GlenGrant Rugby News | All posts tagged 'All Blacks'

08
ottobre

All Blacks secure their Rugby Championship title with another great win over the Springboks 32-16. By Mark Ella

After a convincing victory against the Wallabies last weekend in Pretoria 31-8 many expected the Springboks to come out on top of the All Blacks at Soccer City in Soweto who had already claimed this year’s Rugby Championship. But the meaning of the word losing doesn’t sit too comfortably in the Kiwi’s vocabulary ensuring that their match up against their traditional rivals South Africa was always going to be another epic battle. The Springboks had the opportunity to take an early lead over the All Blacks but young No.10 Johan Goosen missed two relatively easy shots at penalty goal in the first five minutes of play which against the All Blacks was always coming back to bite them. With the Springboks controlling the flow of the game it wasn’t surprising to see winger Bryan Habana score the first try of the match after a cleverly executed move from the Springboks lineout put their captain Jean de Villiers into open space to pass to Habana to score his 47th Test try. With Goosen converting Habana’s try and finally kicking a penalty goal to give the Springboks a 10-0 lead after 20 minutes the All Blacks had very little possession but it was only a matter of time before the RWC champions hit back. Ten minutes later the Springboks attempted to clear the football from their own territory but All Blacks fullback Israel Dagg just managed to keep the ball in play on the right side of the field 50 metres out and after a number of fluent passes from the All Blacks, their lock Sam Whitelock scored on the opposite side of the field to send out the warning signs to the Springboks. The Springboks lead of 10-5 didn’t last too long when All Blacks winger Hosea Gear opened up another opportunity for his half back Aaron Smith in the 32nd minute to score which was converted by Daniel Carter giving the All Blacks a 12-10 lead approaching half time. Unfortunately for Goosen he had to leave the field with a left knee injury having to be replaced by Elton Jantjies who quickly made his presence known by kicking two penalties in five minutes, the second from 50 metres out to send South Africa into the change rooms at half time leading 16-12. I don’t know what happened in the sheds but the All Blacks came out firing amazingly scoring from the kick-off after some brilliant team play with the worlds best No.8 Kieran Read popping up a pass for Ma’a Nonu to run onto the put the All Blacks back in front 19-16. The second half was all New Zealand with the Springboks attack passive and unfortunately for them they didn’t even look like scoring in the second half. Conrad Smith was next in line to score for the All Blacks when Aaron Smith, Carter and Dagg combined in the 51st minute to give the outside centre his first try of the match and stretch the All Blacks lead out to 26-16. Carter continued South Africa’s agony when he successfully attempted a field goal ten minutes later which was quickly followed up by a penalty goal to give them a comfortable victory 32-16. The All Blacks were the only team to go through the Rugby Championship undefeated and I would have to say that this current side in much stronger to the one which secured the RWC in New Zealand last year. Their emerging talent never ceases to amaze me and they could easily pick a second squad of players who would challenge the best teams in world rugby. The All Blacks play attacking rugby because they have faith in their own ability and are willing to take calculated risks on the field knowing that all fifteen players are as one. The Springboks will also be a much better team next year with the transition of older players stepping down for the next generation of players to soon taking over. New Zealand are deserved winners of the inaugural Rugby Championship in 2012 with the Wallabies a long way behind them in second place. Mark Ella

06
ottobre

Tags
Championship,
All Blacks,
Sud Africa

Fuor Nations – Ancora All Blacks! La marea nera trionfa a Soweto e chiude imbattuta il primo Championship. By Giorgio Sbrocco

