mens
international
All black people Assistant Neil Barnes believes they are “seriously close” to the Springboks after the final 3-1 series result in the biggest rivalry series in Baltimore.
The Springboks led 17-14 at half-time and held a 29-21 lead with 10 minutes remaining before a big tackle decision from Josh Moorby led to Kurt-Lee Arendse’s try.
South Africa secured victory with a 43-28 victory after a last-minute try to Beauden Barrett reduced the final score. Speaking to Jason Pine afterwards, Barnes shared his thoughts on the final Test and the series.
“For anyone who understands the game, it’s not far at all,” Barnes told Newstalk ZB’s Jason Pine when asked about the gap between the two teams.
“To be fair, I have a Bud Light in my hand as I chew on it, so obviously disappointed. But the more I think about it, the more I know we’re seriously close,
“They’re probably just not getting the rub of the green, or they’re having a lot of luck in close moments at the moment. They’re probably, it’s fair to say, the better team tonight.”
“But heck, it’s like there’s a couple of swing moments with about 20 minutes to go where we come out on the wrong side of close calls two or three times in a row.”
When asked to elaborate on whether it was refereeing decisions or match moments, Barnes said it was both, but revealed that interference from the home broadcaster, in this case SuperSport, played a role in dictating how they were called.
He said the South African broadcaster’s two-pronged approach continued to show replays that favored South Africa and even provided different videos to match officials that were not requested.
However, everything going in the All Blacks’ favor did not get the same treatment.
“Sometimes you I know you get a bounce or something like that, but yes, there it is definitely a couple of decisions in there that could to have gone either way,” he said.
“You to have that put up with the screens when the South Africans are running things that are showing things completely differently that what the judges he asked for, and the judges look that and go back that that. But you don’t get the the same luxury when something is he the the rest side of the coin.
“But for us, we I can only control what we control, I can’t control, and yes, there it is things that we I can do that to be better. But like I he said right at the start, there it is no a lot in this at the moment.”
Barnes credited South Africa for playing with more enterprise in the final Test which led to “a good game of rugby”, while he believed the All Blacks had improved in set time.
“I thought we made a big shift in our set tonight from what happened last week, so that was good,” he said.
“But at the end of the day, they played with a bit of freedom tonight because they were one down so they couldn’t lose it. Credit to them, I thought it was a good game of rugby.”
“We are Got that to be in a position where we I can actually control the the game for longer with the speed of that, fatigue to them more. But each one time they keep getting penalties for bugger everything and get that slow the the game down, that brings to them back into that.”
