 22m), and we got rewarded.
“We felt we got some penalty advantage early in the game. We just weren’t able to get any continuity off that to put the Springboks under pressure or bring the ref into the game, and I thought we were better in that sort of last 20. Ended up with a couple of cards, which made the job a little easier.”
Rennie added that heading to Cape Town for the second Test with a win under their belt was a big confidence booster and puts them in a strong position ahead of the final three Tests.
“It’s massive. You’ve got a leg up (in the series). Obviously, it doesn’t guarantee anything, and we know they’re such a good side,” said Rennie.
“Next week’s going to be just as tough. It’s nice to be one up, and we’ll enjoy a quiet beer, but we’ll turn our focus quickly to the Lions (tour match in Johannesburg on Tuesday).”