Troppo forti e (molto) belli da vedere gli All Blacks di super Dan Carter che, a Soweto, contro un Sud Africa (che mischia chiusa!) più che mai deciso a cogliere uno storico successo sui campioni del mondo in carica, hanno chiuso come avevano cominciato il Championship 2012: vincendo con pieno merito. Anche a costo (giallo a Dagg 66’ e un altro rischiato subito dopo) di ricorrere al gioco sporco e alla difesa illegale quando la situazione lo ha richiesto. Sud Africa avanti 10-0 in avvio con meta in mezzo ai pali di Habana. Ma poi la potenza e la lucidità della Nuova Zelanda sono emersi in tutta la loro grandezza. E la punizione per gli Springboks è diventata persino eccessiva. La striscia vincente della squadra di coach Hansen sale a quindi a 16 e il record dei record (18) è sempre più vicino. E McCaw festeggia il suo personale successo in test match numero 100! Difficile dire chi sia stato il migliore in campo: Hosea Gear, per non sbagliare. Sud Africa dall’età media molto bassa. Il futuro dirà fin dove potrà arrivare Sud Africa - Nuova Zelanda 16-36 Marcatori: 12' m. Habana tr. Goosen, 20' cp. Goosen, 25' mnt Whitelock, 33' m. A.Smith tr. Carter, 36' cp. Jantjies, 39' cp. Jantjies, 40' m. Nonu tr. Carter, 53' m. C.Smith tr. Carter, 63' dr. Carter, 71' cp. Carter Sud Africa: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Bryan Habana, 13 Jaco Taute, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Francois Hougaard, 10 Johan Goosen, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Willem Alberts, 6 Francois Louw, 5 Andries Bekker, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.Entrati: 16 Tiaan Liebenberg, 17 Coenie Oosthuizen, 18 Flip van der Merwe, 19 Marcell Coetzee, 20 Elton Jantjies, 21 Juan de Jongh, 22 Pat Lambie.Nuova Zelanda: 15 Israel Dagg, 14 Cory Jane, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Hosea Gear, 10 Daniel Carter, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw, 6 Liam Messam, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Andrew Hore, 1 Tony Woodcock.Entrati: Weepu, 21 Aaron Cruden, 22 Tamati Ellison. Arbitro: Romain PoiteGialli: 66' Dagg (AB) Giorgio Sbrocco

04
ottobre

Tags
Championship,
All Blacks

Four Nations – Solo due cambi negli AB in campo a Soweto con il Sud Africa. By Giorgio Sbrocco

Ci sarebbe da vendicare la sconfitta nell’ultima visita a casa degli Sprinboks (allora si chiamava Tri Nations) nel libro dei buoni propositi degli All Blacks di Steve Hansen che, con la Championship conquistata con una giornata di anticipo, tornano nella patria di Nelson Mandela, a Soweto, con l’obiettivo (teorico) di chiudere imbattuti la prima storica edizione del torneo e con quello (concreto) di farsi meno male possibile e di risparmiare il giusto anche quanto a energie fisiche. Per l’occasione il “coach pescatore” (non ha portato molta fortuna a Deans, autore della definizione, l’accostamento ittico del suo ex amico) dei tuttineri, che punta ad allungare a 16 la sua personale striscia vincente sulla panchina dei campioni del mondo, effettua due cambi e parte con Hosea Gear ala e Brodie Retallick in seconda. Per il resto. Confermati bin blocco i trionfatori di La Plata. Nuova Zelanda 15 Israel Dagg, 14 Cory Jane, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Hosea Gear, 10 Daniel Carter, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw (c), 6 Liam Messam, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Andrew Hore, 1 Tony Woodcock.In panchina: 16 Keven Mealamu, 17 Ben Franks, 18 Luke Romano, 19 Adam Thomson, 20 Piri Weepu, 21 Aaron Cruden, 22 Tamati Ellison. Giorgio Sbrocco

02
ottobre

Tags
IRB,
Ranking,
All Blacks

Irb – Dittatura All Blacks. Il Sud Africa sorpassa l’Australia. Italia 11esima.By Giorgio Sbrocco

