Article by: Melissa Nel
The Springboks reclaimed the world number one ranking with a thrilling 33–26 victory over the All Blacks in front of a packed crowd of 56 589 at Cape Town's DHL Stadium. This high-stakes second Test levelled the four-match series at one win apiece. It also shifted the balance between the rival coaches, as New Zealand's Dave Rennie held a formidable 4-to-1 winning ratio against Dr Rassie Erasmus heading into the clash.
The drama ignited 15 minutes before kick-off when Erasmus made a sensational late change to his starting front row, allowing veteran Deon Fourie to etch his name into rugby history. At 39 years old, Fourie became the oldest Springbok player to ever play in a Test match, surpassing icons Victor Matfield and Schalk Brits, who both played their final Tests at age 38. The emotional match also served as a monumental celebration for two other Bok forwards, with Pieter-Steph du Toit earning his milestone 100th Test cap and Ox Nche celebrating his 50th Test cap.
Fueled by the fresh memory of an agonising recent loss, South Africa won the coin toss and started like an arrow out of a bow. They struck in just the 2nd minute when a powerful lineout maul allowed Jesse Kriel to dart over the try line. Cheslin Kolbe added the extras to open the scoring at 7–0, but the All Blacks calmly worked their way back into the contest with poise and finesse. In the 16th minute, New Zealand scrumhalf Cam Roigard exposed a gap in the Bok defence to score, with flyhalf Ruben Love converting to level the scores at 7–7.
South Africa responded immediately when Kolbe slotted an 18th-minute penalty, which was quickly followed by powerhouse centre Damian de Allende bursting through the defensive line to score in the 21st minute. Kolbe’s conversion pushed the lead to 17–7, triggering a ferocious, end-to-end dogfight for possession. The All Blacks broke the deadlock in the 29th minute when fullback Damian McKenzie showed brilliant pace to score in the right-hand corner, and Love added a tough conversion to narrow the deficit to 17–14.
The final say of the half belonged to the hosts when captain Siya Kolisi dove over the line in the 36th minute following a dominant scrum. This allowed Kolbe to maintain his perfect record from the tee and send South Africa into the tunnel with a 24–14 cushion. The All Blacks immediately started the second half by dominating territory, but their discipline let them down early on.
"Mr Accurate" Cheslin Kolbe severely punished New Zealand's errors, slotting consecutive penalties in the 45th and 50th minutes to stretch the Springbok lead to a commanding 30–14. As the game slowed down and replacements were sent up to replenish the tired legs of the front row, New Zealand's "never say die" attitude kept them alive. After relentless set-piece pressure inside the Bok half, winger Leroy Carter received a wide ball to dive over in the 65th minute, though Jordie Barrett’s conversion attempt missed, leaving the score at 30–19.
Kolbe secured another crucial penalty in front of the posts in the 72nd minute to push the score to 33–19, but the All Blacks continued to dominate possession late in the game while the Springboks seemed content to defend their lead. In the 76th minute, New Zealand captain Ardie Savea thundered over the line, and Love converted to bring the visitors within a single converted try at 33–26. Ultimately, the Springbok defence held firm in the dying minutes to seal a famous victory in Cape Town and levelled the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour to a win each in the four-test series.
Scorers:
Springboks: Tries: Jesse Kriel, Damian de Allende, Siya Kolisi. Conversions: Cheslin Kolbe (3). Penalty: Cheslin Kolbe (4).
All Blacks: Tries: Cam Roigard, Damian McKenzie, Leroy Carter, Ardie Savea. Conversions: Ruben Love (3).
Springboks: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Ethan Hooker, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Deon Fourie, 1 Gerhard Steenekamp. Replacements: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Ox Nche, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 Lood de Jager, 20 Andre Esterhuizen, 21 Cameron Hanekom, 22 Morne van den Berg, 23 Manie Libbok.
All Blacks: 15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Will Jordan, 13 Quinn Tupaea, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Leroy Carter, 10 Ruben Love, 9 Cam Roigard, 8 Ardie Savea (c), 7 Luke Jacobson, 6 Simon Parker, 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 4 Fabian Holland, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 George Bower. Replacements: 16 Asafo Aumua, 17 Xavier Numia, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Patrick Tuipoluto, 20 Peter Lakai, 21 Kyle Preston, 22 Anton Lienert-Brown, 23 Josh Moorby.