It was a little known statistic that the All Blacks have retained the Freedom Cup since 2009, until Saturday. However the actual win itself will be of less interest to both coaches than what they take away about their respective squads after yet another tumultuous if error strewn contest in iconic and dreamy Cape Town. I loved the real joy and fun being had in the crowd, the noisy support and open appreciation of the All Blacks who have always been made especially welcome in this rugby mad City.
Scott Robertson knows he can add backrow forward Setiti to his shortish list in that position. He was exceptional, centre-like, with ball in hand and with his running lines. As was Codie Taylor, in my book now the best hooker in the world, just shading the mightily effective Malcolm Marx, who only ever plays 30 minutes so I cannot count him as I should! Only the Boks could withstand the Kiwi onslaught in the first half without conceding a try. Their scramble defence is world class, perhaps an ongoing legacy of Felix Jones, now suddenly lost to England for reasons we know but will go unheeded at Twickenham by the looks of it.
What will concern the All Blacks more is their inability to dominate the last 20 minutes – again. This most important section of any game is where the Boks are irresistible. Erasmus combines the impact of the bench with his form players, who please note tend to stay on the pitch if they deserve to.
The Springboks continue to develop the winning habit and when they can bring on the likes of Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, a truly prodigious talent, in addition to the ‘Heavy Mob’, you can see how the development builds. I am still irritated to see Canan Moodie wasted on the wing but he will have his time. De Allende is apparently No 1 on the team sheet and on Saturday you could see why but I feel that they can explore alternatives to Kriel and Am. Oh for the embarrassment of riches!
The upcoming two match series in Argentina will be no cakewalk and I fully expect the Pumas to extract one win with their compelling brand of play being introduced by Contepomi which blew away the Wallabies. This does not take away from the impressive depth of talent being developed by the Boks with 2027 in mind.
Closer to home, I have to celebrate the stunning victory by Ealing Trailfinders in a friendly with Bath Rugby at the Rec, my old stomping ground. They paid Ealing the compliment of picking half a dozen Internationals and a host of other recognised names. The generosity of Bath supporters was typical in applauding the performance of our academy-rich squad who have ambitions for the top and by all accounts entertained the large crowd as well as deserving the win. The lack of attention by the RFU to the second-tier clubs in the recent club/country agreement should have them hanging their heads in shame.
