Officials miss crafty piece of cheating from Springboks star against All Blacks
Malcolm Marx was pretty monumental yesterday against the All Blacks at the Mbombela Stadium, being named the man of the match.
The hooker, earning his 50th cap, was solid in most departments of the game, but was especially menacing at the breakdown, where he terrorised the visitors during his time on the pitch, earning turnovers and penalties galore.
But there was one penalty he won where he has his teammate Lukhanyo Am to thank for, as the centre sneakily did his bit to make it easier for him.
Following a carry from Angus Ta’avao in the first half, Marx latched onto the tighthead prop on the ground, but looked as though he was going to be cleared out by the All Blacks’ other prop George Bower. However, just before the loosehead entered the ruck, Am just nudged him which caused him to lose his balance and hit the ruck with no force at all. As a result, Marx was able to remain holding the ball and earn a penalty.
This was very subtle from Am, but was hugely effective, and though it was just one moment in the entire match, it was important as this was one of the All Blacks’ few forays into Springboks territory in the first half, and the scores were still close with the hosts only leading 7-0.
Nienaber was full of praise for Marx after the match, saying: “I thought he was outstanding – and that’s Malcolm.
“He is the guy that exemplifies what a Springbok should be. He is a warrior; a guy who had to work hard to get where he is; he had to make the change from loose forward to hooker – so he really had to work hard to get where he is.
“I have worked with him since he was an Under-20 in 2014 and it is phenomenal to see what a guy he has become. This was a milestone game and hopefully it will prepare the road going forward for him for the next 50 test matches.”
Take a look at the penalty Am helped win:
