The scoreline does not necessarily suggest it, but South Africa's first Test following the dumping of their former captain Gary Teichmann was little short of a humiliation. The new skipper Joost van der Westhuizen said: "I'm very happy. For a side with eight changes to score two tries against the All Blacks is an achievement." But very few people believed him.
It was South Africa's heaviest home defeat by the All Blacks, and the first time since 1974 that the Springboks have suffered four successive Test defeats.
New Zealand's outstanding outhalf Andrew Mehrtens kicked his 101st point against South Africa and went past 500 points in Test rugby in his 33rd match. But the real stars of the side which has emerged as World Cup favourites were the full back Jeff Wilson and the former full back and now right-wing Christian Cullen, the latter scoring both New Zealand's tries.
Cullen, a man of few words, said: "As long as I'm in the All Black side I'll play anywhere."
At Loftus Versfeld Percy Montgomery gave his now familiar imitation of a fish out of water. In the week prior to this Tri-Nations match the former Test full back Andre Joubert, consistently ignored by Mallett, announced his retirement with the startling observation: "I want to take the pressure off Percy." Montgomery was tormented mercilessly by Mehrtens's tactical kicking and was actually booed by the crowd.
The Springboks seemed to have no game plan. For instance, Andre Snyman's 25th-minute try came from the charge-down of an attempted Gaffie du Toit drop goal. On his way over the line the muscular Snyman dislocated his ankle so badly that he will be in plaster for eight weeks and his World Cup is over. The crumbs of comfort for South Africa were that Van der Westhuizen came through his first Test in nine months unscathed and scored the home side's second try, two minutes into the second half. That the home side did not score again after narrowing the margin to 18-20 just about said it all.
Scorers: South Africa: Tries: Snyman, Van der Westhuizen. Penalties: Du Toit (2). Conversion: Du Toit. New Zealand: Tries: Cullen (2). Penalties: Mehrtens (7). Drop goal: Wilson.
SOUTH AFRICA: Snyman (Fleck, 27min), Smith, P Rossouw (Terblanche, 70); Du Toit, Van der Westhuizen (capt); Du Randt (Le Roux, 57), Drotske (C Rossouw, 66), Visagie, Boome (Andrews, 59), Van den Berg, Kruger (Vos, 47), Venter, Erasmus.
NEW ZEALAND: Wilson; Cullen, Ieremia, Gibson (Lomu, 31), Umaga; Mehrtens, Marshall; Feek, Oliver (Hammett, 73), Meeuws, Maxwell, Brooke (Willis, 83), Blowers (Thorne, 75), Kronfeld, Randall (capt).
Referee: E Morrison (England).
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