New Zealand go through then with a hard-fought, tense, but deserved win. The key period was at the start of the second half, when Carter slotted a cool drop-goal to reduce South Africa’s lead in spite of their man advantage, before Barrett crossed for the second, ultimately match-winning try.
South Africa deserve credit for a big defensive performance, winning the battles of the scrum and breakdown largely thanks to their immense power. But they brought little else to the match, in truth, and didn’t deserve it.
Thanks for reading. Do join me again tomorrow for Australia v Argentina. Bye!
Updated
Full-time: South Africa 18-20 New Zealand
New Zealand’s defence is remorseless as South Africa look for gaps – they can’t even 10 metres from their own line and, after countless phases, Matfield knocks it forward! New Zealand are in the final!
80 min Serfontein on for De Allende as South Africa pick it up on the back foot. They’re penned in right under their own posts.
79 min New Zealand are still not comfortable in the scrum, but New Zealand come away with it and drive to the 22. Carter is back in the pocket, but he’s closed down and doesn’t have time to get the kick away. He passes left and SBW cuts through! He offloads beautifully to Read, but De Allende is across to make a try-saving tackle and force the knock-on.
77 min Savea joins in the forward drive and carries it into a ruck just outside the 22. The ball is stuck in there and that’ll be a New Zealand scrum.
76 min Pietersen chases the drop-out well and taps it back, but the ball goes into touch. Can’t see South Africa doing it now, as McCaw takes the ball in.
75 min Ben Smith stabs a kick through, Le Roux returns and Carter replies in kind. Du Preez is under it and takes well, but he’s clattered by the chasers. Eventually it’s kicked back, then Barrett kicks into the in-goal area, where Pietersen dots it down. That was a good minute, wasn’t it?
73 min For the first time in this World Cup, Strauss’s throw is stolen! Whitelock is the man to get it and Smith clears, with Le Roux taking it back up. South Africa go right, but that thing is like a bar of soap and Lambie knocks on in contact.
71 min Vermeulen wins it and New Zealand get the defensive drive in. De Allende takes it into contact, but he loses it on the ground. Aaron Smith, in a hurry, slices a less-than-convincing clearance to touch midway inside his own half. The danger isn’t over yet.
Nyakane is hurt now. Ben Franks is on for Moody and the rain is torrential.
70 min Du Preez puts it up high, but New Zealand keep it on halfway despite the chase from Habana. Ben Smith shows how it’s done with his chase and gather from Aaron Smith’s box kick. It’s turned over though and South Africa can counter! Lambie kicks ahead into space and Pietersen gives chase, so Carter has to ship it into touch inside his own 22!
Penalty (Lambie 69) South Africa 18-20 New Zealand
Cool as you like, but how important will that brilliant earlier conversion from the left touchline by Carter prove?
68 min The longer it stays with the forwards the better for South Africa and they get another penalty here, as Read comes into the maul from the wrong side. Lambie will go for goal from around 45 metres on the angle.
67 min Into touch it goes down the right, a couple of metres past the 10 metre line. Coles and Kaino off; Mealamu and Cane on.
66 min South Africa keep it tight off the back of a solid scrum. They’ve been very much on top in that department today and they get another penalty here for offside.
65 min Both Pollard and Etzebeth need a touch of treatment, but are OK to carry on for now. The restart is dropped by Retallick in the incessant pouring rain and, before the scrum can take place, Pollard decides he can’t carry on and is replaced by Lambie.
64 min Alberts is on for Burger as New Zealand get it quickly from the lineout. SBW scythes straight through the middle of the defence to get to within five, then they go through the hands. It’s back to Williams and he stabs the kick through, but Habana covers well and touches it down for the 22.
Updated
63 min Habana returns as we go back to the 10 metre line for a penalty, as Conrad Smith played the scrum-half early. Problem is, there was a neck roll by Matfield, so the penalty is reversed.
62 min There’s no momentum for South Africa hitting it up, until Pollard dances his way through. “Bugger that,” think the Kiwi defence, driving the ball carriers all the way back to the 10 metre line.
Updated
61 min De Jager and Malherbe are done for the day, replaced as they are by Matfield and Jannie du Plessis. From the restart, Barrett clears to touch on the 10 metre line, where Matfield rises supremely to take the lineout and set the driving maul, which hammers its way almost all the way to the 22, in centre field.
Penalty (Carter 60) South Africa 15-20 New Zealand
As you were.
Updated
59 min This is really poor. Under no pressure, Etzebeth is penalised for sealing off on his own 22, with his side in possession. This will be easy as anything for Carter.
Penalty (Pollard 58) South Africa 15-17 New Zealand
Easy enough and we’re back to a two-point game.
