All Blacks show they have game to go forward

New Zealand 29 South Africa 9Not surprisingly, rumours of the All Blacks' supposed vulnerability - especially up front - on the evidence of a loose effort against the less daunting challenge of Wales proved unfounded. Despite this being arguably the highest-stakes game of the tournament, ultimately it was something of a bloodless coup.

The All Blacks rarely put together two bad performances in a row (scoring eight tries and 57 points makes these things decidedly relative) and they weren't about to do so when facing the Springboks in a World Cup quarter-final.

Before the game, the former South African captain Francois Pienaar had possibly gone further than anyone when forecasting that the All Blacks could win with as little as 35 per cent of the ball. In the event, it was the Springboks who only had 35 per cent of the ball, and so the All Blacks won pretty much as they pleased.

Aside from the sheer genius of Carlos Spencer, which would illuminate the All Blacks even in a tunnel, as well as the sheer width he and Aaron Mauger gave the All Blacks to unleash possibly the most elusive back three the world has ever seen, it was the performance of their comparatively maligned pack which took the breath away.

Their lineout, so often an Achilles' heel, was magnificent. The recall of Chris Jack and the deadly arm of Kevin Mealamu ensured a rich and varied font of attacking possession - securing 16 of 17 throws. The All Blacks' maul was almost of vintage levels, regularly rumbling forward and scattering the Boks' forwards.

"Many people have underestimated the ability of our pack and sometimes they do not get the rewards they are due but they were superb tonight," commented the stony-faced John Mitchell, which for him amounts to swinging from the chandeliers.

Their number eight Jerry Collins was simply astonishing. He was reportedly in agony all week with a damaged rib cartilage which would have kept most players sidelined - one would fear for his opponents when he's okay. Ball-carrying harder than anyone, he also hit harder than anyone, as one crunching pre-interval human missile at poor Thinus Delport testified.

Asked what it was like afterwards, the Springbok winger concluded the press conferences with the night's first note of levity: "It was like being hit by a brick shithouse."

All this has to be viewed in the context of the Springboks' performance, which was pitiful. Their midfield defence was an open invitation, and De Wet Barry's reputation as the meanest-tackling centre around was ridiculed, never more than toward the end when Spencer looked him in the eye fearlessly and offloaded inside to Doug Howlett.

What little ball they had the Springboks usually kicked or knocked on. Their skill levels were appalling, and their tactic of kicking long to Mils Muliaina or his wingers was another open invitation to counter-attack, which the All Blacks' musketeers gladly accepted. Their pack and tacticians duly joined in, and rather than kick it back, New Zealand patiently recycled it or went wide to obtain openings.

Spencer laid on the first try for Leon MacDonald with a sidestepping, searing break from inside his own half and it wasn't until the final quarter that Mealamu beat two tackles and took another two in scoring a remarkable try from the 22, before Spencer's cheeky pass between his legs allowed Rokocoko to seal things.

The truly scary thing for Australia, whom they meet in Saturday's first semi-final in Sydney's Telstra Stadium, and whoever awaits them in the final, is that you sensed there was at least another 30 or 40 points in the All Blacks.

"We were inaccurate in our (ball) carries and possibly guilty of trying to force balls," admitted their assistant coach, Robbie Deans. "We didn't finish a lot of our opportunities and we were probably a little bit selfish, but that's certainly a step up from our pool games and we can gain a lot from tonight's performance and also learn a lot from tonight's performance."

The Springboks' press conference was a suitably poignant affair. Their coach, Rudolf Straeuli, admitted they were beaten by a better side and declined to make any revelations regarding his future.

"Obviously for us at the moment, being an emotional time, it is best not to say anything," he said before adding: "We have got some unfinished business," in reference to the inquiry into allegations of racism and disharmony in the Springbok camp prior to the World Cup.

Team manager Gideon Sam did, however, make an impassioned plea to his country's rugby authorities and rugby public to stick with the existing management and squad personnel amid a need for stability.

Much of that player instability would seem to have emanated from Straeuli's ever-changing selections, and Joost van der Westhuizen said he was "very excited about the future provided this squad is kept together".

Facing up to the reality of retirement, the legendary Springbok scrumhalf looked the part, with tracksuit top buttoned up to his chin and peering through spectacles.

"It's not about sadness for me, it's about sadness for losing the match. We came here to win the World Cup. It's not about me."

Nonetheless, he seems to have mellowed with the years and cuts a far more likeable figure than the one who kicked a prostrate Malcolm O'Kelly in the battle of Pretoria in 1998.

"I've never played a bad All Blacks team and this one is up there with the better ones," he conceded, adding: "It was an honour to play against Justin Marshall. I think he had an excellent game and it was always an honour to play against him and Gregan and the likes of them."

Heading toward a career in television and becoming "a big, happy family man", he looked toward the packed media room and said: "Thank you, it was great to be a part of world rugby." It was the most poignant moment of the night.

SCORING SEQUENCE: 14 mins: MacDonald pen 3-0; 15: Hougaard pen 3-3; 16: MacDonald try and con 10-3; 34: MacDonald pen 13-3; 40: Hougaard pen 13-6. Half-time: 13-6. 45: Mauger drop goal 16-6; 51: Hougaard pen 16-9; 59: Mealamu try 21-9; 68: MacDonald pen 24-9; 72: Rokocoko try 29-9.

NEW ZEALAND: M Muliaina; D Howlett, L McDonald, A Mauger, J Rokocoko; C Spencer, J Marshall; D Hewitt, K Mealamu, G Somerville, C Jack, A Williams, R Thorne (capt), J Collins, R McCaw. Replacements: K Meeuws for Hewitt (50 mins), M Holah for McCaw (60-64 mins and 74 mins), B Thorn for Jack (74 mins), M Hammett for Mealamu (74 mins), S Devine for Marshall, D Carter for Mauger (77 mins), C Ralph for Rokocoko (78 mins).

SOUTH AFRICA: J van der Westhuyzen; A Willemse, J Muller, D W Barry, T Delport; D Hougaard, J van der Westhuizen; C Bezuidenhout, J Smit, F Rautenbach, B Botha, V Matfield, C Krige (capt), J Smith, D Rossouw. Replacements: J Fourie for Delport (half-time), R Bands for Rautenbach (60 mins), S Burger for Rossouw (62 mins), D Coetzee for Smit, L Koen for Hougaard (both 74 mins), N de Kock for van der Westhuizen, S Boone for Matfield (both 77 mins).

Referee: T Spreadbury (England).