Watch: The Durban test that ended Springbok flyhalf Morne Steyn's test career
When the All Blacks played the Springboks at Kings Park in Durban in 2009, a young Morne Steyn finished with a monstrous personal tally of 31 points, the highest ever individual haul against New Zealand as the Springboks romped home to a 31-19 win.
Seven years later in 2016, the same two teams met again at the same venue for the first time since Steyn’s record-setting day.
Morne Steyn had been recalled into the Springboks squad under Allister Coetzee after indifferent results with Super Rugby star Elton Jantjies.
He kicked all 18 points to lead the Springboks to an 18-10 win over the Wallabies in Perth, nailing two drop goals and four penalties during the 2016 Rugby Championship.
Many Springbok fans had visions his 2009 performance would be repeated in Durban after his expert showing in Perth. After 40-minutes in Durban, Steyn had kicked three penalties to trail the All Blacks 12-9 at halftime.
After just three minutes in the second half, the All Blacks were building intense pressure on the Springboks defence, rolling through 16 phases. Steyn became entangled with Joe Moody off the ball after taking out the halfback TJ Perenara, losing his cool and clubbing Moody in the stomach during the tangle.
Two phases later he dived into a ruck with a swinging arm, before having to get up and defend again. He missed a crucial tackle on Israel Dagg with a tired effort, as Dagg slipped through after a miraculous Barrett offload to put the All Blacks up 17-9.
Steyn then kicked the halfway restart into the All Blacks in-goal, giving the visitors a scrum on the 50-metre line.
It was the beginning of the end for Steyn as the All Black machine would put up 45 second-half points on the back of a sublime performance from World Player of the Year Beauden Barrett.
A charge down by Anton Lienert-Brown gave Barrett his first try, extending the lead to 22-12. Barrett missed another conversion, having only landed 1 from 5 at this point, but it would not matter.
Steyn kicked well off the tee, landing his fifth penalty near the 60-minute mark, but his old school style of hammering long kicks down the field cost the Springboks as the All Blacks returned with contestable bombs from Barrett and Ben Smith that were regathered, setting up attacking possessions. He would be subbed in the 63-minute with the game lost.
A Barrett line break assist set up a break by Kieran Read that was finished by TJ Perenara. A crafty offload by Liam Squire quickly after a turnover saw Barrett scamper away for his second try. Codie Taylor would bank a mauling try after Lood De Jager copped a yellow card. Ben Smith finished a break with Barrett providing the last pass, his second try assist. A mid-range chip kick by Barrett off his left foot would lead to the final try to Liam Squire.
The reaction on Twitter was mixed as South African slumped to their worst ever defeat to the All Blacks by 57-15.
So morne steyn rectified elton jantjies deficiencies for #boks No tries, Record defeat, Statistical nightmare
— aubrey nyaguse (@mnaubrey) October 8, 2016
Where are all those Morné Steyn fans from last week? And the sports journos defending Coetzee & Steyn lst week?
Worst coach since Streauli— David (@Dewald_duPlooy) October 8, 2016
Under the spotlight was the defensive performance of the backs, with Morne Steyn singled out by this user who asked “can the rugby experts confirm how many missed tackles Morne Steyn had in yesterday’s All Blacks game ??”
Kan die rugbykenners bevestig hoeveel missed tackles Morne Steyn gehad het in gister se All Blacks game??
— ? Johannes Dampies ? (@DampiesJ) October 9, 2016
Springbok backline – 21 Missed tackles out of 33. Steyn 5, Faf 4, Habana, Hougie 3 ea. The root of the problem.
— Brenden Nel (@Brendennel) October 8, 2016
Morné Steyn made 7tackles and missed 5 yesterday. Juan de Jongh missed 4. Nice.#RugbyChampionship
— David (@Dewald_duPlooy) October 9, 2016
The Morné Steyn, Adriaan Strauss bandwagon is confused. Everybody that got on last Sunday has suddenly disembarked again…
— IG: johngoliath (@JohnGoliath82) October 9, 2016
https://twitter.com/d_kingmaker_b/status/784883021107245056
Former Springbok coach Nick Mallett explained to SuperSport among the many issues with loss was the style of play.
“The philosophy of trying to play rugby without the ball is not only a negative one, but it just doesn’t work against a side which has such attacking genius as the All Blacks do at the moment,” he said.
“Kicking the ball away in desperation and then not finding touch against people like Waisake Naholo and Israel Dagg will cost you.
“Our defence is frenetic. We tackle and tackle and then get tired. And as soon as the intensity drops against the All Blacks, they score tries.”
Rob Houwing of Sport 24 described the test as the “starkest confirmation yet during this grim year that the Boks are all at sea strategically, a rot that has inevitably infected individual performance levels, even of players with prior, proud reputations.”
Just one member of the Springbok backline received a rating of 5/10 by Houwing with the rest under that mark.
The Durban test would prove to be Morne Steyn’s last outing in a Springbok jersey, with the goal kicking ace never playing again for South Africa.
The three-time Super Rugby champion would finish his 66-test career with 736 test points, second only behind Percy Montgomery, with a world-class goal kicking success rate above 80%.