57 min And a monster of a scrum it is too. A second scrum penalty against the All Blacks and Pollard will have a pop at goal.
56 min Read knocks on at the base of the scrum for a second time and South Africa will now have a scrum 30 metres from the New Zealand line, just a nudge to the right.
55 min South Africa have a lineout midway inside the New Zealand half and set the maul. It goes nowhere, so they go inside, but McCaw rips it brilliantly from Strauss and wins his side a scrum.
54 min A few changes: Nyakane and Strauss on for Mtarawira and Du Plessis; Sonny Bill Williams and Faumuina on for Nonu and Owen Franks.
Conversion (Carter 53) South Africa 12-17 New Zealand
More bad news for South Africa, as Habana is shown a retrospective yellow card for a cynical offside under the posts, for which the referee played advantage. Carter slots a magnificent conversion from the left-hand touchline.
Updated
Try! (Barrett 52) South Africa 12-15 New Zealand
It was coming, as the South African defence was being sucked in from the moment Carter ripped it away from Burger. Eventually they go left, Nonu draws two men in and he pops it left to Barrett, who goes over.
Updated
51 min South Africa’s scrum is struggling, 10 metres from their own line. Vermeulen picks up, but when they go for another phase they turn it over and New Zealand shift it inside. Savea is in off his wing as the All Blacks smash into the defence.
50 min It’s moved right to left and Barrett slips a grubber kick through down the left. Savea follows the kick and attempts to gather, but the wet ball slips from his grasp. He was in there if it had stuck.
49 min Carter finds touch between the 22 and the 10 metre line, on the right as Kaino returns. You fancy the All Blacks to retake the lead pretty soon. Barrett is on for Milner-Skudder.
48 min This is some very, very ordinary kicking back and forth – you expect far better from these two sides. De Allende shows the folly of this with some lovely steps into space before kicking ahead, and Habana gives away a penalty for pushing over Milner-Skudder while chasing.
47 min Pollard’s return kick is very poor, straight into the arms of Milner-Skudder, who cuts infield and makes a lot of ground into the South Africa half. It goes back to Carter in the pocket, but he’s wrapped up this time by De Allende. Back again and Carter goes for the chip, but it’s half charged down.
Drop-goal (Carter 46) South Africa 12-10 Zealand
From a scrappy lineout, New Zealand have a knock-on advantage and, from nowhere, Carter pops over a very smooth 35 metre drop-goal!
Updated
45 min Etzebeth takes it comfortably, they hit it up once more and Du Preez clears out of the 22.
44 min Du Preez clears and Ben Smith returns with a high ball, which he gathers himself just inside the Springbok half. It’s recycled, Milner-Skudder kicks ahead and finds a good touch six metres out from the line on the right.
43 min This is taking an age. Here’s James Crane: “Come on Dan, bit harsh describing Burger as a thug - he’s had a brilliant 1st half. It’s like watching Chiellini playing for Juve, where would sport be without the practitioners of the (ahem) dark arts??”
Aye, he’s a very very good player and was magnificent against Wales. Still, he is a bit of a thug.
42 min New Zealand scrum then, a metre or so outside the 22 on the left. The ball shoots out the back, Read can’t control it and the feed is reversed.
41 min Carter restarts the match and Du Preez makes a complete horlicks of his box kick, with Milner-Skudder running it back. Carter goes high and Le Roux misses it, with Conrad Smith retaking it on the bounce. In fact it did brush Le Roux, so the knock-on is given.
Derek Robertson sends an update: “Been to the Tate, drank some posh booze, stared in awe at the Rothkos, now safely ensconced in a bar for the second half. New Zealand aren’t going to blow it again, are they?”
New Zealand missed none, by the way. It’s belting it down at Twickenham now.
You do wonder whether South Africa, and Francois Louw especially, can keep that level of defence up. Superb as it was, with 57 tackles made, there were a further 10 missed.
Half-time: South Africa 12-7 New Zealand
Nothing else of note happens in the remaining seconds. The teams go in at the break with New Zealand having taken an absolute battering at the breakdown. It’s not even a contest there – they’ve conceded eight penalties and four turnovers there.
Penalty (Pollard 40) South Africa 12-7 New Zealand
Well. It’s a tough kick, 35 metres out and wide on the wrong side, but Pollard nails it for a five-point lead.
39 min Yet another penalty! Du Preez steps away from the scrum, takes it from Vermeulen, shows and goes. He’s taken down on the 22, on the right, and Kaino flops cynically into the ruck from the wrong side. To the sin bin he goes.
