Scott Robertson: Fiji Test has made All Blacks selections 'interesting'

Last week means nothing now. And as far as I’m concerned it’s the ABs who go in tomorrow as favorites, not the boks.

Statistically anyway, the ABs can be expected to bounce back and be much better. While the boks have struggled to put teams away after a big week. Particularly the ABs. In Cape Town.

The boks don’t wear the favourites tag very well either.

So I for one would like to make it very clear that the boks are not the favourites tomorrow. And that unless they win tomorrow, we will never hear the end of it. So ffs make sure you’re switched on like f_ck and prove me wrong.

Or else it’s the ABs by 3.

If you look at that Ireland second phase there are multiple options - the #9 circling around to the outside, a keeper by the 'post' forward and an in-pass to the #15 on a late run up the middle. Oor the hooker in support who actually gets the ball.

No wonder he had so much to say about the ABs girlfriends. He’ll never get one!

Compared to the boks getting a yellow within the first 5, on their line. I still thought that if it was that cynical, deserving of a yellow, why wasn’t it a penalty try?

You’re overlooking the fact that the boks have invested in getting better at playing within the laws. The ABs should invest in a laws coach. Their attitude to this, however, has come off as they don’t care.

Which would explain why the ABs probably had the most cards of all the tier 1s last year. You could plan to play them 15 on 14. Foster even simulated that in the semi against Argentina. Opting to keep the team on 14 after Barret’s sin bin was up.

Not playing at Newlands. Cape Town Stadium.

Keeping the match officials happy? I assume you mean happier given the maul try and overlooked headbutt?

Yep - that makes sense. He's always standing around, waiting for the next set piece, instead of running, carrying, tackling, and hitting rucks.

PSDT only executed 28 tackles against the ABs in the RWC final, as compared to the peerless McCaw, whose 18 tackles in an RWC final was the previous record.

Duh ...

Yeah, you want to use the backs to add a bit of speed and skill executions to make more regular plays, like the one that broke through?

The support for the All Blacks out of the Cape started before the ABs were as dominant, in fact during the time when the springboks were the most successful and dominant team in the world. It was politically motivated.

As mentioned by others in the comments section, while many people in NZ certainly played their part in protesting and calling for the end of apartheid, the All Blacks were themselves quite complicit in working with the apartheid government at the time to make tours happen. Including rebel tours whilst SA was banned from sports internationally. And arranging honorary white status for Maori rugby players.

So it’s ironic in some ways that people turned to supporting the All Blacks as an anti-apartheid stance - when in fact the ABs themselves were quite complicit with the apartheid government at the time.

But since they did, the tradition has continued. With people still supporting the ABs for sentimental reasons. And so the question now is whether the boks are converting Cape AB fans.

I read with interest that Herschel Jantjies supported the ABs into his teen years before eventually becoming a Bok supporter.