Rugby, All Blacks disaster, South Africa wins 35-7

In what may have been a preview of the final of the now imminent Rugby World Cup, in Twickenham in the last test for the two teams ahead of the world championship, reigning world champions South Africa dominated and defeated 35-7 the All Blacks. Inserted in Groups A and B of the World Cup, New Zealand and the Springboks would immediately cross their paths in the quarterfinals if they were to finish in different positions, while winning their respective groups by both finishing second they would then end up on opposite sides of the board and would therefore eventually find themselves alone in the final.

Sold out

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It will be played in a sold-out Twickenham (82,000 spectators) and tomorrow the gates will reopen for England-Fiji, the last pre-World Cup test for coach Steve Borthwick’s squad. South Africa literally dominates the first 10 minutes, with an intensity, ferocity and quality worthy of the world champions. The All Blacks defense was put terribly under pressure and wavered fearfully, even conceding a scrum from 5 metres, but the pouring rain played a trick on South African half-back Faf de Klerk, who let it slip forward as he pulled the ball out. But the suffering for the New Zealanders didn’t end: in the 14th minute Scott Barrett went overboard in a ruck on 10 meters and was punished with a yellow card. Obviously we go to the deep touch, with the maul stopped irregularly by captain Sam Cane: it’s a clear foul of foul play and the second yellow card arrives. With two more forwards, the Springboks tried again, but on Malcolm Marx’s attempt to break through, the save of Richie Mounga was miraculous, keeping the hooker up and denying him a practically made try. In the 18th minute, however, South Africa finally breaks through: again touch and again maul, the New Zealand defense defends itself with unheard-of ferocity and seems to resist, but in the end it is captain Siya Kolisi (transformation of Manie Libbok ). Two minutes go by and a nonsense from Eben Etzebeth gives Mounga an easy place but the opener shoots onto the post. In the 31st minute the All Blacks had a touch stolen in their 22, the South Africans reversed the front to find Makazole Mapimpi wide on the left, but the South African winger incredibly let the ball fall from his hands. But another minute passes and another gift arrives: in a very risky exit from the 22 ball in hand, Jordie Barrett lets himself be intercepted by Kurt-Lee Aeendse, who can comfortably walk up to the posts (Libbok converts). The limit is not easily identifiable: the aggressiveness of the defense of the world champions takes the breath away from the New Zealanders, who however are well beyond the threshold of individual errors that a team like this should allow. The first decent attack by the All Blacks right at the end produces a kickable free-kick, but Scott Barrett decides to frustrate everything, rushing from shoulder to ruck against Marx: second yellow, which turns red and disaster completed. In time expired the All Blacks would also find a beautiful try with Will Jordan, but a previous forward from Mark Talea nullifies the play.

Shame avoided

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70 seconds are enough in the second half for the Springboks to find the third try: Beauden Barrett with a sudden cross kick in his 22 directed towards Talea sends the ball directly out, touche brought down quickly by Etzebeth, ball immediately to Kolisi who goes out to the right and then, after paving the way for him, give the oval for the dive to Marx. In the 52nd minute numerical parity is restored for the yellow and Pieter-Steph du Toit, who in the attempt to tackle hits Cane’s head with his arm. In the 59th minute from the touchline 5 meters away, the relentless South African maul set in motion, which broke through the goal with substitute hooker Bongi Mbonambi. The fifth also arrives in the 67th minute: this time the touchline from 10 meters is played quickly for Kwagg Smith, who leaves the bewildered defenders to hit again. Libbok converts all 3 of them. In the 71st minute it is the first try for the national team by Cam Roigard (replaced for Aaron Smith), who intercepts in his own half and avoiding 3 tackles flies right under the posts (with a conversion by Mounga), to avoid to the All Blacks the shame of a defeat without points: the last one against South Africa in 1960 (0-13 in Johannesburg). But it didn’t prevent New Zealand from the worst defeat in its history (twice it had lost by 21 points, always with Australia in 1999 and 2019).