Boks snatch late draw at Cake Tin

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Handré Pollard converted Herschel Jantjies’ last-gasp try to secure a 16-16 draw with the All Blacks in Wellington on Saturday. JON CARDINELLI reports.

Talk about a grandstand finish. The Boks – thanks to a brilliant finish by Jantjies and an ice-cool kick after the hooter by Pollard – have come away from the Cake Tin with an unlikely draw.

The visitors looked to be dead and buried as the end of the game approached. Then Cheslin Kolbe broke down the wing and put up a kick for his teammates to chase.

Jantjies – who was deployed from the bench after Faf de Klerk was brought off for an HIA early in the second half – beat Aaron Smith to the high ball at the crucial moment. The TMO ruled that Jantjies had regathered the ball and the try was awarded.

The finish aside, the contest was an error-strewn affair. Indeed, the Boks may have won if not for their first-half mistakes.

They dominated the collisions. They kicked and chased well to beat the more-fancied All Blacks in the air. And yet for all their physical and tactical endeavour, they scored six points in the first 40 minutes.

The Boks had the All Blacks on the ropes during that period. Their defence pressured the hosts into making mistakes and conceding penalties.

Initially, the Boks did well to convert their opportunities into points through the boot of Pollard. But as the half progressed, the Boks’ mistakes started to pile up.

They struggled to secure clean ball at the lineouts and attacking breakdowns. A lack of patience and composure at the crucial moment cost them several further scoring opportunities.

The All Blacks struck a big blow before half time. Duane Vermeulen lost the ball in contact, and the hosts swooped to shift the ball to the wing.

Jack Goodhue finished and Beauden Barrett added the extras to see the All Blacks taking a 7-6 lead into the break.

 

Barrett slotted a goal after half time to extend the All Blacks’ lead. Pollard’s penalty in the 60th minute gave the visitors some hope.

Richie Mo’unga negated that contribution when he kicked a penalty from point-blank range in the 67th minute. The Boks continued to make unforced errors – particularly at the lineout – and the All Blacks continued to apply the pressure from deep within the visitors’ half.

Mo’unga slotted a further penalty to take the hosts out to a seven-point lead. At that point, it seemed as if the Boks would lose and fail to register a single try.

Kolbe and Jantjies combined brilliantly at the death, however, to earn the Boks some reward. Then Pollard stepped up to give his side a reason to cheer.

The Boks should be disappointed that they didn’t beat the All Blacks at the Cake Tin. There was a lot about their approach that suggests they are on the right track.

And yet, they will take heart from the way they fought back to snatch a draw. They should also be encouraged ahead of that World Cup clash with the All Blacks in Yokohama on 21 September.

All Blacks – Try: Jack Goodhue. Conversion: Beauden Barrett. Penalties: Barrett, Richie Mo’unga (2).
Springboks – Try: Herschel Jantjies. Conversion: Handré Pollard. Penalties: Pollard (3).

All Blacks – 15 Beauden Barrett, 14 Ben Smith, 13 Jack Goodhue, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Rieko Ioane, 10 Richie Mo’unga, 9 TJ Perenara, 8 Kieran Read (c), 7 Matt Todd, 6 Shannon Frizell, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Joe Moody.
Subs: 16 Dane Coles, 17 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 18 Angus Ta’avao, 19 Vaea Fifita, 20 Dalton Papali’i, 21 Aaron Smith, 22 Anton Lienert-Brown, 23 George Bridge.

Springboks – 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Duane Vermeulen (c), 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Kwagga Smith, 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Steven Kitshoff.
Subs: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Tendai Mtawarira, 18 Trevor Nyakane, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Francois Louw, 21 Herschel Jantjies, 22 Frans Steyn, 23 Jesse Kriel.

Photo: Mark Tantrum/Getty Images

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Jon Cardinelli