The New Zealand All Blacks kept their Tri-Nations hopes alive on Saturday when a late try by Keven Mealamu saw them snatch a dramatic 31-27 victory over South Africa.
The Springboks, who came within minutes of securing their first back-to-back Tri-Nations titles, still lead the table but will be overtaken if the All Blacks beat injury-ravaged Australia in Auckland next weekend.
The All Blacks outscored the Springboks four tries to three, two of them to Joe Rocokoco and with the decisive score coming three minutes from time when Mealamu peeled off a maul to dive across the line. Substitute Luke McAlister converted.
The Springboks tries all came from All Blacks mistakes.
It was a marked improvement by the All Blacks from their 16-22 loss in Cape Town three weeks ago, with the forwards holding their own, and the backs concentrating on putting Springboks fullback Percy Montgomery which pressure.
”We deserved to win because we played the most rugby,” coach Graham Henry said.
”There was a concentration in trying to go up the guts of the field rather than go wide and it was pretty effective,” coach Graham Henry said.
”One of the keys of the game was to try and drive the lineouts which we hadn’t done in Cape Town and they drove the lineout and scored.”
South African captain and hooker John Smit conceded the much improved All Blacks forwards performance made the difference.
”You’ve got to take your hat off to their pack. They scored the winning try with Keven Mealamu off the pack and driving it nicely and breaking off so you’ve got to give the edge to the All Blacks, they definitely upped their game in the tight five and that made a big difference.”
Springboks coach Jake White said his side’s much vaunted defence let them down.
”You’ve got to give credit to the All Blacks. That’s probably why they’re the best team in the world, they kept coming at us,” he said.
”I don’t think it was our defence system that was wrong, it was that we missed too many first-time tackles.”
It was heart-breaking for the South Africans, who have never won at the Carisbrook ground here in 84 years of trying and had set their hearts on breaking the hoodoo this year after going unbeaten in their first three games.
It seemed like they were on course after fighting their way back from 10-21 down just before half-time to 27-24 with 15 minutes to play.
But they did not count on one last desperate bid from the All Blacks which brought the 32 000 fans to their feet.
In a see-sawing opening stanza, the Springboks had three points on the board before the All Blacks could get out of first gear with a Montgomery penalty in the first minute when Carl Hayman was penalised in a ruck 27 metres out from the posts.
Six minutes later, Rokocoko leapt high to take a clearing kick that had been partially charged by Aaron Mauger and raced 30 metres to score. MacDonald added the extra points.
No sooner had play restarted than Piri Weepu stumbled behind a ruck and South Africa’s ever reliable intercept merchant Bryan Habana snapped up the loose ball to scamper over. Montgomery’s conversion put the Springboks back in the lead at 10-3.
Then the All Blacks came back with two converted tries within five minutes.
The first, in the 22nd minute, saw MacDonald snap up a pass from Mealamu when Montgomery spilled a high kick, and race 35 metres to score under the posts, and then came the try of the match when from a MacDonald break, Rokocoko burst through five tacklers in a 20-metre gallop to the line.
South Africa recovered with a try just short of half-time when Ricky Januarie charged down a MacDonald clearing kick and dashed over the line to score, with Montgomery’s conversion narrowing the gap to 17-21 at the break.
The Springboks started much the stronger in the second half, scoring first with a penalty to Montgomery in the 11th minute, with MacDonald replying eight minutes later.
With 15 minutes remaining, and the All Blacks trying to lift their intensity, Jerry Collins flipped a pass straight into the arms of Jaque Fourie who scored by the posts. Montgomery’s conversion lifted the Springboks to 27-24.
But in the dying minutes McAlister kicked a penalty and then converted Mealamu’s try to settle the outcome. -Sapa-AFP