In an intensely-fought, see-saw Tri-Nations game, the All Blacks were edged out of a win by the South African Springboks 30-28 in Dunedin at "The House of Pain". The loss ended a world record 30-match home winning streak by the All Blacks and posted a first test win at Carisbrook for the Boks.
Dan Carter's golden kicking boot posted 23 points but it wasn't enough in a game of slim margins. The Springboks scrum performed much better than a week before in Wellington where the margin of loss could've been greater and kicks were followed up downfield more aggressively.
It came down to a spectacular try by Bok halfback Ricky Januarie who dummy passed from a ruck, ran downfield, chipped over AB fullback Leon McDonald, then raced for the ball that bounced just right, gathered it up & dived over the try line to put the Boks ahead in the last minutes. That try will go down in Springbok history!
Springbok high tackles, tackling off the ball, and eye gouging by Bok hooker du Plessis marred the game some, but congrats are due to the Boks for their close win. They now face the Wallabies in Perth next week. A young All Black side will now have to play just that bit more harder & creatively to stay in the race for the Tri-Nations title.
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