Thought the Blacks rather got out of gaol with that effort. Couple of tries from never never (kick to the blacks) land, plus one try that was dubious at best. This downward pressure after a knock on of sorts is malarky. Crotty clearly never had control of the ball, yet him, and many players before him, have been rewarded with tries. Wasn't abundantly clear he even had contact with the grounded ball after his knock on. For the neutral favouring the "underdog" it was a rubbish decision. A pretty flimsy red card to add to all that, with a free pen from out in front, and you can easily see how the Boks rather deserved more from that match. It's been a year of rubbish refereeing decisions in fairness to today's man with the whistle.
If I am a boks fan, then I am mightily, mightily ticked off with the refereeing. If I am a Blacks fan, then a big "phew!". As I am a neutral, a fantastic, absorbing contest. What a rugby match.
Have to say that most of the passion, grit and entertainment provided by the losing side. All Blacks with their legendary counter attack, and they defended well in fairness. 197 ABs tackles to 118 by the boks says a lot.
Some other thoughts I had while watching:
Cant recall the last time I saw the ABs kicking at goal from over 45 metres. Certainly with the inconsistent kickers (at very best) at their disposal. The attempted drop kick at the end was completely out of character in the southern hemisphere, let alone the ABs, so they were clearly feeling the pressure.
Thought Boks Captain (Elizabeth) and ABs (Squires) were my standout players, but a lot of great performances all around. Du Toit etc...... A great match!