Cambio della guardia sul podio del ranking mondiale dell’Irb alla vigilia dell’ultimo turno del Championship australe e a poco più di un mese dall’abbuffata di test ovali di novembre. Il Sud Africa, grazie al successo di Pretoria sull’Australia (che ha perso per strada anche Barnes. Per lui un polmone perforato e un’assenza dai campi misurabile in semestri) si è portato alle spalle degli All Blacks neozelandesi più che mai numeri uno delle gerarchie planetarie. La distanza dalla vetta è tale (6.82 punti. Un’enormità) da far prevedere, chissà per quanti anni ancora, una dittatura degli uomini con la felce d’argento sul petto. Alle spalle del trio australe, l’Inghilterra si conferma prima fra le europee (a 2.12 punti dal podio) davanti a Francia e Galles. Per l’Italia c’è la piazza numero 11 (un quinto di punto sotto Samoa) e la previsione dei tre test di Roma, Firenze e Brescia è di portare a casa una vittoria (Tonga) e due sconfitte. Un dato che, per il complicato meccanismo di calcolo che regola salite e discese in classifica (volendo semplificare: punti pesanti solo se batti una squadra che ti precede), molto probabilmente sarà confermato alla fine della serie. Ranking mondiale IRB1 Nuova Zelanda 92.432 Sud Africa 85.613 Australia 85.21 4 Inghilterra 83.09 5 Francia 83.036 Galles 82.267 Irlanda 79.85 8 Argentina 79.34 9 Scozia 77.97 10 Samoa 76.23 11 Italia 76.03 12 Tonga 74.79 13 Canada 72.3014 Fiji 70.6015 Georgia 67.95 Giorgio Sbrocco

01
ottobre

Tags
All Blacks,
Mark Ella

All Blacks all class as they defeat Argentina 54-15 to secure the first Rugby Championship - By Mark Ella

Three weeks ago the All Blacks had to battle to defeat a gutsy Pumas side in Wellington 21-5 but last weekend they showed all their class with a superb effort at Stadia Ciudad de La Plata winning 54-14 in front of 53,000 crazy Argentinians. The Pumas have for much of this tournament based their game around a solid defensive line but up against the reigning RWC champions they simply had no answer to the power and precision of the All Blacks. Even though the Pumas opened the scoring after seven minutes into the game when fullback Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino burst through the All Blacks defence from fifty metres out to send halfback Martin Landajo over in the right corner the All Blacks quickly made their presence known. With fifteen minutes into the match trailing the Pumas 5-0, Ma’a Nonu found a gap close to the ruck darting through the hole to put No.9 Aaron Smith under the posts and give New Zealand a lead this would never relinquish. The return of Daniel Carter from a calf injury gave the All Blacks more confidence and the Crusaders No.10 had an outstanding game directing his talented three-quarters around the field. The All Blacks second try showed all their skill when their No.8 Kieran Read finished off a superb set play from their backline to send a one handed off load to Cory Jane to score the first of his three tries in the left corner. Both teams contributed to high tempo match but the All Blacks went on to secure a bonus point at half time with two more first half tries to Julian Savea with the All Blacks in one of their moods which unfortunately for the Pumas had no control over. The score at half time was 32-8 to the All Blacks and whilst the Pumas never gave up the game was well and truly out of their control. Having played against the All Blacks eleven times in my career the one thing I can state is that they never stop playing the game until the referee blows the final whistle and with that in mind the second half was always going to be a challenge for the local side. The second half started just like the first half with Argentina getting the momentum early on when live wire winger Gonzalo Camacho scored an excellent try in the 47th minute, his 5th in Test rugby to give some remote hope to the Pumas. When No.10 Juan Martin Hernandez converted Camacho’s try to bring the score to 32-15 it was the last time that the Pumas would post points in the match. Just ten minutes into the second half Cory Jane finished off another excellent play by the All Blacks with a rampaging Savea setting up his winger team-mate to score in the left corner. Rather than take the foot off the accelerator the All Blacks were still full of running even when coach Steve Hansen replaced Carter and captain Ritchie McCaw mid-way through the second half. Replacement fly half Aaron Cruden glided through a gap on his first touch of the football to put Nonu under the posts to ensure that the All Blacks would leave Argentina with the inaugural Rugby Championship trophy. Cory Jane wasn’t finished yet when he intercepted a wayward Pumas pass to race fifty metres to score his third try for the day and give the All Blacks their most convincing win of the Championship. The Pumas to their credit never stopped trying throwing the ball from one side of the field to the other. What didn’t help them was that in doing so they started to drip across the field rather than run direct at the All Blacks whose defence was intimidating. The Pumas should hold their heads up high for their passion and commitment in playing against the three strongest teams in world rugby. They have one more opportunity at home in Rosario next weekend against the injury depleted Wallabies who are ripe for the taking if they can hold their composure and stick to the what they have been doing throughout this tournament. Mark Ella