38 min This is poor now. Another lineout stolen by Kaino, but then a poor pass inside is juggled and lost forward by Carter on his own 10 metre line, dead centre.
37 min The scrum on the South African 22 is a mess and Owen Franks gets penalised for wheeling the scrum. Pollard finds touch on halfway.
36 min And it’s stuck into touch 38 metres upfield on the left by Pollard. Whitelock makes another steal though – New Zealand’s second of the day – and they go left to Nonu, who goes on one of his blasting runs. On they go with the pick and drive, but Pollard and De Jager hold Whitelock up and create the maul, winning the turnover in doing so.
35 min This won’t go down well: the penalty is reversed for a neck roll by Moody.
34 min New Zealand start the driving maul, before Aaron Smith snipes round the corner and offloads off the floor to Milner-Skudder. The wing jinks inside and New Zealand shift it left. The final pass is intercepted by Pietersen, but Garces goes back for offside at the initial maul.
33 min Carter takes his full allotted minute but it does him no good, hitting the post with one he’d expect to get. South Africa clear to touch a metre or so inside their own half, on the All Black right.
31 min Now, with advantage for a neck roll, we see the quick passes getting it out to Nonu on the right and he straightens and accelerates through a gap. He’s up to within five, before Burger – who totally isn’t a horrible thug – shoulder charges straight into his face.
30 min Du Preez clears and finds touch midway inside his own half, down the left. New Zealand bring it back on the crash, still not trying any offloads.
29 min Nonu steps, jinks and twirls, but all for very little reward. More phases, then another grubber kick bounces into touch on the right. This isn’t very inspiring.
28 min On and on we go, through the phases. New Zealand have shown nothing like the intensity and tempo they did in the opening half hour last Saturday.
27 min Pollard finds touch midway between his own 10 metre line and halfway, but Kaino nabs the lineout.
26 min New Zealand win it and take the crash ball up into the 22, but Nonu is turned over. Pollard’s clearance is, once again, very poor though and New Zealand run it back up to the 22. Remarkably, they give away yet another penalty at the breakdown though.
25 min It’s dropped at the lineout and New Zealand have a scrum on the 22, wide on the right. Big test for Joe Moody.
24 min Another All Black attack, more solid South African defence and this time Milner Skudder is the man to opt for the diagonal grubber kick, out towards his own vacated wing. Into touch in the 22, on the right.
23 min An exchange of kicks, then Ben Smith gathers his own high one. Aaron Smith chips it up over the top, but it’s aimless and Pietersen catches it, calling the mark.
22 min Habana takes the restart and chips ahead before New Zealand run it back. They shift play back infield, but there’s great work on the floor by De Jager to win the turnover. Kriel chips ahead and regathers, but when he’s tackled the ball goes loose and Carter kicks for touch on the left, not quite finding it.
Penalty (Pollard 21) South Africa 9-7 New Zealand
From 38 metres this time, right in front, Pollard puts his side back in front.
Updated
20 min Up it goes and Habana takes again! The defence swarms around him but he gets the pass away to Du Preez and South Africa go wide right. Le Roux kicks it through, and dead, but we were playing advantage.
19 min Into touch on the left, 10 metres outside the South African 22 and a strong maul makes more ground...
18 min Another grubber through from Carter, which dribbles perfectly into the corner. The throw is long to Vermeulen and he’s clattered by Kaino, the ball shooting loose, but he was fractionally in the air and that’s a penalty.
17 min Du Preez’s box kick is high but taken by Savea and New Zealand swing it right, trying to find gaps. There are no gaps.
16 min Nonu switches play and Retallick looks to bash his way through, but there’s still nothing so Carter grubbers through. Coles moves like Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe, so quickly does he dive on the touchline-bound ball, but he just fails to keep it in play.
15 min It’s overthrown, but Carter collects and New Zealand crash it up to the 22.
14 min The Springboks are going backwards, to their own 10 metre line in the face of solid work from the New Zealand back line. Kaino wins the turnover on the floor, the carrier is done for holding on and Carter finds touch midway in the South African half.
13 min It’s a South African lineout on halfway and they start the rolling maul, before Du Preez goes high and Habana retakes it just outside the 22. They’ve been magnificent in the air so far. It’s shifted right, but there’s no quarter being offered by the defence.
12 min Le Roux is under the high ball once again, but Pollard is hesitant with the clearance and scuffs it to Milner-Skudder. The wing returns with a high one, but Le Roux is solid under it and gets a penalty for a dangerous follow-up tackle by Retallick.
Penalty (Pollard 11) South Africa 6-7 New Zealand
From 30 metres, Pollard slots it through with ease.
