The Springboks displayed incredible character in the second half to overcome the All Blacks 31-27 in a thrilling Round Three Rugby Championship match at Ellis Park Stadium on Saturday.

The All Blacks appeared to have the upper hand for much of the first half through tries from Codie Taylor and Caleb Clarke and were leading 11-12 at the interval, but the Springboks fought back strongly after halftime to claim a hard-fought victory.

Despite numerous handling errors and other mistakes, the Springboks managed to turn the tide and secure the win.

The match was a physical and intense affair, with both teams making their presence felt. But the All Blacks were the first to get on front foot as they scored the first try in the seventh minute through Taylor through a driving maul, but hooker Bongi Mbonambi quickly reply as the Bok scored theirs through the same phase of play. But the All Blacks were leading in the first half by 11-12.

The second half saw a dramatic turnaround, with the Springboks scoring two tries to secure the victory. Kwagga Smith and Grant Williams got theirs in the driving maul and that proved to be the difference. It was a huge sigh of relief to win as the Boks coaching staff had to dig deep to adjust of so many things including injuries of Kurt-lee Arendse and Siya Kolisi.

The win was sweet as this was Springboks’ first win over the All Blacks at Ellis Park Stadium since 2014 and third on the trot, having beaten the All Blacks also in the pre-warm World Cup last year in England. This was the second loss for the All Blacks in the Rugby Championship this season and Boks’ third win to keep sitting at the top of the table. This is not over as the two fierce rivals will face off again next weekend in Cape Town.