#and resulted in matau turning against them

[catsafari25]

Given the fact that the original plan for web of shadows was that Matau would be the one to betray the team, not Vakama, has that au been written because I would love to see that concept explored

[bionicle-ramblings]

An idea!!

Maybe after some turmoil, with everyone stressed out, the Toa Metru are all steeping in their stress, not saying anything, until Vakama finally snaps and looks for something to burn to break or throw, whatever

He finds a door to slam instead

Only it won't slam no matter how hard he tries

The other Toa think he's BS-ing, but when they try, it doesn't slam for them either

Onewa tries, not letting go of the door as he does, and nothing

Matau tries kicking the door to slam it, and nothing

Both throw themselves against it to throw it, and still nothing

Whenua, tired of seeing them make fools of each other, gives it a try himself, first shutting the door as carefully as he can before throwing it, and it still doesn't slam

Vakama and Nokama watch for a while, very confused, and Whenua joins them in wondering why the door is not slamming; all doors slam, don't they? If you do it hard enough?

Turns out, there is a reason the door isn't slamming, and they see it when Nuju smirks at them, his mask glowing as he points to the hinges of the door itself, which he's grabbing and letting go of as they try to slam it

It results in Matau and Onewa teying to kick Nuju's ass, Nokama laughing, and Whenua and Vakama genuinely tipping their hats because they got played and Nuju plays VERY well

[tiredspacedragon]

Vakama didn't NOT want to lead

Y'know what, I'm gonna say it. Vakama absolutely should have been the leader of the Toa Metru. I don't think Vakama was uncomfortable in his role as leader at all. I think he initially turned the position down because he was more concerned with finding Lhikan and accomplishing the mission they were made Toa to complete, and because it was very clear that the rest of the team didn't want him as the leader.

I mean when do we ever see Vakama struggling to handle being the team leader for any internal reasons? He steps down from leadership after the defeat of the Morbuzakh (during which time he had no issues leading the team at all and in fact did quite well), because Matau and Onewa begin antagonizing him and saying that they should be the leader, which the text outright says he was hurt by. He didn't doubt his own ability in the role, nor did his guilt over Lhikan's disappearance stop him from leading well. And by the time is reunited at the climax of LoMN, Vakama reclaims leadership of the team without any prompting or deliberation. He takes charge because it is in his nature to do so and he knows what needs to be done, and the others listen because...well because they always have. None of them ever disobeyed an order from Vakama when he got serious. Insulted him, put him down, made fun of him, doubted him, sure. But whenever the Toa Metru of Fire stood up for himself and spoke with confidence, none of the others spoke out against him.

Until the return to Metru Nui, that is, when Vakama meets his next challenge. By the time of Maze of Shadows, Vakama is cemented as the leader of the Toa Metru; no one else is challenging him for the role, but he's still facing two major problems. 1) His mind is dominated by Lhikan's death. It's kind of weird that Web of Shadows, the movie, makes Vakama appear brash and cocky when the Toa Metru are captured by the Visorak, because the book's version of events makes far more sense. Vakama's not arrogant there, he's distant and so overly focused on rescuing the Matoran and honouring Lhikan's wishes that he's neglecting the needs of the team in the moment. Vakama isn't uncomfortable with leadership here, he's just doing it badly because he's wracked by grief and desperate to get the Matoran safe as quickly as possible.

And 2) The rest of the team is still on his back. They had all just accepted Vakama as leader of the team, just in time for his personality change as a result of losing his idol. And when they see him acting differently and slipping as a leader, they don't do anything about it, they just complain and snark at him. Now that's not to take blame off Vakama. His actions were no one's fault but his own and it wasn't the responsibility of the rest of the team to fix his problems. But they were a team, and their dynamic was completely out of whack, and not one of them, not even Nokama, ever made any effort to sort it out. None of them responded to Vakama's change in behaviour by offering him support, and none of them tried to smack some sense into him either by actually calling him out and confronting him with what he was doing wrong. It was all criticism, and no constructive, which is what ultimately leads to him betraying the team and joining the Visorak.

