All Blacks Win Rugby Championship!

The All Blacks have won the Rugby Championship in some style with a thrilling 38-27 win in Joburg against the old enemy.

In the best game of the year, and against many odds including two yellow cards to Messam and Franks, as well a bizarre administrative error where Keven Mealamu's rather than Dane Cole's name was on the team list, the ABs got the 4 tries and defended brilliantly in superb conditions for running rugby to win at a place that has tended to be a graveyard for the ABs.

Indeed, thanks to hot, dry spring conditions, the game at Ellis Park was a superb advertisement for rugby with the Boks also being wonderful with the ball.

However, it was the ABs who were far more clinical and made less errors than the Boks who credit to them threw the kitchen sink and the whole de Beers mine at the ABs' resolute defence which held firm and actually played better when down to 14 men.

It was a highly impressive performance by an ABs side that just seems way way on top of its game than any other side in world rugby at the moment and one wonders who will beat them this season - England in November could be the ABs' next closest challenger after that shock win last season.

The fact that Beauden Barrett, the ABs' third choice first five, got the 4th try and key point that sealed the Championship and win for the ABs, and made that wonderful stop on Willie le Roux late in the game to deny the Boks a consolation try, just shows you how strong the ABs are even without their first choice players.

And what about Ben Smith? Player of the year for the ABs surely now with 8 tries in this Rugby Championship, his latest the first try to the ABs in this game. He may have missed a tackle on Eben Etzebeth early on but everything else was perfect otherwise.

Man of the match - Kieran Read. McCaw may have been back but Read still felt like the spiritual leader of the team, tackling his heart out and scoring a deserved try.

So congratulations to the ABs on another outstanding Rugby Championship! Can't believe that there's more rugby to come! These are really wonderful times to be an All Blacks fan. Bring it on!