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New Zealand head coach Steve Hansen heaped praise on Richie McCaw for exorcising past demons that he admitted “hurt” the All Blacks captain in the past, though while he was pleased to see his side book their place in a record fourth Rugby World Cup final he was disappointed to see a team knocked out in such a messy encounter.
Hansen revealed that criticism of 34-year-old McCaw back at the 2007 Rugby World Cup hit the flanker personally, but believes that his performance to help knock South Africa out of the tournament goes a long way to vindicating his legacy as their captain.
“I think that’s experience,” Hansen said after the victory. “We’ve probably got the greatest player ever seen, but he’s also a great skipper and in 2007 as a young captain he was criticised a lot and I know that hurt him.”
Hansen started off his press conference without taking a question. Instead, he wanted to praise the Springboks for running the reigning champions as close as it comes in an ugly game that he described as “like kissing your sister.”
“I guess what I’d like to say is congratulations to South Africa,” opened Hansen. “It was a massive game for both teams and I guess it’s disappointing that someone has to go home and lose in a contest like that. The game could’ve gone either way and we’re just thankful and humbled to go through and have the opportunity to go through to the final next week.”
Show all 30 1 /30South Africa vs New Zealand player ratings South Africa vs New Zealand player ratings <b>South Africa:</b> 15. Willie le Roux - 6 out of 10 A safe pair of hands although he was found wanting when Ben Smith chased a loose Barrett kick. Picked up a slight niggle in the second half, but was able to see out the full 8- minutes.
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South Africa vs New Zealand player ratings 14. JP Pietersen - 6 out of 10 His biggest role came in chasing kicks that always beat him to touch. Sucked in due to the man-overlap for Beauden Barritt’s crucial try, but faultless otherwise.
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South Africa vs New Zealand player ratings 13. Jesse Kriel - 6 out of 10 Started off very brightly with a nice break into the 22. Tackled well and continues to develop at a rapid rate.
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South Africa vs New Zealand player ratings 12. Damian de Allende - 6 out of 10 Like Kriel he has impressed in bounds throughout the tournament. Found his match in Nonu and Smith as he was unable to barge through as he did against Wales.
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South Africa vs New Zealand player ratings 11. Bryan Habana - 4 out of 10 Given very little chance to run as the Springboks were starved of possession. When he did open his legs he was sent to the sin-bin for pushing Milner-Skudder. A quiet day and a quiet way to bow out of the World Cup.
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South Africa vs New Zealand player ratings 10. Handre Pollard - 7 out of 10 Kicked faultlessly from the tee and he was a threat running with the ball in hand. Claimed 15 points for his side before injury struck him down and he was replaced by Pat Lambie.
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South Africa vs New Zealand player ratings 9. Fourie du Preez - 6 out of 10 There were to be no late fireworks from Du Preez this time. He struggled late on as the All Blacks got the better of the scrum, and looked to pick up an injury in the second half when tackled which nullified any running from the base.
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South Africa vs New Zealand player ratings 1. Tendai Mtawarira - 7 out of 10 Had there been more scrummaging, ‘Beast’ could well have been man of the match. But the All Blacks smartly kept him on the move, and he had to be replaced after 52 minutes when the tank was well and truly empty.
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South Africa vs New Zealand player ratings 2. Bismarck du Plessis - 5 out of 10 Struggled in the lineout as the Springboks lost five of their own throws, although that says more about the New Zealand jumpers than his throwing. Didn’t carry the ball as much as South Africa will have liked to have seen.
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South Africa vs New Zealand player ratings 3. Frans Malherbe - 7 out of 10 Had the beating of Moody in the two scrums in the first half, and nearly pushed him all the way back to New Zealand in the third one after the break. Given his dominance in the front-row, it was strange to see him replaced by Jannie du Plessis on the hour mark.
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South Africa vs New Zealand player ratings 4. Eben Etzebeth - 7 out of 10 His aggressive start to the match set the tone for the Springboks’ defence and boy was he pumped up. Led the line with a match-high 13 tackles, but that motivation turned to frustration when the game slipped away.
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South Africa vs New Zealand player ratings 5. Lood de Jager - 5 out of 10 Tried to control the lineout but the All Blacks worked him out as they picked him off three times in the first half. Springboks turned to the brains of Victor Matfield after an hour.
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South Africa vs New Zealand player ratings 6. Francois Louw - 7 out of 10 Forced off early in the first half with blood pouring from his head. Returned having been patched up, and gave the Springboks an edge on the floor. Tackled like a fiend when his side were under the kosh.
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South Africa vs New Zealand player ratings 7. Schalk Burger - 7 out of 10 Formidable at the ruck as he turned the ball over repeatedly in the first half. Lucky to get away with a shoulder charge on Nonu though, and as the game wore on he tired. Replaced after the hour by Willem Alberts, but as he said afterwards, the fact he was in another World Cup semi-final defied all expectations from two years ago.