17
settembre

Tags
All Blacks,
Mark Ella

Too many wasted opportunities by the Springboks give victory to the All Blacks 21-11. by Mark Ella

The Springboks had a perfect opportunity to get back at the All Blacks on the weekend after a disappointing season so far drawing with the Pumas 16-16 in Mendoza and losing to the Wallabies 26-19 in Perth a couple of weeks ago. Before the match All Blacks coach Steve Hansen announced that exciting half back Aaron Smith had been dropped from the starting team after breaking team curfews following their scrappy win over the Pumas last weekend in Wellington with Piri Weepu taking over his position.It was only fitting that this match was played in Dunedin where it all started in 1921 for both proud rugby nations who first played against each other and 83 Test matches later the intensity and passion is still there.The Springboks had their best chance ever to take the lead after only four minutes of play but a wayward pass which went behind Bryan Habana’s head with the line wide open was a sign of what was to follow.Morne Steyn put scored the first points of the match in the 17th minute when he kicked a penalty goal to give the Springboks the lead 3-0 but the normally reliant sharp shooter kicked poorly throughout the match that was there for the taking.Against New Zealand you simply cannot afford to miss major opportunities and the Springboks will rue this match as one that got away.The All Blacks scored the first and only try in the first half in the 20th minute courtesy of a fabulous counter-attack off a deep Springboks kick.All Blacks full back Israel Dagg was the scorer after featuring four times in the movement, through two quite brilliant off-loads by Sam Whitelock and then Kieran Read who created the opportunity for the full back to race clear to the try line from thirty metres out.Poor kicking from Steyn who missed three penalty attempts should have kept the Springbok in the game and quite possibly ahead at half time but instead the Kiwi’s went into the break leading 5-3 in a close contest.Hansen didn’t waste any time in bringing on Smith who replaced Weepu for the second half but it was the Springboks who were quick to set the tone when their flying winger Bryan Habana did it all himself when in the 43rd minute took a close pass from the line-out to chipp over the top of Dagg before regathering to put the South Africans in the led 8-3.Eight minutes later All Blacks No.10 Aaron Cruden even the score 8 all when his kicked a penalty goal with the game swinging either way.But Smith stole the show when in the 59th minute he spotted big Flip van der Merve in front of him, slipped around him with ease and had the skill and the gas to leave the cover defense for dead to break the deadlock which was converted by Cruden to stretch the lead 15-8.When Boks replacement prop Dean Greyling was sin-binned soon after for a cheap shot on Ritchie McCaw at a ruck, it was always going to be a long haul back for the South Africans.They briefly threatened when a Johan Goosen penalty got them back to within four, but two Cruden penalties secured victory for the All Blacks that was every bit hard earned as it looked.The South Africans looked as if they didn’t have a clear strategy and kicked far too much in general play which made their job so much harder against the best team in world rugby.Steyn missed his only conversion attempt, kicked one out his of four penalty attempts but his namesake Francois Steyn missed his two long range penalty attempts with Johan Goosen also kicking one from two which was inadequate at this level.All Blacks skipper Ritchie McCaw who ended the match hobbling badly was huge for the New Zealanders demonstrating all his qualities in his 110th Test appearance.Luke Romano had another impressive outing in the black jersey up front while Israel Dagg, Corey Jane and Smith off the bench all showed their class when clear-cut opportunities were few and far between.The All Blacks will soon be crowned champions in the inaugural Rugby Championship with only two more rounds to go and they are deserving victors because they are consistent and play positive rugby which excites fans from around the rugby world.Mark Ella

