Springboks vs All Blacks 2T takes: The Barrett-Jordan issue, three big missed chances

The Springboks hung on for a 33-26 win over the All Blacks to level the Greatest Rivalry series 1-all heading into the third Test at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg.

A fast start saw the Springboks jump out to a 7-0 lead just two minutes in and two more tries built a 24-14 half-time lead that they didn’t relinquish.

The fast-finishing All Blacks added some respectability to the final score, avoiding a repeat of Wellington with a chance to tie the game on the final play.

Jordan’s break down the right hand side was turned at the breakdown with the Boks holding on. Here’s four quick takes following the Springboks’ win.

All Blacks’ high ball tactic not working

The All Blacks high ball security failed in Cape Town as the Springboks were able to continually win back the ball after the box kick.

It’s the second game in a row that Will Jordan has been suspect in the catch area. He was exposed multiple times on his side of the field in this one, and there appears to be an issue with the Jordie Barrett retreat tactic.

No matter if Barrett is defending in the midfield or not, he’s working back to contest the catch, often crowding the winger. There’s hesitation over whose ball it is.

In the first Test Barrett and Jordan both went up for one, causing a turnover when there were no contesting Bok players. In this Test there were more headaches.

With the game in the balance 17-14 around the 35th minute mark, Jordan lost a Reinach box kick in the air to Ethan Hooker. Barrett also looked like going up for it.

The very next phase, Feinberg-Mngomezulu hit a wipers kick that Cheslin Kolbe kept in play. Jesse Kriel won a penalty on the goal line with Leroy Carter scrambling to save possession. That momentum swing led to the try to Siya Kolisi which proved vital.

In the second half Jordie Barrett went up for one and went up to bat it back, smacking the ball into the path of a rampaging Malcolm Marx. The Springboks went straight hot onto attack in the All Blacks half as a result.

On Leroy Carter’s side, the involvement of Barrett coming across led to multiple issues. Carter didn’t contest one, that bounced and ended up a penalty against Tupou Vaa’i for blocking due to no one contesting. The next time Carter went up with Barrett, colliding with each other while Etzebeth came away with it.

Every time the All Blacks lost an aerial battle, it delayed being able to get back into the game and fuelled big momentum swings for South Africa.

Jordan has been surprisingly ineffective in this part of the game, at one point Jordan won an uncontested high ball on our own kick and offloaded it straight back to the Springboks.

While the All Blacks have to stop sending Barrett into the catch area from the midfield, it’s causing more issues for the wingers.

Three big missed chances

Although the All Blacks scored two beautiful tries in the first half, they also had three massive opportunities in the first half that they failed to take.

This mattered greatly as a big part of last week’s win was keeping the score close at half-time. Once again the All Blacks won the second half, by 12-9, and the final 20 minutes 12-3, but a 10-point deficit at the half became 16 with two penalties to Kolbe, which proved too much to overcome.

The first missed opportunity came in the 10th minute when McKenzie slipped over, but recovered his feet to slice straight through the defence and go one-on-one with Willemse in the backfield.

He had two unmarked players inside, Codie Taylor and Cam Roigard, the nearest defender being 39-year-old hooker Deon Fourie. Roigard would score 99 per cent of the time on that inside pass.

McKenzie went for the grubber kick wide to Will Jordan, which was regathered, but the Boks scramble and ended up turning over possession at the lineout.

It took five minutes of clock to get the opportunity to equalise again, which happened to be eventually be through Roigard.

The second missed chance was Jordie Barrett’s charge down on Sacha Fienberg-Mngomezulu in the 23rd minute, straight after De Allende’s try down by 17-7. Last week the ball bounced perfectly for Holland, this week it cruelly raced away from the No.12.

These two strike back opportunities matter, as the quicker the response, the more time there is to play and earn back the lead. It took another seven minutes to respond when McKenzie’s try closed the gap to 17-14.

The Kolisi try late in the half was a killer blow that created the buffer, but the All Blacks still had one more chance to respond with the clock in the red.

A deft short ball from George Bower put Simon Parker clean through the Boks line, but with no one in support. He was tackled about 30 metres out, in position to come away with something. On the edge, Jacobson tried pushing the pass and the ball is disrupted in contact and dropped. Holding possession and working for a penalty could have changed the game, particularly if the All Blacks were able to come away with a try.

These three chances don’t give back 21 points, it’s just that taking them changes the complexion of the game from that point on. You’d rather cut the lead back earlier than later, providing more time to win the lead.

Front row switch up worked

Having Malcolm Marx play the last 55 minutes of the game proved a match-winner with the hooker’s ability on the floor unquestionably great.

The threat of Marx at the breakdown has always been there, and he produced three turnovers that cost the All Blacks. Two of them breakdown penalties that directly lead to six points in the second half.

The explanation for the late switch of the front row starters was explained by Erasmus as due to the weather. The heavier front row was named to start with rain forecasted, but when the rain didn’t show, they were changed up to finish the game.

This change up sits in a grey area, late changes are permitted due to medical or injury reasons but this was outside of that. But there was no change to the 23 made, just who was on the bench and who was starting.

Rennie wasn’t fussed with the call, stating: “It doesn’t worry me at all. They named their team on Monday, it had no bearing on the team that we named. So yeah, no drama from my perspective.”

There is no better coach than Erasmus at timing substitutions. Most coaches stick to a pre-planned script, whereas Erasmus takes into account the game situation and uses subs to gain an edge. More often than that, it pays off.

This switch was certainly one of those instances, including when he decided to put Marx and Nche in the game having just won a penalty five metres out from the try line in order to get a fresh scrummage with his heaviest options.

Same game plan, different result

The Springboks came with the exact same game plan as Ellis Park but were much better with the execution this time around. Last week they coughed up nearly every 22 entry they had, this week the forward runners came onto the ball with much more accuracy.

Cobus Reinach had a much better rhythm from the base of the ruck, and the redzone attack was in sync. They struck three times, to Kriel, De Allende and Kolisi, all from close range.

Once they had a 10 point lead, the reverted back to conservative kick pressure, ending up with 35 kicks. They tried to run it out of their half just once in the second half, on a fake box kick they spread wide to Ethan Hooker. Three phases later, Peter Lakai forced an error in contact and a turnover.

There was no difference in the tactics used by South Africa in this game, only they found themselves in a better situation to manage. They compounded the lead through penalties, getting out to 30-14 ahead of the final quarter.

The All Blacks must find a way to withstand the early onslaught in the third Test and not fall behind as far on the scoreboard, as if they can do it again like the first Test, it will pay dividends at the back end of the game.

The last 20 minutes of both games have been 21-3 and 12-3 to the All Blacks. This time the damage was done late in the first half and they were able to hang on, with the game coming down to the final play.