Tri-Nations
First half cost Boks - Deans
2009-09-06 14:20
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Brisbane - Australia may have been ahead only 9-6 at half-time, but coach Robbie Deans believes a fast-paced game they employed cost the Springboks a lot of energy and paved the way for a shock 21-6 victory for the Wallabies in Brisbane on Saturday.
"I was very encouraged by how much we asked of the Springboks in the first half. I felt we'd get the reward for that, but because we were playing against the world's best we knew we had to bring more in the second half as well," Deans said.
"We managed to take them outside of their comfort zone and the 33 tackles they missed are indicative of our ability to isolate their defenders. We forced them to play in a way they haven't had to before this year."
Loosehead prop Benn Robinson led a top-class Australian scrumming display but was also prominent in open play as the Wallaby forwards lifted their game to match the athleticism and physicality of their opposite numbers.
"The first half was highly paced and I was quite fatigued at the break. But we all had a lot of energy and enthusiasm still in the tank for the second half and the fact that we managed to put in a consistent effort through the whole game was really pleasing," Robinson said.
The Springboks were also derailed at the breakdowns, where they struggled to gain any momentum, thanks mostly to the efforts of the powerful David Pocock, who moved from Zimbabwe to Australia in 2002 and was making his first Tri-Nations start.
"My test debut was pretty special, but winning this game is right up there, something I'll always remember. It's such a good feeling for the team after four losses and what we did was show that we have the self-belief to win tight games.
"It's obviously great to win against the Springboks and, as a loose trio, our goal is always to dominate the getting of the ball, so that's pleasing too," Pocock said.
The 21-year-old managed to keep pocket dynamo Heinrich Brussow at bay for most of the game, but paid the Free State Cheetahs star a compliment afterwards.
"It was a good contest at the breakdown, Heinrich made a few steals and did really well too. He's been the find of the season and South Africa have probably lacked that on-the-ball scavenger in recent years," Pocock said.
The other player making his first start, scrumhalf Will Genia, also shone and Deans said both he and Pocock had stepped up to the mark.
"Both of them made a difference for us, they've done well off the bench previously, but they've pushed on from there. Will cleaned up well and got us out of jail a couple of times," Deans said.
The Wallabies will now go into their last game, against New Zealand in Wellington on September 19, and that match could be a ripper if the All Blacks beat the Springboks next weekend in Hamilton.
"The fact that the Boks created stress for us which we were able to clean up desperately and we recovered from having three tries held up over the line, is evidence that the belief and confidence is starting to kick in. We've been toiling away and we felt internally that we were making progress but it was not evident in our results. It will be a fantastic opportunity in Wellington to show that there is some permanence to it," Deans said.