Remarkably, Bell made 17 tackles from 17 attempts – only the excellent Carlo Tizzano was busier without the ball. And while the restarts were a mess, Nick Frost continued to work exceptionally hard on the physicality of his game against some hard-edged opponents.
4. Rain kills expansive hopes
Wallabies winger Andrew Kellaway collected some unwanted statistics in the first half: no carries, no metres, one pass and no tackles from one attempt. Kellaway is a classy operator, but he has been struggling to get himself into the game under the current attack structure, with the inclement conditions over recent Tests also playing a role.
Paul Cully’s team of the week
- Angus Bell (Australia)
- Codie Taylor (New Zealand)
- Tyrel Lomax (New Zealand)
- Nick Frost (Australia)
- Pieter-Steph du Toit (South Africa)
- Marcos Kremer (Argentina)
- Carlo Tizzano (Australia)
- Elrigh Louw (South Africa)
- Grant Williams (South Africa)
- Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (South Africa)
- Caleb Clarke (New Zealand)
- Jordie Barrett (New Zealand)
- Len Ikitau (Australia)
- Cheslin Kolbe (South Africa)
- Aphelele Fassi (South Africa)
The flipside of this is that there is clearly much more to come from the Wallabies attack if they get a dry track, especially as fullback Tom Wright – of whom I have been a touch sceptical – continues to really grow into that role. Now, the weather gods must come to the party.
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5. All Blacks’ grip on Rugby Championship slips
South Africa’s 31-27 win against the All Blacks win in Johannesburg means they are in a very strong position to claim the Rugby Championship, their first since 2019 and only their fifth since the Tri Nations/Rugby Championship started in 1996.
The All Blacks have dominated the competition, with 20 titles to their name, so they will be disappointed to lose the silverware, but it would reflect the shifting balance of power since 2019.
A Rugby Championship title doesn’t seem to capture the imagination like a Six Nations crown, but it holds significance this year because this Springboks has been criticised as Rugby World Cup specialists, with an underwhelming record between each tournament. No more, it seems.
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