Elliott Smith and Gregor Paul: Newstalk ZB Rugby Commentator and NZ Herald rugby writer unpack the second All Blacks v Springboks game

The Springboks have made some improvements from test one and beat out the All Blacks in Cape Town, levelling the series one-all.

Newstalk ZB Rugby Commentator Elliott Smith and NZ Herald rugby writer Gregor Paul joined Piney to discuss what changed this time round.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport Podcast with Jason Pine
from Newstalk ZB. Hands up a bit from Carter. Finding
Will Jordan. Jordan with a nice run. Jordan has support.
Roy Gard, lovely support line. All Blacks are in. Roy
Gard under the sticks at DHL.

Speaker 2 (00:25):
Yeah, the first of the All Blacks four tries in
Cape Town. Springboks 33, All Blacks 26. Let's continue our
review of Test 2. Joined by our Newstalk ZB commentary team.
Match commentator, the voice you heard then. Newstalk ZB rugby
editor Elliot Smith and award-winning New Zealand Herald rugby analyst
and feature writer Gregor Paul, who have hung around to

(00:45):
chat to us and give us the benefit of their analysis.
Thanks for doing so, guys. Gregor, can we start with you?
How different was this test from the first test?

Speaker 3 (00:55):
Well, a lot in one particular facet, Pani, in that
South Africa finished what they started. So I think you've
probably got to go back to Ellis Park and go, well,
New Zealand were maybe a little bit fortunate that South
Africa had multiple entries into the 22, didn't live up
to their statistic expectations, statistical normalcy and convert a lot
of those but they did here in Cape Town and

(01:17):
in they went they used their big men to get
in there and then they thundered onto the ball and
they were cataclysmic in that respect highly clinical and that
was probably the difference is that they finished what they
started this week.

Speaker 2 (01:32):
Elliot then in order to look ahead to the third
test and to repel that what are the big work-ons
in that particular regard for Dave Rennie and his coaching team.

Speaker 1 (01:41):
Well, they need to find a way, Piney, to figure
out the high ball scenario because they simply aren't winning
enough of their own ball back when they send it
high and they're simply allowing South Africa to win back
a lot of their ball when South Africa sends it high. Look,
this isn't a new issue. It's been ongoing for the
All Blacks under the Scott Robertson era. But they're struggling

(02:03):
to find a way to contain it. And they thought
they'd found the way through with the wings running back
and catching that. It's a good technique. It's a pretty
good answer. But it's not enough. And they need to
find ways to be better in that regard. What they
wanted to improve last week outside of that, the scrums
and the post-contact meters, they were better. Problem is, the

(02:25):
line-out suffered this week. The Springboks were better at that.
They poached a lot of All Blacks ball, especially line-outs
when it mattered. The All Blacks were on attack inside
the 22, inside the final 20 minutes of the game,
looking to get a strike back into it. They blew
that opportunity. So they need to be better in the
pressure moments. And the overall discipline picture as well. They

(02:47):
considered double the penalties of South Africa tonight, 8-4. So, look,
there are a few things there that they need to
better on. The ones they tried to fix last week,
they did. But new ones have emerged, just like whack-a-mole.
You've got to figure it out. And the All Blacks
simply left a little bit too much on the table
to sort out tonight by the full-time whistle.

Speaker 2 (03:07):
Gregor, what did you make of the All Blacks' tactic
to kick behind South Africa's rush defence and the execution
of that tactic?

Speaker 3 (03:14):
Well, the tactic itself was the right one, I think.
They wanted to try and break up that South African defence.
It's a big green wall that comes at them and
you can run into it and run into it and
you don't get very far sometimes. So what they were
trying to do was kick in behind them, force them
to turn around, create counter-attack opportunity against an unstructured defence.

Speaker 4 (03:34):
So the logic of it stacked up but the.

Speaker 3 (03:37):
Execution of it wasn't great they couldn't move Damien Wilhelms
the Springbok fullback in the first half they just kept
kicking to him he was able to cover what they
were doing and I don't know if they got much
better at it in the second half either other than
Leroy Carter who I thought a brilliant game by the
way he was outstanding he you know he did everything

(03:58):
he was the one guy that actually showed how you
kick you've got to find grass you've got to turn
them around and you've got to either end up with.

Speaker 4 (04:04):
The ball back or with territorial gain.

Speaker 3 (04:07):
I think it made sense what they were trying to do,
but they're going to need to look at better ways
to move that defence around.

Speaker 2 (04:15):
Elliot, what's your assessment of Ruben Love's development as All Blacks'
first five?

