'We stung them': All Blacks defuse Springboks' 'Bomb Squad'
REACTION: All Black head coach Ian Foster says the way his team dealt with the Boks’ ‘Bomb Squad’ was one of the most encouraging aspects of their win in Auckland.
New Zealand made an explosive start in their Rugby Championship Round Two clash before going on to record a 35-20 win on Saturday.
Two months before the World Cup kicks off, the All Blacks grabbed early tries by Aaron Smith and Shannon Frizell to dominate early on.
Malcolm Marx and Cheslin Kolbe crossed as the Springboks fought back in the second half before New Zealand’s Will Jordan and Richie Mo’unga touched down late tries.
Springbok flank Albertus Smith grabbed the visitors’ third try just before the final whistle.
With the championship reduced to three rounds, the All Blacks are set to retain the title, sitting top of the table having thumped Argentina 41-12 in their opening match.
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“There were a lot of swings and roundabouts in the game, but the way we came through the challenges was something to be proud of,” said Foster.
“We stung them at the start with the tempo we played at.
“I thought our desire to play on top of them early was there and we got good reward for it.
“But they came back. We’ve spoken before about defending leads and they had a lot of experience on their bench in that third quarter. But I thought we rowed through that, so it’s a good step for us.”
The South Africans were a more determined unit in the second half with some big names coming off the bench, but the All Blacks still managed to finish strongly to secure the win.
“Any win over South Africa is pretty special, particularly this South African team and to deal with the best they had off the bench and the way we did it was encouraging,” Foster added.
“I guess the thing that gives us the most confidence is they had a lot of momentum in the second half where they were on top and rather than losing our way for too long, we managed to find a way back.”
New Zealand captain Sam Cane saw a step up in performance from the away win in Argentina in Round One.
“We’re pleased to see improvement from last week, but we know we’ve still got a way to go from where we want to be,” he said.
The skipper played down the neck injury which saw him miss the second half: “It was just a precautionary measure.”
Sources: AFP and stuff.co.nz
