New Zealand's All Whites battled out a scoreless draw with South Africa at Mt. Smart Stadium on May 30, a match from which the more creative Bafana Bafana side will feel they deserved to get more. They could well have taken the lead just 23 seconds into the match. Goalkeeper Ronwen Williams' raking clearance was allowed to bounce, and Tokelo Rantie stole in on the loose ball, catching the All Whites' defence off guard. It's as well for the home team that captain Glen Moss was on his toes, the goalkeeper dashing out of his penalty area to block Rantie's shot some twenty-five yards from goal and prevent a repeat of the start the All Whites endured in Neil Emblen's first match in charge, when Japan swept to an early lead in Osaka in March. The All Whites made two changes to their line-up from that match, with one of the newcomers, Chris James, featuring in their first attack, in the seventh minute. His free-kick picked out Tyler Boyd, whose glancing header rebounded to safety off a team-mate. There was a bit of niggle throughout proceedings early on - hardly surprising, given the traditional rivalry that exists between the countries in other codes - but after Ayanda Patosi had gone close on receipt of Hlompho Kekana's measured pass on the quarter hour, things settled down and both combatants began to produce some tidy football. It's rare to see the All Whites employing a possession game, but they did so to very good effect at times in the first spell, patient play prevailing over the "hit and hope" practice which has been the go-to option for New Zealand men's teams for so long. It was never better seen in this match than in the 25th minute, when a plethora of passes were produced as the ball was moved around and ultimately up the park, delighting the 9,266-strong crowd who were eager to see the All Whites break the deadlock. At its zenith, Ryan Thomas burst in off the left flank, Boyd taking over from home to bamboozle the defence. They were further confused when Marco Rojas appeared on the scene, succeeding Boyd in possession then engineering space for a shot which fizzed across the face of goal. South Africa responded with a concerted attack of their own on the half-hour which concluded when the well-performed Reneilwe Letsholonyane unleashed a twenty-five yard firecracker which cannoned off the back of team-mate Thuso Phala and crashed against the crossbar. It was a let-off for the All Whites, and they were afforded another seven minutes later. Thulani Serero fed overlapping fullback Thato Mokeke down the left, with his initial cross being cleared back to him as Phala was crowded out by defenders. Mokeke then picked out Rantie, whose twenty yard volley fizzed narrowly over the bar. Two superb pieces of defending at each end of the park were in evidence inside the next ninety seconds. An All Whites raid was stopped in its tracks by a superb block tackle from Buhle Mkhwanazi, from which a Bafana Bafana counter-attack resulted, and was swiftly curtailed by Michael Boxall's well-timed interception - Rantie was in with just Moss to beat otherwise. Five minutes before half-time, Rojas and Boyd - their combination with Storm Roux on the right was a real feature of the All Whites' attacking play - teamed up to good effect, Boyd timing his run well to beat the offside trap and make a bee-line towards goal. Spotting Thomas steaming up in support on his left, Boyd looked to pick out the Dutch Cup winner with a measured cross. It would have reached him had South African captain Anele Ngcongca not made a timely interception - Thomas' willing running deserved some reward. At the other end of the park, Andrew Durante's intervention riled Rantie, after Letsholonyane and Serero had teamed up to good effect, while the last act of an intriguing half saw Rojas and Boyd combine once more, with the former's through ball for the latter just too strong, allowing Williams to

save at the striker's feet. South Africa stepped up the pressure in the second spell, and enjoyed the vast majority of the openings throughout the half. Patosi was a key player for them, and five minutes into the half he worked a one-two with Rantie to get in behind the All Whites' defence, from where he picked out Phala. His shot took a ricochet, thwarting Serero's efforts to turn it home. Instead, it sparked an All Whites' counter-attack, Rojas leading the charge, with options either side of him. Boyd was his choice, and the striker duly rattled the near post side-netting - the closest New Zealand came to scoring in the match, as things panned out. Bafana Bafana had numerous opportunities to score, and drew another save from Moss in the 53rd minute. Referee Jarred Gillett harshly adjudged Durante had handled the ball when he was given a none-too-gentle shove by Rantie twenty-eight yards from goal, and from the resulting free-kick, Kekana's curling effort round the defensive wall saw Moss smothering low to his left. Three minutes later, Rantie shot early and waywardly after working an opening with Mokeke, while a glancing header past the far post from Phala followed soon after, Patosi having delivered a delightfully weighted cross. Patosi was making great in-roads down the left during the second half, and in the 64th minute another raid resulted in Rantie rifling a deflected shot goalwards. The ball reared up and struck Moss in the face, but the 'keeper quickly recovered the situation before anyone in a yellow shirt could react. It was after this that the first of numerous substitutions took place, with the All Whites introducing four debutants - Jason Hicks, James Musa, Matt Ridenton and Tamati Williams - before the final whistle. It was another of the substitutes who enjoyed the All Whites' next chance, sixteen minutes from time. Rojas pounced on a stray pass and immediately played in Jeremy Brockie, he who hath never scored for his country in 42 "A" internationals prior to this match. Mkhwanazi's intervention ensured that unwanted record increased to 43. Another of New Zealand's replacements marked his debut with a goal-line clearance in the 77th minute, although Musa knew little about it after Rantie had slipped Phala in on the left. He side-stepped a challenge before curling a shot round Moss, only for the ball to strike the rump of the retreating defender and ricochet to safety. Five minutes later, Moss made two fine saves to his left within seconds of each other, denying both Letsholonyane and Rantie to maintain the scoreless scoreline, the final outcome of a match which endured a couple of flashpoints in the final stages, Boxall - a solid display - in particular prompting a gathering of the clans when clattering Serero right in front of the South African dug-out after the striker had outfoxed him. Referee Gillett rightly brandished the yellow card to the offender, and instantly had his hands full trying to restrain a host of incensed South Africans who took umbrage at the manner in which Boxall brought Serero to ground - it certainly wasn't in keeping with the general tone in which the match had taken place. Tim Payne also earned a yellow card for a clumsy challenge before the final whistle sounded to mark New Zealand's first favourable result in six internationals against South Africa, the five previous encounters having seen Bafana Bafana record victories, including four on a famous tour of New Zealand in 1947, where the internationals all took place on the country's foremost rugby grounds of the era. All Whites:     Moss (T. Williams, 90); Roux, Boxall (booked, 85), Durante (Howieson, 75), Tuiloma (Musa, 66); McGlinchey, Payne (booked, 90), James (Hicks, 66); Rojas (Ridenton, 79), Boyd, Thomas (Brockie, 66) South Africa:     R. Williams; Nhlapo, Ngcongca, Mkhwanazi, Mokeke; Kekana, Letsholonyane, Serero; Phala (Zungu, 65), Rantie (Mthembu, 88), Patosi (Zwane, 70) Referee:     Jarred Gillett (Australia)