Aisle be Back: Ellis Park

• By Kevin McCarthy 

If you’re not used to crawling out of bed at 3am, I’ve got a deal for you. Get up at 4am, and watch the Ellis Park first test excitement from around the 50 minutes mark.

Of course that’s a crazy idea. Springbok tests have to be consumed in darkness, with a gnawing anxiety.  You can peer out the window and see where the lights are on in your street.

However, the 50-minute mark is when the test is most likely to hinge, as the famed bomb squad rolls off the Springbok bench. It’s the ultimate comfort blanket for the Bokke faithful if they’re trailing. If they’re winning, it’s the job of the squad to close it out. No classic 6-2 split, however.

Strictly it’s a 5-point-5, 2-point-5. Andre Esterhuizen being a centre and a flanker hybrid.

For the All Blacks, they know what’s coming. That’s a true 5-3 bench. You might question the lack of a lock on the bench – but Vaai in the starting lineup as a blindside, and Anton Segner can also be the lock cover.

So, at the 50-minute, the All Blacks won’t be able to roll out quite the muscle, but they will be able to roll out the tempo.  So at that point, will the game be opening up? Or slowing down. Who will be dictating the terms?

None of that means the previous 50 minutes won’t count.  By then we’ll know who is winning the scrum, lineout and breakdown. If the All Blacks aren’t, they’ll be already chasing the game, courtesy of a relentless string of Bok penalty goals.

Will the All Blacks blitz game be working against a top rush defence? Can the back three handle a string of bombs? Or will Tony Brown unleash some backline cleverness.

I sound like I think the Springboks are favourites. I think they are, but not dramatically so – they’re hugely experienced, and the All Blacks have lost 5 of their last 6 encounters.

Their last meeting was in Wellington, and we all remember the 43-10 humiliation. The All Blacks fell apart mentally, something they are not meant to do. That’s for the other guys.

So the unknown will be whether this exciting New Zealand side –  and their new coaches – will win the test of wills.  Wew ill know after 80 minutes on Sunday, in the toughest of cauldrons.

Good luck with your mental state, by the way.

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That Northland Ranfurly shield win didn’t feel close.

The Taniwha are famed for some great running rugby – but this game, they demolished Canterbury up front.

Northland was a bit of a Ranfurly Shield heavy hitter in the 1970s,  and in September 1978, wrested it off the mighty Manawatu, in somewhat controversial circumstances.

So nearly 48 years later they hold it once again. That’s officially a long time between cheese toasties.

They’re at this moment top of the NPC table – and if the Shield magic buttresses that, this could be an epic season up north.

Gotta love the Shield

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Five Wellington clubs represented in All Blacks for First Test

There are five Wellington players selected in the All Blacks team for the opening test at Johannesburg.

Captain Ardie Savea (Oriental-Rongotai) and first-five Ruben Love (Wainuiomata) are in the starting XV, while Asafo Aumua (Avalon), Peter Lakai (Petone) and Kyle Preston (Old Boys University are on the bench.

Kick off 5.10PM local time (3.10AM Sunday 23 August NZT).

All Blacks match-day 23 (Test caps in brackets) :

1. Ethan de Groot (43)
2. Codie Taylor (109)
3. Tyrel Lomax (51)
4. Josh Lord (15)
5. Fabian Holland (12)
6. Tupou Vaa’i (47)
7. Luke Jacobson (27)
8. Ardie Savea (109)  –  Captain
9. Cam Roigard (20)
10. Ruben Love (8)
11. Josh Moorby (2)
12. Jordie Barrett (81)
13. Quinn Tupaea (26)
14. Will Jordan (57)
15. Damian McKenzie (77)
16. Asafo Aumua (22)
17. George Bower (26)
18. Fletcher Newell (37)
19. Anton Segner (2)
20. Peter Lakai (10)
21. Kyle Preston (1)
22. Anton Lienert-Brown (90)
23. Leroy Carter (7)

Did you know?

The All Blacks have played South Africa 110 times, for 63 wins, 43 losses and four draws.  The first game was in 1921 at Carisbrook, Dunedin, which the All Blacks won 13-5 and Petone halfback Ginger Nicolls was player of the match.  The last match was last year in Wellington, which the Springboks won 43-10.