And this is something I don't really see discussed and I don't understand why. Vakama's betrayal is about his leadership. If Vakama wasn't comfortable as a leader and would have preferred not to have held the position at all, he would not have taken Roodaka's offer. She made him the commander of the Visorak Horde, gave him the chance to not just continue as a leader, but to revel in the position. She tempted him with a combination of power and adoration, a combination he felt he was lacking among his Toa comrades, and what is ultimately able to bring him back. Matau is able to appeal to Vakama by admitting he was wrong and risking his life to get his brother back, and once Vakama does come to his senses again, he reclaims his position as leader instantly, with the full support of the team.

I think this aspect of Vakama's character is overlooked far too often, most likely because of Legends of Metru Nui and Prequel Anakin Skywalker Syndrome. In LoMN, what we see of Vakama for most of the movie is him being sad, doubting himself, and not knowing what to do, which lends itself to the common perception of Vakama as this anxious bean with crippling self-confidence issues who should never have been the leader of the Toa Metru because he wasn't suited to leadership and would have been happier fading into the background, with someone like Nokama, or I've even seen Matau suggested, being a better pick for team leader. Which, from where I stand, is completely off the money. LoMN cuts out so much of the 2004 story, so much so that much of Vakama's key characterization is lost, and his growth into a leader by the end of the movie seems to come out of nowhere.

This is what I mean by Prequel Anakin Skywalker Syndrome. If you only watch the prequel trilogy, you have no idea why everyone hyped Anakin up so much in the original trilogy. He spends the majority of his screen time whining and screwing up, and the hints you see of great Jedi war hero Anakin Skywalker, the guy Obi-Wan spoke so fondly of in the first movie, are few and far between. His transformation into Darth Vader doesn't feel like such a drastic downfall because you don't get to see Anakin at his peak, the person who is lost when Vader is born. It isn't until Clone Wars that we get to see who Anakin really was, how most people saw him, and how far he really fell.

The books and comics do the same for Vakama. Just watch the movie, and you get one perception of the character that is missing vast amounts of development and characterization, but look at the whole picture and you get a much more well-rounded character that doesn't struggle with self-doubt nearly as much as he struggles with visions he doesn't understand, and teammates that constantly make his life harder than it needs to be. Vakama never had designs on leadership, but he stepped up whenever a leader was needed, and he did that on his own. Yes, Nokama believed he would be the best choice for team leader and said as much, but others never listened to her after the defeat of the King Root, and Vakama never acted based on her prompting. He took control of his own accord and the rest of the team listened to him whenever he did, and he never made an active effort to step down from the position. He was so comfortable with being a leader in fact, that his entire arc in 2005 is about how he deals with that role being jeopardized. He is tempted by a position of leadership where he will be respected.

I think there's a lot of merit in discussing how Vakama is a very different character than Tahu, or Jaller, or other Fire Toa leaders, how he chooses a ranged weapon and wears a Mask of Concealment as opposed to carrying a sword and having a flashier Mask Power. How Vakama excels by using his wits and is much more of a strategist and mystic than a warrior. But I don't think using those points to argue against Vakama as a leader is the right direction to take, because it goes against the rest of his characterization and his actions in-story.

If someone else had lead the Toa Metru, they would have always faced challenge in Vakama. Whether they were a good leader or not, and despite Vakama not having any intention to become the Metru's leader, it was in his nature to take charge in a crisis, and he did not struggle with wielding authority, so he would act just as he did in canon, except in this case, he would be undermining the authority of whoever the official team leader was. If Nokama was team leader, Vakama speaking for the team against Makuta and challenging him alone atop the Great Barrier would be a challenge to her status, even if he didn't mean it as one. Same thing when Vakama lead the charge back down to Metru Nui. That wasn't good leadership, but it was leadership nonetheless, and if Matau or Onewa had been officially in charge, that could have caused an even bigger schism in the team than it already did. Hell, against Krahka, Whenua was the official team leader for the time being, and Vakama was still the one to lead the last stand against her.

