On the scoreboard it looks like the Springboks were comprehensively outplayed by the All Blacks in their 19 - 0 drubbing at Newlands on Saturday, but I have reason to believe the score is not a true reflection of how the Boks fared.
The Boks seemed overwhelmed by the occassion of Percy Montgomery's 100th test, a packed Newlands and the pressure to repeat their heroics in Dunedin just over a month ago. By coach Peter de Villiers' own admission, it took them about 20 minutes just to get into the game. Having said that, when they did get into it they were giving the All Blacks some uphills especially at scrumtime.
As a unit, the Springbok forwards were dominant in that aspect of the game with Beast Mtawarira holding his own nicely against the more experinced Greg Sommerville. A dubious try was all that separated the teams at halftime.
The All Blacks didn't have an answer to the Boks' physicality and it's a pity the Boks' tactical kicks weren't spot on. With a few more meaningful kicks into the corners, they could've been up by 10 points at the break. Montgomery didn't have a good game at all and missed kicks he normally would've popped over in his sleep. the Boks went off the boil completely in the last quarter of the game giving away two soft tries. So, while the Boks had a bad day at the office on Saturday, I don't think they were as bad as the score suggests. We should do what coach de Villiers asks from us and just be patient. If given the necessary support, the Boks will blossom into the team to beat in world rugby.
