Error strewn Springboks downed by All Blacks at Eden Park: Four talking points

RUGBY NEWS - An error strewn performance from the Springboks proved hugely costly as they blew a golden opportunity to get a famous win at fortress Eden Park, going down 24-17 to fierce rivals, the All Blacks, in their Rugby Championship clash in Auckland on Saturday.

The Boks had a slew of chances over the match, but were unable to take most of them, while the hosts punished them by being ruthless in contrast, taking most of the opportunities that came there way.

Here are four talking points from the match:

Ruthless All Blacks take chances

The All Blacks were incredibly ruthless, taking almost every chance that came their way, which allowed them to take a 14-3 lead into halftime, which they extended to 17-3 soon after the break, and then scored with one of their very few opportunities in the second 40 to secure the win.

An early knock on allowed the All Blacks to kick into the Bok 22m, with the clearance leading to a lineout, which gave Beauden Barrett a cross kick opportunity to wing Emoni Narawa, who made the most of Willie le Roux slipping in the cover defence for the first score.

Another knock on from the Boks led to a Barrett 50-22, long thrown lineout and great run line from Will Jordan to run in their second.

Their third try was also from Bok errors; penalties, a yellow card to Kwagga Smith and a poor read on defence, which led to Quinn Tupaea sealing the win.

Springbok errors prove costly

While the All Blacks were ruthless over the game, the Springboks were error strewn and that proved massively costly. All three tries to the hosts were directly due to Bok mistakes, while the visitors were just as bad when on attack, despite having a slew of chances.

A poor pass here and there, stolen lineouts and knocking on, while on attack, were some of the costly mistakes early in the first half. It might also be a bit harsh, but Handré Pollard chose the worst time to miss his first kick off the season, a tricky shot from distance on the angle.

The first half ended with two big chances going begging at lineouts; Grant Williams knocked on from a push down, and then confusion between Malcom Marx and his jumpers led to a “dummy” and a free kick that allowed the All Blacks to survive.

The second half wasn’t as bad for the Boks, but a big error — obstruction at kick-receipt — led to the hosts sealing the win with their third try, just after the Boks got back into the game with their first try.

Mixed set piece and second half show

The Springboks’ set piece was mixed once again, as their dismal lineout returned, while their scrum fired for the most part. The lineout woes are becoming a major problem for the Boks and was one of the big reasons for their loss, as they made a multitude of mistakes at it over the game, especially on attack.

The scrum, on the other hand, was brilliant, with Ox Nche superb in the first half, earning a number of penalties for the Boks, although Thomas du Toit did concede one as well. Wilco Louw was then immense in the second half, and their tighthead win led to the Boks’ first try.

Both the Boks’ tries came in the final 20 minutes, and it was no surprise that a reduction in their errors played a part. Marx powered over after winning a tighthead at scrum time, and Cobus Reinach sniped over after another big scrum and good work in the All Blacks’ 22m area, but in the end it wasn’t enough.

Bok subs shine

It was a superb showing from the Springbok subs that saw them fight back into the match during the final 20 minutes. Prop Wilco Louw came on and helped produce a monster scrum that Malcolm Marx scored from.

Cobus Reinach was extremely lively, kicked well and sniped his way over for a try that brought the Boks back into the game with five minutes remaining.

Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu was also lively, making a number of exciting runs, but also made a few mistakes. Kwagga Smith made his usual impact, his run helping them score their first try, but he was also yellow carded for cynical play that led to the All Blacks sealing the win.

Lood de Jager brought some calmness to the misfiring Bok lineout when he came on, while Jan-Hendrik Wessels had a short action-packed cameo in the final 13 minutes, and made a vital steal that gave them a final chance near the end of the match.

Ethan Hooker and Boan Venter didn’t make as big an impact as the others, but didn’t do much wrong either.