TL;DR: Vakama is a complex character who is ripe for analysis, especially in how he differs from other Fire Toa and other leaders, but using these differences as proof that he shouldn't have been the leader of the Toa Metru at all is a drastic misrepresentation of his arc and characterization. Vakama was never uncomfortable with leadership, and he was never bad at it either, apart from one prominent exception wherein he was emotionally compromised at multiple levels, and that ultimately served to feed further into his arc and make him a better leader. Anxious bean Vakama is adorable for sure, but he's a fan creation. Vakama struggled with self-doubt and guilt to be sure, but it was never about his ability to lead, and he was never pressured into that position or otherwise dropped into it against his wishes. He chose it, perhaps without really intending to, but he became the Metru's leader through his own actions and accepted it. Vakama was able to overcome his own fears and become the leader he always was on the inside. He didn't succumb to expectations or accept the duty when he would have preferred to stay in the shadows. His arc is about stepping out of the shadows, learning to assert himself, and making the choice to lead, because that's what a true leader does.

[bluemagic-girl]

New Zealand 16-16 South Africa: Herschel Jantjies grabs last-minute try in draw for Springboks

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New Zealand 16-16 South Africa: Herschel Jantjies grabs last-minute try to earn draw for Springboks in Rugby Championship clash

South Africa snatched draw with New Zealand through Herschel Jantjies’ late try

All Blacks held the lead through a Jack Goodhue try and three penalties 

Handre Pollard kicked three Springboks penalties before Jantjies’ converted try

Sides will meet again in Pool B opener at World Cup in Japan on September 21 

By Greg Stutchbury, Reuters

Published: 09:02 EDT, 27 July 2019 | Updated: 13:38 EDT, 27 July 2019

Replacement scrumhalf Herschel Jantjies scored a try in the final minute of play to help South Africa snatch a 16-16 draw with New Zealand in a tense Rugby Championship clash in Wellington on Saturday.

Jantjies pounced on an error by Aaron Smith to silence most of the soldout crowd, who had until the try been expecting a tight win for the world champions, and secure his team’s morale-boosting draw ahead of the World Cup.

The two traditional rivals meet in their Pool B opener in Yokohama on Sept. 21.

Replacement scrum-half Herschel Jantjies rescued draw for South Africa against New Zealand

Beauden Barret (right) was picked at full-back to allow Richie Mo’unga to play at fly-half

All Blacks captain Kieran Read said the hosts were ‘disappointed’ with the result at the Wellington Regional Stadium.

MATCH FACTS 

NEW ZEALAND: B. Barrett, B. Smith, Goodhue, Williams, R. Ioane, Mo’unga, Perenara, Moody, Taylor, Franks, Retallick, S. Whitelock, Frizell, Todd, Read.

REPLACEMENTS: Coles, Tu’ungafasi, Taavao-Matau, Fifita, Papali’i, A. Smith, Liernert-Brown, Bridge.

TRY: Goodhue

CON: Barrett

PENS: Barrett, Mo’unga 2

SOUTH AFRICA: le Roux, Kolbe, Am, de Allende, Mapimpi, Pollard, de Klerk, Kitshoff, Marx, Malherbe, Etzebeth, Mostert, Smith, P. du Toit, Vermeulen.

REPLACEMENTS: Mbonambi, Mtawarira, Nyakane, Snyman, F. Louw, H. Jantjies, Steyn, Kriel.

TRY: Jantjies

CON: Pollard

PENS: Pollard 3

‘It was one of those things, the bounce of the ball in the 80th minute and you draw the test match,’ Read told reporters.

‘It’s a mixed feeling. We don’t go out there to draw. We want to win. Our shed is naturally down.’

Jack Goodhue scored the only try for the All Blacks after a scintillating break from Beauden Barrett, while the fullback and flyhalf Richie Mo’unga added the rest of the points from the boot.