Speaker 1 (04:20):
Look, I felt today was probably a step back for Ruben.
I think the All Blacks lost their shape of the
game and the way they wanted to play, and A
lot of that comes out of 10. I don't think
he had a bad game by any stretch of the imagination,
but I think it was a step backwards for Ruben,
and we're probably still waiting for him. He's had some
very good matches across the July window and the tour

(04:43):
matches earlier here, but to really stamp his mark and
own a game is the All Blacks 10.

Speaker 4 (04:47):
That's what we demand.

Speaker 1 (04:49):
Of our All Blacks playmakers, is that they grab the
game by the scruff of the neck, even if the
ball isn't front football, even if they're playing from behind
the advantage line and being put under immense pressure by
the spring box like they were today. But I think
today was probably a step back. He just didn't command
the game as much as you would have liked from
the All Blacks 10. So there are a couple of

(05:11):
good moments from Ruben, but I felt that perhaps he
just needs to really take advantage of the position that
he's in and show why he is the All Blacks 10.
So that's a big focus, I think, next week as well.
We probably need the All Blacks to get better front
foot ball, but also direction-wise, it's on Ruben Love to

(05:31):
steer them around the park.

Speaker 2 (05:32):
Gregor, do you get the feeling Dave Rennie will stick
largely with the same side for the third test?

Speaker 4 (05:37):
Yeah, I don't think there's a personnel issue.

Speaker 3 (05:39):
I don't think that he got selection wrong.

Speaker 4 (05:41):
I thought Simon Parker, you know, hey, that was a one.

Speaker 3 (05:44):
kind of tactical choice he had to make in the
forwards through an injury replacement whether to move Tipu Vai
from blindside into lock which they did and bring Simon
Parker in I thought he got through a lot of
hard work he tackled well his post contact meters were
good so I think that's a big tick and I
thought bringing in Leroy Carter brought them a lot of
energy and dynamism and he caught the high.

Speaker 4 (06:04):
Ball so if you look at that I don't.

Speaker 3 (06:07):
Know where you would go personnel wise so I don't
think that will be I don't think they were that
far off either. You've got to remember here, if they
held onto the ball for maybe two more phases, they
may have salvaged a draw out of here. If they'd
held their discipline, I think Paddy Tupeloto threw a ball
in the middle of the field when they were attacking
with about 10 minutes to go, and he just shouldn't

(06:27):
have done that, and that created the penalty opportunity. So
you look at these, I don't want to go all
Scott Robertson on you, but the small margins, they went
away against the All Blacks today. Last week they got them, And,
you know, they're lost by a try. So if you
look at that, you go, yeah, look, if they tidy
up a few areas of the game that Elliot talked about,

(06:49):
get their execution tidier, get their intensity up a little bit,
then I don't think they need to be changing the
team around. I just think they've got to get a
bit of accuracy into their game next week.

Speaker 2 (07:00):
Elliot, to finish, the All Blacks had a midweek game
to deal with as they prepared for the second test.
How much more ideal is it to have seven days
now to focus exclusively on the third test?

Speaker 4 (07:10):
Yeah, I think it's a good thing, Piney.

Speaker 1 (07:12):
That game might have been good in theory and good
for the coffers, although there wasn't a great crowd there,
but not great in execution. It was a disrupted week
for the All Blacks. They spent half of it in Johannesburg,
then went back to sea level. on Wednesday and came
to Cape Town there getting that out of the way
full focus on the 23 or whoever selected for the

(07:34):
weekend I think can only be a good thing having
said that they're going to remain at sea level until
midweek again and then they'll head to Johannesburg on Wednesday
again to get back to altitude so it is going
to be a different build-up once again but at least
they don't have a game to prepare for and take
some of their attention and that game 90-odd thousand, F &

(07:55):
B Stadium in Soweto. Yeah, perfect capstone for the South
African part of the tour, for sure, at one all.

Speaker 2 (08:01):
Yeah, what an occasion. Terrific call, guys. Thanks, as always,
for staying on and giving us your analysis afterwards.

Speaker 4 (08:08):
Cheers, Barney. Thanks, Barney. Thanks, guys.

Speaker 2 (08:09):
That's Elliot Smith and Gregor Paul who brought you the
commentary and will again next Sunday morning at three when
the third test is underway at that enormous arena. up
in Johannesburg again, back at altitude, which, as I said
before the news, I

Speaker 4 (08:24):
Think probably suits New Zealand more than South Africa.