15
settembre

Tags
Championship,
All Blacks,
Sud Africa

Four Nations – Ordinaria amministrazione All Blacks. A Dunedin battuti gli Springbocks. By Giorgio Sbrocco

Vince ancora la Nuova Zelanda versione “siamo i migliori del mondo e lo sappiamo. Ma non chiedeteci, ogni volta, di fare rugby dell’altro mondo” contro un buon Sud Africa nella quarta giornata di Championship a Dunedin e mette una grossa (grossissima) ipoteca sul successo final nella competizione australe. Partita di buoni contenuti e giocata a intensità elevata, con i padroni di casa in maglia nera (ancora senza Carter) che costruiscono il successo nel primo tempo per poi consolidarne le proporzioni nella ripresa. Due (Dagg e Aaron Smith) a uno (Habana) il conto delle mete. Il resto dai piedi di Cruden e del’acoppiata Goosen-M. Steyn. Nuova Zelanda – Sud Africa 21 - 11Marcatori: 17′ cp. M.Steyn, 18′ m. Dagg, 47′ m. Habana, 51′ cp. Cruden, 59′ m. Aaron.Smith tr. Cruden, 69′ cp. Goosen, 74′ cp. Cruden, 80′ cp. CrudenCartellini gialli: 63′ GreylingArbitro: G. Clancy (Irlanda) Giorgio Sbrocco

13
settembre

Tags
All Blacks,
Championship

Four Nations – Piri Weepu numero 9 AB contro gli Springbocks a Dunedin. By Giorgio Sbrocco

Piri Weepu (rientrato, o sul punto di farlo, nel peso forma pre Mondiale) guiderà la mischia degl All Blacks nel match di sabato a Duinedin contro gli Springbocks sudafricani. Invariato il resto della linea arretrata e della mediana (Cruden all'apertura al posto dell'indisponibile Carter). Tre vfacce nuove, invece, nel pacchetto di mischia: Sam Whitelock in seconda linea, Liam Messam flanker sul lato chiuso e Andrew Hore tallonatore. Nuova Zelanda15 Israel Dagg, 14 Cory Jane, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Julian Savea, 10 Aaron Cruden, 9 Piri Weepu, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw (cap.), 6 Liam Messam, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Luke Romano, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Andrew Hore, 1 Tony WoodcockIn panchina: 16 Keven Mealamu, 17 Charlie Faumuina, 18 Brodie Retallick, 19 Victor Vito, 20 Aaron Smith, 21 Beauden Barrett, 22 Tamati Ellison . Giorgio Sbrocco

10
settembre

Tags
4 Nations,
Championship,
Argentina,
All Blacks

Four Nations – Hansen (AB): “Argentina grande squadra. La loro difesa fra le migliori al mondo”. By Giorgio Sbrocco