Comments on RugbyPass
I still see nothing in Sotutus play that hes changed his upright running style that failed so many times against decent international defences like the french. Other than that… Iose? Well you have covered his limitations well. If Sititi had been playing the the season… Jacobson? Grace?…Neither shout pick me. So Ardie it is.
1 Go to commentsThere isn’t one element you mentioned there that every top class or successful team gets up to. The great All blacks sides used to play on the ‘fringes or edge’ but it was essentially saying they were doing something illegal or borderline to gain dominance. The fine margins at the top are minute between the top sides. La Rochelle, the crusaders, Saracens, Toulon etc etc…..have all been accused. Get over it, the comment comes across as salty and naive. Northampton as well as they played to get back into the match were thoroughly beaten and controlled for 60 minutes and Leinster have only themselves to blame for kicking it away and hence losing control of the match and being nearly the architects of their own downfall.
2 Go to commentsThere is some talent coming thru thats for sure. The 10 looks special to me. Rico Simpson is a name to look for in the future.
1 Go to commentsI think this quiet honestly is just an innocent misunderstanding by someone who is pig sh*t stupid. Eben is a fine player but by christ, if he can’t understand or get what the Irish players were trying to say to him after the match…..well i hope he has someone looking after his finances, career and is reading the fine print for him, cause life after rugby may be quite difficult for the vacuous echo chamber.
21 Go to commentsIt could be Doris' day!
3 Go to commentsThe whole thing has blown up because Eben’s words have clearly struck a nerve in Ireland. Otherwise they would just laugh it off. I think some former Irish players, commentators and some Irish fans know deep down this Ireland team started to believe its own press and that a certain amount of arrogance had started to creep in during the World Cup. The topic was actually brought up by Irish pundits on Off the Ball recently. It’s fine to be arrogant if you can back it up. Ireland didn’t.
21 Go to comments‘The Irish are good people'. Why is Goode praising a people who hate his own? Wet wipe.
21 Go to commentsLa mejor final que se puede ver en el emisferio norte.
1 Go to commentsA lot of cope from south africans in the comments. Etzebeth is a liar and a hypocrite; you don’t have to defend him!
21 Go to commentsHe got big and really slow for a flyhalf…not sure he’s relevant in a bok conversation anymore
4 Go to commentsBest tourney team vs best team in the regular season for 3 games in RSA - talk is cheap, let’s see what’s what on the tour
21 Go to commentsOne overlooked statistic from their 2016 winning season is the Huricanes are still the only team in Super rugby history not to concede a try during the playoff rounds.
4 Go to commentsThanks for the article, Nick. The Nienaber blitz D does ask a lot of its scrumhalf. I have been watching JGP on D and he often looks like he has mastered what Nienaber asks for better than Faf de Klerk and Cobus Reinach! 🤣 Impressive season by JGP if I must make an understatement.
22 Go to commentsOkay last one. I promise. I think it’s despicable for Andy Goode to suggest that Eben can’t count to 12. To be fair he only had to count to 8 - the number of Irishmen who DIDN’T say that. Less the 3 kiwis of course. 23 - 12 - 3 = 8. See Joe. I can do maffs.
21 Go to commentsCheers, Nick! How do you see the Reds’ Jock Campbell’s play this year? Not as strong a carrier as Andrew Kellaway or Tom Wright, but does avoid errors. Do you see Joe Schmidt as wanting safety first at 15 or a try-assisting counterattacker?
91 Go to commentsI’m sure this was all just a big misunderstanding. Irishmen and Afrikaaners conversing in a noisey stadium. Not easy to get the right messages across. A minefield.
21 Go to commentsSay what you will about Andy Goode. But he is right about one thing… I’m not sure what that one thing is exactly… but I’m willing to hear him out.
21 Go to commentsAnother article to bait and trigger Irish fans. This must stop.
21 Go to commentsHi Nick. Thanks for your +++ ongoing analysis. Re Vunivalu, He’s been benched recently and it will be interesting to see what Kiss does with him as we enter the backend of SRP. I’m still not sold.
91 Go to commentsIn the fine tradition of Irish rugby, Leinster cheat well and for some reason only known to whoever referees them, they are allowed to get away with it every single game. If teams have not got the physicality up front to stop them getting the ball, they will win every single game. They take out players beyond the ruck and often hold them on the ground. Those that are beyond the ruck and therefore offside, hover there to cause distraction but also to join the next ruck from the side thereby stopping the jackal. The lineout prior to the second try on Saturday. 3 Leinster players left the lineout before the ball was thrown and were driving the maul as soon as the player hit the ground and thereby getting that valuable momentum. They scrummage illegally, with the looshead turning in to stop the opposing tighthead from pushing straight and making it uncomfortable for the hooker. The tighthead takes a step and tries to get his opposite loosehead to drop the bind. Flankers often ‘move up’ and actually bind on the prop and not remain bound to the second row. It does cause chaos and is done quickly and efficiently so that referees are blinded by the illegal tactics. I am surprised opposition coaches when they meet referees before games don’t mention it. I am also surprised that they do not go to the referees group and ask them to look at the tactics used and referee them properly. If they are the better team and win, fair play but a lot of their momentum is gained illegally and therefore it is not a level playing field.
2 Go to comments