All Blacks v Boks - Dominated by Cards

In easily one of the strangest test matches I have ever watched, the All Blacks beat the Springboks on Saturday night in Auckland, 29-15. In a game that was dominated by the whistle and a couple of extremely questionable decisions that has left a large shadow over the outcome of the test match. It has certainly taken the gloss of the All Blacks winning performance, and sets up an exciting rematch in Johannesburg in 2 weeks time.

Bismarck Du Plessis was yellow carded in the 14th minute of the match after was was deemed by referee Roman Pointe to be a high tackle and involving no arms, however replays from all television angles showed that it was nothing more than a perfectly timed tackle with a fantastic technique, ball n all tackle basically. Dan Carter most definitely came off second best and will now see out the remainder of the Rugby Championship at home in the comfort of his living room after sustaining an AC injury which will see him push to be fit for the end of year tour.

Restricting the Springboks to 14 for a ten minute spell saw Brodie Retallick score his first ever test match try, 5 mins after Bismark was removed from the field. Of course the swing in momentum was inevitable and it gave the All Blacks a small advantage which against the Springboks is all you need.

After returning from his ten minute spell in the bin Bismark made an impact almost straight away with a try to get his team back in the game prior to halftime. However this was steadily undone with a Barrett penalty right on half time and then with the 2nd yellow card incident literally 2 minutes into the second half.

Bismark went into a Messam tackle with a raise forearm and was shown a red by Roman Pointe as a result of the first yellow. Many amongst the rugby community feel that it was unjust to see him removed from the game as the first yellow he received was 100% incorrect, later confirmed by the IRB. However I have questioned why he went into the tackle like this. Surely knowing he was on a yellow card, unjustified or not, he should have been on his best behavior throughout the rest of the game to avoid having any further impact.

From an All Black supporters side of things, Beauden Barrett slotted in wonderfully in the number 10 jersey with DC on the sidelines and it was fantastic to see an improvement in his tackling technique, a slight concern in the past has had a rapid improvement. 

Sam Cane had probably his best performance in the number 7 jersey with an enormous work rate, 10 tackles and 4 runs just solidified his position amongst the pecking order. When he did leave the field with a blood injury, in slotted Matt Todd. Both have contrasting styles in the number 7 jersey, however both slotted into the game straight away, and many got both the players mixed up at times. A real testament to both of the players but also the squad around them that the changes can be done with a real effortless about them.

To there credit the Boks continued to fight up until the final minute but many left wondering what might have been, with a showdown now on the card at Ellis Park in 2 weeks time. Springbok lock Eben Etzebeth, a beast of a kid at the young age of 21 is a star for the future, a real workhorse, keep an eye on this one. 

I cannot wait for the remaining games in the competition  It will separate the men from the boys and the top dogs from the bottom of the heap.

What did you think of the match?