All Blacks get the big moments right to reach final

They had gone into this match as the strongest of favourites on the back of their thrashing of three times finalists France a week earlier and up against a team that had, in the course of this tournament, suffered the biggest shock in World Cup history.

No meeting of rugby’s traditional super-powers is ever other than ferociously intense of course and the Springboks ultimately came within a single kick of the ball of completing what would have been one of sport’s greatest redemptions, however that they only fleetingly got into the right part of the pitch to have any hope of creating the penalty or drop goal chance on a day when they never really looked like scoring a try, was down to the All Blacks doing the right things when it mattered.

That included two fine pieces of lineout work and in acknowledging the importance of those Richie McCaw – the All Black captain whose head coach Steve Hansen described him last night as probably the greatest player ever to have played the game - delivered an unprompted, but harsh message to Scotland.

“Those were big moments and in a game as tight as that when it all comes down to whether you make it through or not, they are the one or two moments that make the difference.

“Another example is you look back to the Scottish-Australia game and a lineout cost the Scottish when they didn’t quite get it. All the practise you’ve done is to be able to nail those moments.”

Those 12 scoreless minutes after Patrick Lambie, the replacement Springbok stand-off had kicked the penalty that closed the gap to two points,, were as important as anything that had cone before but with Heyneke Meyer, his opposite number, having described his team’s first half pereformance in setting up a 12-7 interval lead as “perfect” Hansen was similarly satisfied with the response.

“To go in down at half-time in what was a do-or-die game, then come back out, get a little bit of ascendancy and control the last 15 minutes, I’m very proud of what our guys did,” he said.

Andre Pollard having scored the first of his four first half penalties just three minutes in, the speed of the riposte, with McCaw flipping a neat overhead pass to send fellow flanker Jerome Kaino in for the first try, offered little indication of what was to come as the All Blacks struggled thereafter to find ways through a formidable defence.

Their concern having seen McCaw bring his men back out early to run through drills as heavy rain began to fall at half-time, was also reflected in Dan Carter’s decision to drop a goal soon after the break but a rare mistake by Schalk Burger, knocking the ball on in trying to run out of defence, let the All Blacks set up the attack which eventually saw Ma’a Nonu race left to exploit space, suck in the last two defenders and send Beauden Barrett into the corner.

Carter’s failure to convert meant that after he and Pollard exchanged further penalties, Lambie’s strike kept it in the balance to the end but the world’s best team was also the better team on the day.

South Africa: le Roux, Pietersen, Kriel, de Allende, Habana, Pollard, du Preez, Mtawarira, B. du Plessis, Malherbe, Etzebeth, de Jager, Louw, Burger, Vermeulen.

Replacements: Serfontein for de Allende (80), Lambie for Pollard (66), Nyakane for Mtawarira (53), Strauss for B. du Plessis (53), J. du Plessis for Malherbe (60), Matfield for de Jager (60),

Alberts for Burger (64). Sin Bin: Habana (52).

New Zealand: B. Smith, Milner-Skudder, C. Smith, Nonu, Savea, Carter, A. Smith, Moody, Coles, O. Franks, Retallick, Whitelock, Kaino, McCaw, Read. Replacements: Barrett for Milner-Skudder (49), Williams for Nonu (53), B. Franks for Moody (69), Mealamu for Coles (67), Faumuina for O. Franks (53), Cane for Kaino (67). Not Used: Vito, Kerr-Barlow. Sin Bin: Kaino (39).

Att: 80,090

Ref: Jerome Garces (France).