Springboks flyhalf Handre Pollard kicked three penalties for the visitors, then held his nerve to slot the conversion that locked the scores at 16-16 and ended the game.

Jantjies, who scored two tries on debut against Australia last week, had replaced Faf de Klerk midway through the second half after the 27-year-old failed a head injury assessment.

The All Blacks will also be sweating on the fitness of their lock Brodie Retallick ahead of the World Cup after he dislocated his left shoulder.

‘(Brodie is) on his way to hospital,’ All Blacks coach Steve Hansen said. ‘He has dislocated his shoulder. Whether he has fractured it we don’t know.

‘We will just have to sit and wait.’

New Zealand lock Brodie Retallick dislocated his shoulder and is in race to be fit for World Cup

Barrett attmepts to race away from the Sprinboks’ defence and set up an attack

The match had been billed as one of experimentation by both teams as they fine tuned their World Cup preparations and it was just as intense as their last three matches, which had been decided by two points or fewer.

Neither side was able to truly stamp any authority on their opponents, although South Africa’s tactical kicking game and brutal defence kept them in the game when the All Blacks looked to have gone up a gear in the final quarter.

Early pressure by the Springboks had resulted in two penalties to Pollard to give them a deserved 6-0 lead before the game turned into an arm-wrestle between the 22-metre areas.

All Black centre Jack Goodhue races over for the first try of the match just before the break

South Africa fly-half Handre Pollard kicked three penalties plus the decisive conversion

An error from All Blacks’ replacement scrum-half Aaron Smith allowed Jantjies to score 

It was not until the 37th minute before All Blacks passes finally stuck when Barrett found space following a turnover and he passed inside to Goodhue, who ran 30 metres to give the home side a 7-6 lead at the break.

Barrett and Pollard traded penalties in the third quarter, with the injection of replacement players sparking the world champions, who began to finally get over the advantage line out wide.

Mo’unga then added two further penalties, the second to give the All Blacks a 16-9 lead with six minutes remaining before a fortuitous bounce of the ball off Smith while under pressure gave Jantjies the try that levelled the match.

‘We were lucky at the end there,’ Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus said.

‘We are under no illusions that we could have lost this game, so to come away with a draw is very satisfying.’

New Zealand won the Freedom Cup by virtue of drawing the match in Wellington

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[matau-the-228th]

Mahianō: A G2 Story

                                                   Part 4: Results

He couldn’t feel his limbs, couldn’t hear anything. His sight was blurry, and the aching on his face made Vakama was certain he was going into mask-shock. The strange and intense burning sensation from within his chest seemed to be all that was keeping him from passing out. 

The vague shapes of his Toa comrades moved about in front of him, trying to reach him or moving him out of the way from the massive blob.

He could just barely see the familiar, safe shape of his mask. If he could just touch it, everything would be fine...

Vakama’s hope, however, did not last. His mask was kicked and batted farther and farther out of his reach with every attack and counterattack from the behemoth or his allies.

Panic set in. 

He was going to die like this, wasn’t he? Vakama had been friends long ago with a stonemason who went weeks trapped under fallen debris. When they finally found her, they found that her mask had been broken. It had only taken a day, they said. Vakama could only now imagine what she had gone through.

The burning feeling continued to radiate out to his organics and armor. It was if he was on fire, his life force burning away as the feeling spread. Every second without his mask was beginning to be agony for him.

“Vakama...” Again, a voice spoke to him. “Save the heart of the city. Find Lhikan... the path.” His vision left him, replaced by images floating in his head. Six disks. A silhouette of someone... familiar. “Return him to his eternal slumber...” A shadow began to spill over the city.

A Golden mask, two horns curving down its side floated before Vakama, pure shadow spilling from its eyes. The darkness twisted into the shape of a giant. “Do not flee from doom.” Instinctively, Vakama tried move back from the truly colossal... thing, only to find a ledge behind him, dropping down, down into an abyssal sea. “Do not hide from doom.” The shadowed figure bent down, glaring at Vakama, its many eyes blazing through the holes of the mask. The figure grinned horrible white teeth. “You must fight doom.” 