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South Africa vs New Zealand player ratings 8. Duane Vermeulen - 6 out of 10 Carried more times than any of his team-mates but failed to produce results. Turned over by Carter for the crucial second try that he won’t look back fondly on.
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South Africa vs New Zealand player ratings <b>New Zealand:</b> 15. Ben Smith - 7 out of 10 Incredible leaping ability saw him challenge for high balls from nowhere as well as marshal the backfield superbly. Switch to the wing coincided with the All Blacks sticking the ball up their jumper.
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South Africa vs New Zealand player ratings 14. Nehe Milner-Skudder - 8 out of 10 Made one telling break early in the second half that nearly produced the goods, but a collision with Habana saw him suffer a leg injury and he left soon after. Managed to gain 92 metres in just 48 minutes and could well have bagged a try.
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South Africa vs New Zealand player ratings 13. Conrad Smith - 8 out of 10 Out-thought the Springboks centre pairing and showed just why he and his centre partner in crime are considered the best there’s ever been. His ability to pass the ball accurately in the blink of an eye gives chances to those powerhouses outside him.
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South Africa vs New Zealand player ratings 12. Ma'a Nonu - 8 out of 10 Very impressive from the No 12 and he continues to defy his critics from earlier in the tournament. Has hit his form at the right time, and took on the work load to make inroads into the stern South African defence.
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South Africa vs New Zealand player ratings 11. Julian Savea - 5 out of 10 The danger man was kept very quiet and he failed to come inside to try and find the ball. Slightly disappointing performance given the hype surrounding him and Habana in the build-up.
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South Africa vs New Zealand player ratings 10. Dan Carter - 9 out of 10 In the form of his life, and that says a lot given the career he’s had. Clinically took a drop-goal when the Springboks afforded him a split-second longer on the ball than he was used to in the match, and his crucial retaken conversion proved to be the two-point difference. His haul may have been 10 points but he proved to be the match-winner.
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South Africa vs New Zealand player ratings 9. Aaron Smith - 6 out of 10 For once he looked a little bit lost out there. There were no runs around the fringe and the ball he produced was slow. Kept looking back to Carter for directions that gave South Africa time to form up.
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South Africa vs New Zealand player ratings 1. Joe Moody - 5 out of 10 New Zealand’s third-choice loosehead was given a torrid time in the scrum and that put his side under pressure while allowing Pollard the chance to add the points. To his credit though, he lasted nearly 70 minutes before being replaced by Ben Franks.
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South Africa vs New Zealand player ratings 2. Dane Coles - 7 out of 10 Incredibly strong in the lineout as Retallick and Whitelock made his job rather easy. Carried well and, like most hookers somehow manage to do, cropped up on the wing on more than one occasion.
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South Africa vs New Zealand player ratings 3. Owen Franks - 6 out of 10 Gave Mtawarira a run for his money as the two fought for every inch of the Twickenham pitch, but Malherbe’s superiority over Moody meant Franks was fighting a losing battle. Stood up in defence though.
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South Africa vs New Zealand player ratings 4. Brodie Retallick - 8 out of 10 There was no charge down try today, but he did contribute immensely in the lineout. Gave away an early penalty with a high shot on Burger just to let him know he was there, but outstanding everywhere else.
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South Africa vs New Zealand player ratings 5. Sam Whitelock - 8 out of 10 Gave the Springboks a problem they simply couldn’t solve in the lineout as he sealed turnover after turnover. While Retallick often takes the plaudits, Whitelock was the man running the show today.
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South Africa vs New Zealand player ratings 6. Jerome Kaino - 7 out of 10 A mixed bag for the flanker. He did very well to take McCaw’s high offload and score the opening try, but stupidity got the better of him as he kicked the ball away in an offside position to earn a yellow card and 10 minutes in the sin-bin that cost three points.
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South Africa vs New Zealand player ratings 7. Richie McCaw - 8 out of 10 McCaw was immense in defence as he made a joint-most tackles with his back-row colleague Read. His leadership took a step up though, as he calmly marshalled the side using all of his nous to run the clock down. “Satisfied” was the predominant word he used afterwards, and rightly so.
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South Africa vs New Zealand player ratings 8. Kieran Read - 7 out of 10 Another who tackled superbly but couldn’t hold onto the ball when the try line was begging after a break from Sonny Bill Williams.
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The South Africa head coach, Heyneke Meyer, was quick to stress how proud he was of his side, and declared his intention to remain in the position following next Friday’s Bronze final against the loser of Saturday’s semi-final between Argentina and Australia. “I’m there to serve and do whatever it takes,” said Meyer, adding “I’ll never accept second best.”
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