Riconoscimento (dovuto) da parte del ct della Nuova Zelanda Steve Hansen, all'Argentina sconfitta (21-5) +sabato a Wellington dagli All Blacks. Questa la sua analisi della partita vinta (con grande fatica) dai suoi nel terzo turno del torneo australe: “Nel primo tempo abbiamo provato a giocare in funzione delle condizioni meteo (pioggia e vento, ndr) . Abbiamo insistito sulla circolazione anche quando, in effetti, sarebbe stato più sensato lavorare sul possesso per garantirci un margine di sicurezza maggiore. Ma occorre ammettere che l'intensità del gioco dell'Argentina ci ha messo parecchio in difficoltà”. Cosa che, detta dal tecnico della squadra più forte del mondo, suona come una prestigiosa promozione sul campo per gli uomini di Santiago Phelan al loro primo anno nella competizione. Ma sul futuro dei Pumas Hansen non ha dubbi: “Non possono che migliorare. E comunque il loro livello è già buono. La loro organizzazione difensiva è una delle migliori del mondo”.Giorgio Sbrocco

10
settembre

Tags
Mark Ella,
All Blacks

All Blacks domination of Super Championship continues with victory over Argentina 21-5 By Mark Ella

With former RWC winning coach Sir Graham Henry engaged by Argentina as an advisor it was always going to be an apprehensive All Blacks side who took on the Pumas in Wellington on the weekend. The Pumas had some reason to be confident going into the match after their fantastic draw against the Springboks in Mendoza two weeks ago 16-16 but the weather wasn’t too kind to them. Both teams took the field in driving rain which would have suited the home team who play wet weather rugby on a regular basis but as expected from this Pumas side, they didn’t fail to cause the All Blacks grief. In fact they scored the first try of the match when veteran prop Rodrigo Roncero got the football over the line after some bruising clashed between both sides. The All Blacks managed to keep in the game when Aaron Cruden, a late replacement for the injured Daniel Carter, landed penalties in the 9th and 24th minutes with the All Blacks again trying far too hard resulting in a large number of unforced errors. The their credit the Pumas defense made it hard to the All Blacks to build too much continuity with both sides pounding each other in atrocious conditions in what was more of an arm wrestle than a game of rugby. The Argentinians like to play this type of rugby which was confirmed to close quarters due to the elements and they match the All Blacks blow for blow in what was an absorbing contest between two very passionate teams. Thankfully the second half was more favourable for rugby wind the wind and rain abating but not before it caused havoc when the winds peaked at 160km/hr in Wellington which tore roofs off houses and uprooted trees and caused the power cut which plunged Wellington Stadium into darkness for close to 30 minutes. After fifty one minutes into the match Cruden put the All Blacks further in front 9-5 with another penalty but the game changed for the worse when Pumas flanker Julio Farias Cabellos was sinbinned in the 59th minute by French referee Romain Poite for deliberately knocking down the ball from a pass from Corey Jane. The All Blacks didn’t waste this advantage when centre Conrad Smith drew two defenders before offloading to Ma’a Nomu who unselfishly put Julian Savea over in the left hand corner to stretch the All Blacks lead out to 14-5. Victory for the All Blacks was sealed with nine minutes left on the clock when Jane was the recipient of great long pass from Cruden after an excellent set piece from the All Blacks three-quarters to put the flying winger in the right corner. The conversion by Cruden from the sideline was successful to give the All Blacks a much deserved victory 21-5 to keep their Rugby Championship in tact with the only team to have an unbeaten record. Their success against Pumas was the All Blacks 13th straight Test win and they remain unbeaten against Argentina having won all fifteen previous Test matches which is nothing to be ashamed of. The Pumas against played with a great deal of passion and commitment and if they can contain the Wallabies backline their forwards will more than challenge the Wallabies forward by their no thrills and in your face approach. The All Blacks continue to set the standard for International rugby but it must to frustrating for coach Steve Hansen to watch his players strive so hard to impress him but at the same time make a number of elementary mistakes. There are times in Test rugby when holding onto possession is more important than trying fifty fifty plays that almost always don’t come off with the opposition regaining the football. If they would have had a more conservative approach against the Wallabies they come have put forty points on the scoreboard if not for their errors. But if they get it right they will be unstoppable with the next challenger being the Springboks in Dunedin who are themselves struggling to remain in the game and once again their game may be All Black! Mark Ella

TAG