The shadowed creature spoke this time. One name that chilled Vakama to his soul. ”{Makuta...}”

Vakama came to his senses shortly after. Judging from the pain in his chest and uncomfortable position on top of his mask, somehow he was hit just right so as to land on his mask. Perhaps he wasn’t going to die after all.

Quickly attaching his mask to its proper place, Vakama ran to grab his forge-hammer and regroup with the others.

He found Nuju and Matau faring the best of all, seeing as their years of climbing the within the Knowledge Tower’s Data-rooms and Chute-ducts, respectively, had made them both quite nimble. They had been slicing and stabbing at the Vahki’s arms and legs, but it healed so quickly they had given up and were catching their breath.

Onewa had lodged his mace into the Vahki again, so Whenua and Nokama begun to use it as an anchor to hold onto while trying to restrain the Vahki. Onewa had begun to lift stones from the Colosseum floor and hurling them at it whenever he had an open shot.

“Nice of you to join us, fire-spitter.” Matau huffed.

“Our attempted rescue did not have desired results.” Nuju set his ice batons down. 

“What he means is, the thingamabob kept blocking us from getting to you.” Matau rotated his sore shoulder.

“A little help would be appreciated!” Whenua called over, not quite holding the Vahki in a makeshift arm-bar. The sight of the massive Toa hanging sideways issued a chuckle from Matau.

“It seems that we are not in true danger... at least, not yet.” Nuju stood back up. “The Vahki seems to be attempting to only suppress us.”

They were shortly interrupted by Whenua landing between them. “Tell that to the Vahki.” The big Toa righted himself and dusted off, tapping Matau on the shoulder. “This is what they do during disk-dueling, right? Tag-in?”

Matau rolled his eyes. “If only you actually watched that sort of thing, big guy. We’d be done with this in seconds!” He grabbed his swords, striking a pose for those up in the stands, muttering “Massive Toa, immense strength. Won’t punch, afraid to sit on Vahki. Nice, fluffy Toa of Earth. Who would’ve thunk...?”

Picking up his batons, Nuju motioned to Vakama. “It would be wise if we relieve Onewa and Nokama as well.”

It was an ordeal, to say the least, getting Nokama untangled from the Vahki. For a scholar, she seemed to be really enthralled in being a gladiator. She had managed to perfect Whenua’s attempted arm-bar, successfully restraining the Vahki’s movements, despite their difference in size. Taking the chance, Matau aimed for its waist, slicing with all his might... and lodging one of his swords halfway through.

Nuju had used the stuck mace-and-chain’s pickaxe as a foothold, ramming the sharpened ends of his batons into the Vahki’s collarbone segment, attempting to gain some control of it’s movements that way.

It slowed just enough, allowing Nokama to let go safely and catch her breath. Vakama, in the meantime, had been alternating between using his unique forge tool as as a spear and war-hammer, but to no avail. Every move he made was batted away by the Vahki. He eventually found himself backed into a corner, unknowingly retreating from the monstrous peacekeeper.

“<Colloquialism: Resistance is Futile>”

"Who thought it was a good idea to program this thing with cliche one-liners? I want names!” Matau called over to the crowd, before turning his attention back to his stuck sword. Vakama dove through the Vahki’s legs as a hammer-like arm came down with a ground-shaking thud. Matau yelled again, haven lost his grip on his sword. “And could you please try to control that thing better?” Nuju sighed, pulling sharply back on his makeshift control sticks.

“You would be better off leaving your blade for now, Matau. You are not well versed in the way of the sword...”

“I know how to use them!” Matau interrupted, “What’s to know about swish, swish-” He stopped talking as the Vahki’s armor started to creep up his arms. “What the...”

Nuju jumped off, his ice batons disappearing into its shoulders. The crowd gasped as Matau and the weapons quickly became engulfed by the Vahki.