10 min Smith clears to touch from the restart with a box kick, getting it up towards his own 10 metre line. Etzebeth takes it at the rear of the line and South Africa drive on, earning a penalty in midfield for offside against – gasp! – McCaw.
Ian Copestake writes: “The effect of the haka on my girlfriend is quite disturbing. Let’s just say that for some it is the only alluring thing about rugby.”
Conversion (Carter 9) South Africa 3-7 New Zealand
After taking an age, he gets it at the second attempt.
8 min Carter hooks his conversion wide of the near post, but will retake as Habana sprinted off the line to try and charge it far too early.
Try! (Kaino 6) South Africa 3-5 New Zealand
New Zealand go down the short side and Kaino makes ground over the gainline down the right. It’s recycled, moved infield and back right and the Boks are too slow getting across. McCaw pops a lovely pass over the top to Kaino out wide and the flanker brushes through a flimsy tackle to run it into the corner.
Updated
5 min Read takes the lineout in the centre, but New Zealand can’t get any ground with the maul. Carter puts it up high from midfield, but it’s rather a waste and Le Roux collects well and calls the mark. His clearance is run back to the 22 by Milner-Skudder.
4 min Le Roux takes the restart in his 22 and is immediately flattened by Kaino. South Africa keep possession, but Pollard shanks his clearance into touch about seven metres beyond his 22 on the left.
Penalty (Pollard 3) South Africa 3-0 New Zealand
From wide on the left, 25 metres out, Pollard drills the first three points of the weekend through the sticks.
Updated
2 min It’s turned over, but Carter’s clearance from just outside the 22 goes straight into touch and South Africa have a great position. Vermeulen takes it and South Africa get the penalty at the maul for offside.
PEEEEP! Jerome Garces’s whistle is the signal for Handre Pollard to get us underway in very low cloud. It pings around as the two sides challenge for the high ball, but it comes back to Aaron Smith, who box kicks clear. Vermeulen and De Allende carry it up over the Kiwi 10 metre line on the left, before Le Roux’s short pass puts Kriel through a gap and up to the 22.
How to best face the haka, according to Shane Williams: “Eyeball the smallest player in the All Blacks team.” I’ve really enjoyed the little guy on commentary during this World Cup. ITV’s analysts have been largely very good, although it’s ridiculous that Nick Mullins is getting the big matches over Miles Harrison.
On another note, does anyone really think that the haka has any effect on anyone other than the New Zealand board’s egos?
Here we go! With six minutes to go until the ostensible kick-off time, the players come out on to the Twickenham pitch to a mighty roar from the crowd, who are drowned out by some crap music and the now-obligatory fireworks.
Weather watch
It’s October and this match is down in south west London. What do you think?
Cold, wet and grey, in case you were struggling.
The dearly departed Jean de Villiers speaks. Don’t worry, he’s not dead or anything.
Jean de Villiers on how losing to Japan actually helped #RSA reach the semi-finals! #ItsYourCall #RWC2015 #RSAvNZL https://t.co/PSrAw56rRr
— Heineken (@Heineken) October 24, 2015
“Hi Dan.” Hi, John Davison. “I think we might see an upset today and see the Guardian experts get it right for the first time.”
Very good. Except, like last time, they haven’t all gone for the same team.
A suggestion from Robin Hazlehurst: “No quibbles about Australia being in the top four on merit, but it seems fairly clear the way to remove the difference between Divisions 1 and 2 is to make the game shorter. The 6 Nations would have a much better record against the South if the final whistle blew after 75 or 77 minutes. The difference between the divisions is essentially Fergie Time.”
Why not make them five minutes and ensure they’re closer than ever?
Do send me your predictions. Here’s how our panel of experts think it’ll go:
I’m going with New Zealand by eight points.
And now a word from our sponsors. I’m pretty sure they’re our sponsors.
.@JohnSmit123 is quietly confident in his semi-final predictions. But @WillCarling has other ideas! #ItsYourCall https://t.co/UrUEnRbblu
— Heineken (@Heineken) October 24, 2015
John Mcinedin writes: “Poor preamble Dan. Your ‘Division One’ definition therefore includes the team which is present in the semi-final due to referee Joubert’s error. Not even a mention of it. You can’t re-write history just because it doesn’t fit your division two analogy.”
Are you actually suggesting that Australia aren’t among the four best teams in the world? I’d say they weren’t only there because Joubert got a marginal decision wrong, but rather that they’re there in spite of gifting Scotland two tries, missing three kicks at goal and getting shafted by the referee in the scrum.
