Article by Melissa Nel
The historic third Test of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour delivered a breathless, high-octane spectacle at a roaring, 85,976-capacity FNB Stadium. The All Blacks capitalised heavily on early momentum after captain Ardie Savea won the toss, sending fullback Ruben Love deep into South African territory to set up an intense opening battle.
Savea burst over the try line in the 11th minute to open the scoring, with Love adding the conversion to hand the visitors an early 7–0 lead. The All Blacks sustained immense pressure on the South African line, threatening to break the game wide open early on.
The Springboks gradually settled into the contest, wrestling back possession and working deep into New Zealand territory. The pressure paid off when winger Kurt-Lee Arendse darted over the line for South Africa’s first points, though Manie Libbok’s conversion drifted wide to leave the score at 7–5.
The All Blacks responded swiftly in the 25th minute as Savea, leading from the front, powered through for his second try of the match, extending the lead to 12–5 after Love missed the conversion. However, the visitors suffered a massive blow in the 30th minute when their talismanic captain was forced off with an injury.
As the half drew to a close, the Springboks flexed their trademark set-piece dominance. A destructive scrum in the 37th minute forced the referee to award a penalty try, levelling the score at 12–12. The half ended on a disciplinary low note for the hosts, as scrumhalf Cobus Reinach was penalised for a dangerous tip tackle on Cam Roigard.
The second half began with a fierce battle around the scrums as both teams brought on fresh legs. New Zealand missed a 53rd-minute penalty after the Boks collapsed a scrum, but quickly made amends in the 55th minute when winger Will Jordan broke the defensive line to score, regaining a 17–12 lead.
The FNB Stadium crowd erupted in the 57th minute when centre Jesse Kriel answered immediately with a sensational break-away try. Replacement flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu coolly slotted the conversion to push the Boks ahead 19–17 as South Africa began to take control.
In the 67th minute, hooker Malcolm Marx forced his way over the line following another flawless set-piece scrum. Feinberg-Mngomezulu added the conversion to stretch the lead to 26–17, and then drilled a 70th-minute penalty through the posts to push the advantage to 29–17.
The Springboks played a masterclass in attacking rugby during the final quarter, starving the All Blacks of front-foot ball. Though New Zealand replacement Samisoni Taukei'aho scored in the dying minutes and Love converted, it was too late to stop a thrilling 29–24 Springbok victory.
Scorers:
Springboks: Tries: Kurt-Lee Arendse, Penalty try, Jesse Kriel, Malcolm Marx. Conversions: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (2). Penalty: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
All Blacks: Tries: Ardie Savea (2), Will Jordan, Samisoni Taukei’aho. Conversions: Ruben Love(2)
Teams
Springboks: 15 Cheslin Kolbe, 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 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 Wilco Louw, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nche. Replacements: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Thomas du Toit, 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 Tupea, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Leroy Carter, 10 Ruben Love, 9 Cam Roigard, 8 Ardie Savea (c), 7 Luke Jacobson, 6 Peter Lakai, 5 Sam Darry, 4 Tupuo Vaa’i, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Asafo Aumua, 1 George Bower. Replacements: 16 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 17 Xavier Numia, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Fabian Holland, 20 Wallace Sititi, 21 Kyle Preston, 22 Anton Lienert-Brown, 23 Josh Moorby.