“<Phase 2 complete. Code: Six. Omega. Restrain. Phase 3 commencing. Combat level 6 authorized.>”

The Vahki seemed to dissolve, becoming a formless mass, swirling like the mighty winds above the sea, lashing and grabbing at everything that came near. Every so often, they could see Matau from within the mottled waves, struggling in vain against the waves.

“We have to help him!” Whenua moved forwards, only to be stopped by Nokama.

“You’d be trapped in there yourself, and where would Matau be then?” She stopped, gesturing to Nuju. “Does this look familiar to anything you two have seen, in the Archives or Data Tablets?”

Whenua shook his head, glaring at the blob. “All it looks like is a fellow Toa is in danger and we’re not trying to help. He’s probably suffocating!”

Nuju ignored him, closing his eyes. “I could throw rocks at it, knock him out of that thing.” Onewa offered. 

“Fire.” Nuju opened his eyes and looked at Vakama. “Can you create fire? Like Lhikan?”

“I-I don’t know... what does...?” Vakama stuttered “I used a light-stone before, for the furnace...”

Nuju closed his eyes again. “It seems to be composed of a certain scientist’s so-called ‘moving sand.’ Nanites, primarily silicon-based, if I am not mistaken, scholar.” Nokama nodded.

“I wasn’t sure, since Nuparu was only allowed to give us a few small samples to study at the schools...” She turned to Vakama. “You have to at least try. We will find some loose light-stones. If all else fails, try to use your hammer to pull him out. Onewa, teach him. Quickly now”

The group scattered, leaving Onewa and Vakama to face the Vahki. “So... how do I do this?”

Onewa sighed. “I barely know myself. Try and feel what it’s like to be fire? Try to ‘talk’ to your element?” He softly laughed. “Internally, I mean.”

“Alright...” If there was any time to discover his natural elemental power as a Toa, it was now. Vakama took a deep breath. 

Feel yourself become a flame, Vakama thought to himself. Feel the heat and light and burn absolutely...

... Nothing. 

No spark, no heat. 

Emotion, maybe. Rage and passion, the stories say, make up fire. 

Vakama tried to conjure up feelings of anger, of raw, unfiltered emotion. 

He did feel something. Not anger, not fire, but something else. “Onewa, hold my hammer.”

Onewa complied, grabbing the forge tool. 

"Give me five minutes.”  Vakama adjusted his mask, took another deep breath and, ignoring the yells of Onewa, jumped into the amorphous Vahki.

 It was dark, within the swirling currents. Vakama would occasionally brush the odd solid bit and grab hold, hoping for a leg or an arm of the Jungle Toa. He had to keep his breathing to a minimum.

His trusty filtration unit should hold for a while, but it was not meant to function in an environment like... well, certainly not anything at all like this.

Vakama felt a hand weakly grab his leg. 

Matau! All that was left was to get out of here... somehow. Reaching down, Vakama grabbed hold of Matau. He was moving sluggishly, floundering around. He’s running out of air. Vakama’s filtration unit had finally given up, leaving him without air as well. But he couldn’t give up now. 

But a little voice in the back of his mind whispered doubt to him. Admit defeat. You weren’t a Toa, just an ordinary citizen masquerading as some hero. Vakama struggled against the thought, against the Vahki. Against letting go of his last...

Vakama slowed his movements. Maybe his doubts were right... maybe he should stop resisting.

Nuju’s statement that the Vahki was merely trying to subdue them, maybe that’s the right idea. If they stop moving, pretend to pass out, the Vahki will let them go.

So Vakama stopped. 

And waited. 

And held his breath. 

It wasn’t working, at least, not fast enough. The Vahki still thought that Vakama was resisting, but why? His oxygen-deprived mind raced. 

He had to let go of Matau. Slowly, as if he was passing out, Vakama let go of Matau, making sure he could still reach him.

It was a major gamble.

They could both die.

He might have doomed them.