“Afternoon Dan!” Afternoon, Derek Robertson! “So confident am I that Ritchie & the boys will do the business I’m drinking negronis & going to the Tate to sit in the Rothko room instead of watching the match. I mean, what could possibly go wrong, right?”
Indeed. As I alluded to before, New Zealand have history when it comes to messing things up at this stage, although I feel the experience in this XXIII will prevent them from chucking this one away.
Incidentally I was at a party with Derek last night. I only mention it as an excuse to post this early-2000s classic:
I did consider writing a piece for a popular music site I also write for in which I track down the fans who were in that video and find out what ever happened to them.
Updated
Dan Carter has heavy strapping on his right knee. This could be a worry for New Zealand fans, as Beauden Barrett hasn’t really convinced, while the great No10 (that’s Carter, in case you were wondering) has been in magnificent form of late, looking back to his best against France in and in the Bledisloe Cup win over Australia.
Preamble
Afternoon, folks. Last weekend was the start of the serious stuff, with the plucky underdogs done and dusted. Now, the four teams from the Six Nations – or, as I like to call it now, Division Two – are gone. Two we can call unlucky, two we can call pretty piss poor, but either way we have ended up with the world’s four best teams competing for two places in the final. Those of us up here in the north can grumble all we like and the reasons for the geographical split can be analysed to death, but the truth is that things are as they should be at this stage of the tournament.
To say that there is history between these two teams is akin to saying Walter White and Gus Fring had an uneasy relationship. It would take a fair old while to go through and explain one of sport’s fiercest rivalries but, luckily for me, Andy Bull has done just that in his typically excellent fashion:
England v Scotland is older and England v Wales more closely contested, but there is no rivalry in European rugby that is, or ever has been, as significant as the one between these two, about to be renewed again at Twickenham. From 1912, when South Africa swept all of the Five Nations teams aside on their European tour, through to 1991, when Australia won the World Cup, the Springboks and All Blacks were top of World Rugby’s retrospective rankings for 77 out of 79 years. For the vast majority of the sport’s history, this has been a contest between the world’s two best teams.
Form suggests that the All Blacks should walk this. They showed just what they’ve been hiding so far against France, while South Africa relied on a moment of glorious skill, a friendly referee and sheer power against knackered opponents to get past Wales. Before this World Cup, the Springboks’ only win in 2015 came in a friendly against Argentina, whereas New Zealand have lost just three times since the start of the last tournament.
New Zealand clearly have the better all-court game. We have heaped praise on Argentina for their combination of power, nous, pace and skill and the ability those things give them to hurt you in several ways; if we’re totally honest though, New Zealand are a souped up version. That said, they would be unwise to dismiss South Africa’s game as naught more than a power-based one.
We know what the record-chasing Bryan Habana can do, and JP Pietersen shouldn’t be underestimated across the park. Fourie due Preez, whose winning try against Wales was a demonstration of the Springboks’ creative powers, can bring their electric backs into play and in Damian de Allende they have the player who has beaten the most defenders in this World Cup, with 21 left in his wake in 260 minutes of game time.
Then again, this is New Zealand. They have four cap centurions in their ranks. They have, statistically, the most lethal finisher ever to have played tier one Test rugby. They have a man at inside centre who gets compared to a Predator, but whom you’d probably be more worried about taking on than Arnie’s space nemesis. They have Richie McCaw, Dan Carter, Conrad Smith, Kieran Read and Brodie Retallick. Surely this is a non-contest? After all, it’s not like they have record of choking at World Cups.
Kick-off is at 4pm BST. That’s an eye-watering 4am in Wellington, or a more pleasant 5pm in South Africa. The teams are as follows.
South Africa
Willie le Roux; JP Pietersen, Jesse Kriel, Damian De Allende, Bryan Habana; Handre Pollard, Fourie du Preez (captain); Duane Vermeulen, Schalk Burger, Francois Louw; Lood de Jager, Eben Etzebeth; Frans Malherbe, Bismarck du Plessis, Tendai Mtawarira.
Replacements: Adriaan Strauss, Trevor Nyakane, Jannie du Plessis, Victor Matfield, Willem Alberts, Ruan Pienaar, Pat Lambie, Jan Serfontein.
New Zealand
Joe Moody, Dane Coles, Owen Franks, Brodie Retallick, Sam Whitelock, Jerome Kaino, Richie McCaw (captain), Kieran Read; Aaron Smith, Dan Carter, Julian Savea, Ma’a Nonu, Conrad Smith, Nehe Milner-Skudder, Ben Smith.
Replacements: Keven Mealamu, Ben Franks, Charlie Faumuina, Victor Vito, Sam Cane, Tawera Kerr-Barlow, Beauden Barrett, Sonny Bill Williams.
