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Boks Do The Double Over The All Blacks Since 2009

  • September 7, 2024
  • 4 min read
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Boks Do The Double Over The All Blacks Since 2009

The Springboks maintained their unbeaten run in this year’s Rugby Championship after recording a hard-fought 18-12 victory over New Zealand at a packed-to-capacity DHL Stadium in Cape Town on Saturday. 

The Boks entered the round four encounter on the back of a gritty 31-27 win over their biggest rivals at Ellis Park in Johannesburg last week. The clash, as expected began in a frantic manner as both teams took the attack to each other.

The first two scrums of the game came within less than five minutes played and were dominated by Rassie Erasmus’s men but it was the All Blacks who opened the scoring after the 10-minute mark. Jasper Wiese was adjudged to have slowed the ball down in the ruck, and that cynical play earned him a yellow card. 

From that resulting penalty, the All Blacks opted for three points, and Damian McKenzie, right in front of the poles converted to make it 3-0. The visitors were also punished for 10 minutes when Sevu Reece was sent to the sin bin after playing Willie Le Roux in the air. Soon after that, the Boks had a golden opportunity to open their tally.

They turned over an All Blacks line out, and the ball landed on Cheslin Kolbe’s hands who sliced his way through the New Zealand defense, but his offload to Pieter-Steph Du Toit was knocked on. The Boks were awarded another penalty in the 22nd minute, and instead of taking the three points on offer opted for the lineout in hopes of utilizing their powerful maul. 

It was well defended by Scott Barrett and his troops, and on the other end of the pitch, McKenzie converted another penalty to give his team a 6-0 lead. The Springboks finally registered on the scoreboard in the 31st minute courtesy of a Handre Pollard three-pointer just outside New Zealand’s 22-metre line.

Gripping game as the Springbok beat the All Blacks at DHL Stadium on 7 September 2024

Looking as though the clash would go into halftime with the visitors leading by three, the Boks were punished again, and after relentless pressure by the All Blacks in the last two minutes, they were rewarded with a penalty and McKenzie, for a third time converted to hand his side a 9-3 lead at the halfway mark. Just like in the first test, the Boks were on the back foot early in the second half and should’ve been punished after conceding a penalty but McKenzie’s shot at goal fell short. 

The home side had an Eben Etzebeth try disallowed but minutes later scored the game’s first five-pointer courtesy of captain, Siya Kolisi who barged over the line after a couple of phases to give his side the lead for the first time in the match.

Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu came on in the 54th minute replacing Pollard and was immediately tasked with taking a penalty. He converted before McKenzie pulled one back to make it a one-point ball game at the hour mark.

The Boks, for a second time in the clash, were forced to play with 14 men after Willie Le Roux was shown a yellow card for deliberately knocking on the ball and preventing the All Blacks from a clear scoring opportunity.

That mattered little, as the All Blacks failed to capitalize, and a late try in the 74th minute by replacement hooker, Malcolm Marx sealed the game giving the home side a 18-12 win. As this was the Boks’ fourth win in the competition, the first time they achieved this in the professional era, they are on course to win the Rugby Championship for the first time since 2019.

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Avuyile Sawula

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