The nanite’s swirling movements slowed. Nuju was right.

Soon, Vakama found that he could breath again, each small and labored breath of air harsh and metallic-tasting. He felt his back touch gently on the stone floor of the Colosseum. Now he could make his move.

Slowly and gently, Vakama rolled over with the flow of the nanites, and wedged his fingers solidly between the stone tiles. Grabbing Matau, he moved himself forwards through the Vahki. 

For a brief moment, he saw the crowds up in the stands. Calling upon the last of his strength, Vakama pulled on Matau, throwing him out onto the Arena floor, clear of the Vahki.

The Vahki wasted no time swirling around Vakama, pulling him in again

That’s it. Vakama succeeded. Matau was free.

It would know better this time to wait after he stopped moving to start giving him breathable air.

Vakama might actually die this time.

He laughed to himself, somewhat morbidly. Almost dying, twice in one day.

Imagine that... A Toa... who’s only good... at dying.

Vakama drifted in the darkness, truly letting go this time. 

“You give up too easily, Toa of Fire.”

The voice had a mild taunting tone to it this time. 

“The prophecies tell of rage and fury...” 

It’s not like that for me, Vakama wanted to say. I’m not a real Toa of Fire. I’m certainly not the one foretold by Ekimu. 

“Does a fire choose what it burns? Does anyone choose their own destiny?”

Did it matter? Vakama was running out of air.

Something softly hit him in the head. Groggily, he looked at the glowing object.

Huh. A light-stone. 

The other Toa were outside. Trying to help him. Vakama grasped for the light-stone. He held on, the light coming and going as he faded in and out of consciousness.

He was suddenly yanked from his spot, pulled out into the blinding light of day. The sudden rush of air caused him to inhale sharply.

A chain composed of Nuju, Nokama and Whenua collapsed to the ground as Vakama landed with a thud beside them, still holding the light-stone attached to his hammer.

Whenua’s giant hand carefully picked him up, moving him clear of the Vahki. “Good job, Vakama. Take it easy for a bit.”

Matau was catching his breath next to Vakama, flat on his back, triumphantly holding his lost sword up. After a while, Vakama was able to sit up, watching as Onewa and Whenua threw light-stones into the advancing blob-Vahki. 

“You are sure you can shatter the crystals from within?” Nuju said, setting three more around Onewa.

“Yes, and hopefully you all figure out your powers soon. As much as I adore your envy, this is really tiring... and stressful.” 

The Vahki was right on top of them now, rising like a wave preparing to crash down.

Onewa nonchalantly kicked the final few stones into the mass, and clasped his hands together forcefully. The Vahki shook, then exploded outwards into a glassy pyre.

The crowd, overcoming their initial shock from the explosion, began cheering wildly.

Then all became silent as Elder Dume’s voice crackled from the speakers.

“The Great Spirits surely have guided you through your victory against the Kranua today. Truly, you are our Toa... our city’s new protectors!”

And cheering broke out again.

Part: [1] [2] [3] [4]

[torentialtribute]

New Zealand 16-16 South Africa: Herschel Jantjies grabs last-minute try in draw for Springboks

New Zealand 16-16 South Africa: Herschel Jantjies grabs the last minute draw for Springboks in Rugby Championship clash

South Africa snatched a tie with Herschel Jantjies & # 39 ; late attempt

All blacks were in charge via Jack Goodhue attempt and three penalties

Handre Pollard kicked three penalties before Jantjies & # 39; converted attempt tried

Sides will meet again at Pool B opener at World Cup in Japan on September 21

Against Greg Stutchbury , Reuters ]

Published: 14:02 BST, July 27, 2019 | Updated: 14:09 BST, July 27, 2019

Replacement scrum half Herschel Jantjies scored an attempt in the last minute of the game to help South Africa pulled a 16-16 draw with New Zealand in a tense Rugby Championship clash in Wellington on Saturday

Jantjies encountered an error by Aaron Smith, not to mention the sold-out crowd, who attempted to expect a tight victory for the world champions, and secured the moral boost of his team for the World Cup.

