All Blacks given major scare as ace flanker ruled out of tour
The All Blacks remained unbeaten in South Africa but lost Anton Segner for the rest of the tour on another dramatic day in Johannesburg on Wednesday (AEST).
The fired-up Lions were threatening to pull off an enormous upset when captain Francke Horn scored from a pushover scrum to give the hosts a shock 35-17 lead in the 47th minute at Ellis Park.
New Zealand’s Ethan Blackadder scores a try. AP Photo/Themba Hadebe
The last South African provincial side to beat the All Blacks was Orange Free State 50 years ago.
But Horn’s score proved to be the Lions’ last as Rieko Ioane, Ethan Blackadder and Emoni Narawa all completed doubles and New Zealand rallied for a 41-35 win.
The 35 points are the most ever by a provincial or club side against the All Blacks.
The All Blacks are now 5-0 on tour with three more Tests to come against the Springboks, who they beat 33-16 on Sunday (AEST).
New Zealand had only three players backing up from that stirring victory - Kyle Preston, Peter Lakai and Anton Lienert-Brown.
“We were mixed,” All Blacks coach Dave Rennie said.
“At times we tried to play too much. There was a lot of space to kick to that would have put them under pressure.
“They kicked a lot more than us and benefited from that. When the game went to 35-17, we scored another four tries after that, and controlled the last 30 (minutes) reasonably well. We just were not as clinical as we needed to be.”
Rennie also revealed that Germany-born flanker Segner had undergone ankle surgery and would play no further part on tour.
The 25-year-old had been named on the bench for the first Test but was a match-day scratching.
Simon Parker took his place on the bench at Ellis Park while Blackadder pushed his selection case strongly with a rugged display against the Lions.
“He’s got a massive engine and was everywhere. He picked up some plums (tries) as well,” Rennie said.
No.10 Richie Mo’unga also made his first appearance for the All Blacks since the 2023 Rugby World Cup final.
Mo’unga had been unavailable for selection while playing club rugby in Japan.
“He had a lot of nice touches, and he’ll be better for that time on the park. It’s not just about him jumping in the 10 jersey,” Rennie said.
“It’s the connections with everyone around you that you may not have played a lot of footy with. We’re really pleased with his contribution.”
Rennie will name his second Test team on Thursday.
Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus, meanwhile, declared captain Siya Kolisi fit to start in Cape Town.
South Africa’s Siya Kolisi with teammates following the Johannesburg loss. AP Photo/Themba Hadebe
The iconic skipper missed the first Test as Erasmus played it safe in his return from a hamstring injury.
“It was a hamstring niggle, not something major like he had before 2019 or 2023. It was a grade two tear, and it takes a little time to recover, and that’s why we’ve been cautious,” Erasmus said.
“Last week it was touch and go, but we told him he had to run full out on Monday, and he did so on Tuesday as well without any discomfort, so he’s good to go...
“It’s not just his game that is good, he’s a very inspirational person who means a lot to this team on and off the field.”
Erasmus said he had done plenty of soul-searching after making “stupid” mistakes in the first Test.
“When we reviewed the game on Monday, we felt we were very dominant throughout up until about the 60-minute mark, and we were just a bit inaccurate in a few departments,” he said.
“Luckily in this competition we’ve still got three chances to keep going and get our game better... it’s definitely also not the players who lost the game.
“I’m taking responsibility for some of the decisions we made. We’re a group, but I think it’s a relevant point to explain why we lost, and some of it falls more on me than on the players to be honest...
“I’m definitely nervous again. We’re one game down, and if we don’t win this game, we can’t win the series, we can only draw it. Nerves are there for sure. But we’ve been under this kind of pressure a lot, and hopefully, we can turn things around this weekend.”
Springboks (15-1): Damian Willemse, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Jesse Kriel, Damian de Allende, Ethan Hooker, Handré Pollard, Cobus Reinach, Jasper Wiese, Pieter-Steph du Toit (c), Siya Kolisi, Ruan Nortjé, Eben Etzebeth, Wilco Louw, Malcolm Marx, Ox Nché
Reserves: Deon Fourie, Gerhard Steenekamp, Thomas du Toit, Lood de Jager, André Esterhuizen, Cameron Hanekom, Morné van den Berg, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu
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