Mntboy

Didn't read the comments but ja quite a few Kiwis seem to be of the belief that they were under par but there are those who also acknowledge that we were better on the day.

Another New Zealand perspective on Saturday's win. https://i.stuff.co.nz/sport/opinion/107167131/mark-reason-how-the-springboks-bashed-up-the-all-blacks

Thoughtful article from Jim Kayes. http://www.allblacks.com/News/33079/blaming-barrett-is-too-easy-kayes

If not for a phone call yesterday from my scooter mechanic (needed a brake replacement) I might've missed this match as well and gone for a ride. Saw some highlights post the Aussie Argie game and we put them under serious pressure after a slowish start. It was a really really good contest with exceptional skills from both sides. Both teams brutal on any error from the opposition. A fantastic match.

Was wondering when you were going to give us your opinion! I actually remembered that post. That was posted, what in 2016??? Or thereabouts. As an aside we all owe Mark Keohane an apology. Apparently he had all right about us beating the AB's this year and we had it all wrong. This one apology I am happy to make: Sorry for doubting you Keo!

Nobody asked him what he thought. Mostly because he wasn't there to be asked! And nobody cared that he wasn't there. They showed the reaction from everyone in studio shortly afterwards and it was all high fives, hugs and smiles. Nothing like a win to bring people together!

Nick Mallett thinks we deserved to win today! https://www.sarugbymag.co.za/mallett-springboks-win-has-set-the-bar/

Can't particularly comment on Pollard's play but I do agree that it did seem as though the AB'S were about to score. We got fortunate with McKenzie's knock on and Faf's quick thinking, kicking it straight out. A lot still to work on but very happy with the effort the Boks put in.

Dude I as stated I followed the first half via R365 and they gave the impression that the AB'S were their usual self. And afaik they are incredibly unbiased in their live reporting. And in the 15 or so minutes I got to see of the 2nd half they certainly were playing as they had all season. Perhaps they were a little over confident but it should not detract from what the Boks achieved this morning. It will boost their confidence and give them the focus they need to go from average to the great team that they have the potential to be.

I disagree with you. The only thing the AB'S did worse than the Boks was the goal kicking otherwise the AB'S were as good as they normally are. It's their first home loss since the B&I Lions and quite possibly their first home loss since 2009! In the few minutes that I got to see they were playing as well as they had all season. This Bok team is better than their results show. They can improve and they know it. These guys know the AB's will come out strong in the return match and I'm sure that our Boks will once again be up to the task of matching them. That said I don't necessarily think that that will mean another victory but at the very least a hard close contest.

Only saw the last 12 minutes but followed the first half via R365 and it sounds like it was a cracker of a match. What absolute heart and soul effort from the Boks! Deserved winners. Great sportsmanship from both teams! NZld v RSA rivalry back on track, hopefully!

And in all conditions as well. Not just in England. If there's swing on offer he'll find it and exploit it. The guy I would point to as an example for younger players to imitate ito his skillset. Enjoyable to watch.

An absolute class player. Definite legend of the game. And humble about it as well.

That is actually pretty cool. Must've taken up a bit of time. I'm guessing as long as Gabbatoir epic of the '10/'11 Ashes!

Cook 147 c Pant b Vihari. What a final innings from Cook.

Very quietly went about his business. Has scored almost 4000 runs more than his mentor Gooch and I don't think anyone other than Root perhaps will match his record. Cook deserves to be remembered as one of the all time test greats. England are going to have serious problems replacing him. And I think a lot of people will be caught off guard by how significant his contribution to the game has been. Not afraid to say it I'm a big fan of the Chef.

Sangakara.

Most consecutive test appearancesMost runs for an Opening Batsman Most Test Runs for England Most Test centuries for England Wouldn't be surprised if he does indeed have the most Test Runs by a left handed batsman. Will walk away with a Test average of 45 and 90 scores of 50 or greater including 33 scores of a 100 or greater. Rarely elegant, seldom pleasant on the eye but almost always effective. England and International cricket is losing a fantastic player and a bright shining example of good sportsmanship.

Not happy with the result and definitely not happy with us gifting the Wannabies two easy tries. Lineouts still need lots and lots of work. And we desperately need to cut down on handling errors and unforced errors. Scrums also seemed a bit wonky at times. That said I think our defence was much improved. The Aussies spent most of the second half camped in our 22 and only got 6 points out of it. A shocker of a positive. This Saturday will be a true measure where this Bok team is at and what we could hope to expect from the last two rounds of the RC. Personally I am keeping my expectations very very low.

Lag maar lekker!

Yeah not a good habit to have and I for one am sincerely hoping that the Boks acknowledge this and fix it prior to our games against Aus and NZld. That said I feel that we shouldn't be happy with having good stats and "oh well if we defended better we would've won". It's simply not good enough. Rassie, his coaching staff and the players know this. I am not asking for perfection from them, just a proper and accurate execution of the game plan because as we saw in Durban it makes the Boks a harder team to beat.

100% true. It's about how well you use what have and how well you adapt to the match situation. If Ireland, Wales, England, Scotland and yes, even the bloody Aussies, had our stats from our game against Argentina they'd have put up 50+ points and not concede as many as we did. Good stats mean very little if it isn't backed up with intelegent play and accurate execution of one's game plan. What I'm worried about is that we don't have the coaches at domestic level to assist Rassie with ensuring that that part of our game gets better to the point of being on par with the home unions and NZld.

Well those veggie quiches looked good to me! Maybe they just look like pizza because of the camera angle?

Hard to say. I guess we'll know the answers when we play them then. What they do have though is time to regroup, be honest with themselves about what went wrong and work hard on fixing it long term. At least Rassie openly acknowledged that last weekend was poor on their part and that he too has things to improve on. The 8th will be an interesting day.

I'd much prefer it if we just simply won rather than win "on paper". Got to feel a bit for Rassie though as most of the SA Super Rugby coaches lack the necessary rugby IP to assist in ensuring that our players are better mentally than what they are currently. Simply put even Hansen would struggle to get this team to be as good as his Welsh team that won the 6 Nations in 05 was it!?! Can't quite remember of the bat. And that says a lot doesn't it.