The two traditional rivals meet in their Pool B opener in Yokohama on September 21.

Replacement scrum half Herschel Jantjies rescued a tie for South Africa against New Zealand

Beauden Barret (right) was picked full-back to let Richie Mo & # 39; unga play on fly-half

All Blacks captain Kieran Read said the hosts & # 39; disappointed & # 39; were about the result at the Wellington Regional Stadium.

MATCH FACTS

NEW ZEALAND: B. Barrett, B. Smith, Goodhue, Williams, R. Ioane, Mo & # 39; unga , Perenara, Moody, Taylor, Franks, Retallick, S. Whitelock, Frizell, Todd, Read.

REPLACEMENTS: Coles, Tu & ungafasi, Taavao-Matau, Fifita, Papali & A. 39, A. Smith, Liernert-Brown, Bridge.

TRY: Goodhue

CON: Barrett

PENS: Barrett, Mo & # 39; unga 2

SOUTH AFRICA: Le Roux, Kolbe, Am, Allende, Mapimpi, Pollard, Klerk, Kitshoff, Marx, Malherbe, Etzebeth, Mostert, Smith, P. du Toit, Vermeulen.

REPLACEMENTS: Mbonambi, Mtawarira, Nyakane, Snyman, F. Louw, H. Jantjies, Steyn, Kriel.

TRY:

CON: Pollard

PENS: P ollard 3

& # 39; It was one of those things, bouncing the ball in the 80th minute and you draw the test match & # 39 ;, read told reporters.

& # 39; It is a mixed feeling. We are not going out to draw. We want to win. Our shed is of course down. & # 39;

Jack Goodhue scored the only attempt for the All Blacks after a sparkling break from Beauden Barrett, while the fullback and flyhalf Richie Mo & # 39; unga removed the rest of the points from the boat.

Springboks flyhalf Handre Pollard kicked three penalties for the visitors and then held the courage to lock the conversion that locked the scores at 16-16 and ended the game.

Jantjies, who scored two attempts at debut against Australia last week, had replaced Klerk & # 39; s Faf in the middle of the second half after the 27-year-old failed a head injury assessment.

The All Blacks will also sweat at the fitness of their Brodie Retallick slot for the World Cup after he dislocated his left shoulder.

& # 39; (Brodie is) en route to the hospital, & # 39; said All Blacks coach Steve Hansen. He dislocated his shoulder.

& # 39; We just have to sit and wait. & # 39;

New Zealand lock Brodie Retallick dislocated his shoulder and is in a race to be fit for the World Cup

Barrett tries to run away from the defense of the Sprinboks and a to perform anval

The match was billed as an experiment by both teams because they refined their World Cup preparations and it was just as intense as their last three matches, which were decided by two or two fewer points.

Neither party was able to really push any authority over their opponents, although South Africa's tactical kick and brutal defense kept them in play when the All Blacks accelerated in the final quarter seemed to have gone.

Early pressure from the Springboks had resulted in two penalties against Pollard to give them a deserved 6-0 lead before the game turned into a struggle between the 22-meter areas.

All Black center Jack Goodhue races over for the first match attempt just before the break

An error of All Scrums replacement scrum half Aaron Smith let Jantjies score

It took 37 minutes for All Blacks to finally pass when Barrett, after a turnout, found space and went inside to Goodhue, who ran 30 meters to give the home team a 7-6 lead at the break.

Barrett and Pollard exchanged fines in the third quarter, with the injection of substitute players who turned on the world champions, who finally came across the board. lead with six minutes remaining for a chance bounce of the ball off Smith while under pressure gave Jantjies the attempt that led the match.

& # 39; We were lucky at the end there, & # 39; said Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus.

& # 39; We have no illusions that we could have lost this game, just getting away with a draw is very satisfying. & # 39;

New Zealand won the Freedom Cup on grounds of drawing the race in Wellington

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