Only trouble is they’ve lost their number one mechanic, and that could be a real spanner in the works.

Article By: Tony Johnson

I imagine the All Blacks, and most of their fans would have been happy with any sort of win against the Springboks in the first test of the Investec Tri-Nations. A one point margin would have been enough after what happened last year.

Instead they came away with the maximum five competition points, with every right to celebrate the most significant win of their current ten test winning streak.

After a ragged start they began to build momentum, and with it - pressure, which led to a steady accumulation of points in a match they rarely looked in any danger of losing.

But while their attacking play will have excited the fans, it was their defence that set up this outstanding win. They’ll be as happy with the nil tries conceded as with the four they scored.

Their speed in getting up to tackle meant they were able to hit the Boks with force behind the gain line, driving their big men back, denying them front foot ball, and space for their backs. The unrelenting ferocity of the tackling gradually sapped the spirit out of a Springbok pack that has become accustomed to inflicting that sort of damage on others.

When the Bok danger men, like Jacque Fourie and Pierre Spies did get the ball in any sort of room they were stopped with excellent low tackling, and the lack of impact from the Bok number 8 again asked questions about his value when his team isn’t dominating up front. He is without doubt a great athlete, probably the best in the game, but a great player? Only on a good day, and this was not a good day.

In contrast to the speed and accuracy of the All Blacks, the Boks were off the pace. Their forwards struggled to stay with the tempo set by the home side, and I suspect they made a major blunder by not arriving in New Zealand until very late on Monday.

Our Super 14 teams generally struggle the week after they come back from South Africa, and the way the Boks eased into town suggests they either hadn’t done their homework, or that maybe they were just a tad too confident after last year.

While the All Blacks are a much better side than the patched up, cobbled together unit that flailed about against the Boks last year, the South Africans are missing two of the most influential players from that campaign. The great Fourie du Preez is injured, and the kid with the dynamite boot Frans Steyn is not being considered after falling out with Peter de Villiers over his utility role in the team.

They are notable absentees, but what should also worry the Boks is the performance of the key men that were in action.

Bakkies Botha again showed himself to be a liability. It is somehow ironic that he was riled into a temper explosion by Jimmy Cowan, who got away with a blatant jersey pull to which Botha responded with a rather cowardly head butt from behind. How neither incident was seen by the match officials beggars belief, although with the new lights set to the liking of the Eden Park neighbours rather than the players or spectators, it was at times hard to see through the gloom.

With Bakkies gone, the Boks lose a lot of horse power. Normally he does the work of one and a half players, allowing Victor Matfield to focus on the thing he does best, winning lineouts.

Well, for once Matfield didn’t have his own way in the lineouts, thanks to excellent pressure on the Bok throw, and quick, accurate and cleverly varied work on the All Black delivery. The ABs won their own, and nicked two Springbok throws. Hallelujah!

But what also became noteworthy as the game wore on was the increasing amount of time big Vic spent hanging two or three off the ruck. I suspect the great man is either showing signs of over work or he is in self preservation mode ahead of the World Cup.

But for all of the jubilation New Zealanders will feel at this result and over the All Black performance, it would be wrong to start taking anything for granted.

The Boks will be stung by this humiliation, and with their bodies finally adjusted to New Zealand time and the cooler weather, they will be desperate to win in Wellington.

If they do that they are right back in the drivers seat.

Only trouble is they’ve lost their number one mechanic, and that could be a real spanner in the works.