Tough final week ahead

Supersport write-up by Tony Johnson

It’s a tough week for the four teams left at RWC, for sharply contrasting reasons.

Tough for the finalists to regather their strength and iron out as many of the bumps and bruises as possible for the decider, and, in a way, even tougher for those who must head to the Olympic Stadium, and find out if there is anything left in the tank for the match no-one really wants to play.

The All Blacks have the advantage of an extra day to prepare for the final, and they’ll need every minute of it after one of the tightest, most brutal matches in World Cup history.

On the surface the NZ-SA clash came down to a couple flashes of brilliance, and a couple of bad choices by individuals. 

This was a game on a knife edge from start to finish, and it really could have gone either way.

You could argue that New Zealand deserved to win because they scored two tries to nil, and carried out a tactically superior strategy. They got better impact from their bench, and controlled territory when it really mattered, in the rain sodden final ten minutes.

Before it got to that heart-palpitating finish, two bad choices on defence had been costly for the Springboks.

In the first half Bryan Habana flew in off his wing, and left poor Lood de Jager with a huge avenue to defend. Richie McCaw's pop pass to Jerome Kaino might have warranted further scrutiny from the TMO, but the officials seemed satisfied that it had not come forward from the hand, and De Jager was left scrambling. His tackle was too high to be at all effective and Kaino was in.

And then later in the game JP Pietersen showed a lack of faith in Damien de Allende to make his tackle on Ma’a Nonu, and was suckered into coming off his wing to help, leaving space for Beauden Barrett to cruise in for a killer try.

Habana was a real mix, taking two brilliant high balls on the chase in the first half, but then getting yellow carded at a crucial stage in the second….again, a bad decision.

The young Springbok midfield will go onto big things, but, without dissing either Kriel or De Allende, the Bok defence really missed the Jean de Villiers influence as an organiser and calm head.

Likewise with Handre Pollard. He can become a great player if nurtured well, but while his goal-kicking in this match was flawless, he just wasn’t hitting his clearing kicks with any conviction, which did not help relieve the pressure the All Blacks slowly built.

A few other smaller things stick in the mind.

Just an observation, maybe I’m reading too much into it, but the toss was interesting. The All Blacks wanted to kick off but when Fourie du Preez won the toss and indicated his intention to do that, Richie McCaw without hesitation signaled he would play “right to left”.

In calm conditions I don’t think it mattered which way either team played, but McCaw gave the impression that he was getting what he wanted all along.

And while Dan Carter was, for the most part, controlling the attack, dictating field position and coolly slotting two conversions and a peach of a dropped goal, was there any other moment in the game than when he stripped the ball from the grasp of Schalk Burger?

And perhaps a change of the guard in the realm of the lineout. For years Victor Matfield was the scourge of the All Blacks with his computer-like analysis, razor sharp anticipation and tremendous athleticism, but on Saturday, when it was all on the line, Sam Whitelock beat him to the punch, got in front of him and made a crucial steal. The end of a brilliant era.

Now South Africa must choose whether to allow Heyneke Meyer to rebuild with an excellent crop of emerging players, or change the guard.

A case of changing the light bulb, or sticking with the same light bulb and hope it changes.

Because a shift in game plan is needed.

The Boks are a fantastic physical entity, and defending them is no easy manner because of their great power and resolve, but as long as they continue to try and break down walls by bashing into them, they will find it hard to beat the very best, when teams know it is all really a matter of making their tackles, preferably behind the advantage line.

True, there was always a chance the Boks would steal it with an intercept, or by pouncing on an error, but it didn’t happen, and they hardly looked like creating a try of their own.

Now they have to take on Argentina in a match that is surely more about wringing that last few million out of the paying public than salvaging any pride.

As for the final, well you can’t argue that the two best teams have made it. Both unbeaten, both having survived the most taxing of semifinals, and both producing a mix of wonderful attack and resolute defence.

A game between the Trans Tasman neighbours makes for a long week, with all the nonsense that goes on in the media.

It is always amusing to see the Aussie press installing the All Blacks as firm favorites, and yet highlighting every perceived weakness, twisting every quote into a “war of words” and a “shot fired” and generally creating the impression that all the pressure is on one team.

The ridiculous illusion that Richie McCaw had deliberately elbowed Francois Louw was borne in England, but waded into Down Under, while the Richetty Grub analogy (a sportsman being referred to as a “Grub” is about as low a blow as an Aussie can strike) was the work of a journalist who really is better than that.

There’ll be plenty of it in the New Zealand media as well, and it’ll be a relief when the game kicks off.

Much will depend on who can put out the strongest roster and who has the best powers of recovery.

The Wallabies have come a long way in a short time under Michael Cheika, the volatile New South Welshman having struck a real bond with his men.

They are dangerous on attack, and have, in David Pocock, the most influential player in the world this year, but have breakable channels on defence and, while greatly improved, are still not the finished article at set piece.

They have done magnificently to come out of the toughest pool in World Cup history, but you do wonder what toll the cumulative effect of so many tough games has taken on them. They looked banged up after Sunday's match.

It won’t surprise anyone, but I’m tipping the All Blacks to take it in a tough one. I just think they have that extra edge that comes with having already played in World Cup final. They have too many great players who have ridden this train before and are determined to hit one more peak.

But it would not surprise me greatly if it went the other way.

It may all again come down to who makes the best decisions.

Jade Christopher Bentley Adams signing off

(@jcba & IG @jcba_official)