Springboks In Control Of Rugby Championship After All Blacks Beat Australia

The Springboks’ Rugby Championship title hopes are now firmly in their own hands after the All Blacks defeated Australia 33-24 at the iconic Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday morning.

The victory lifted New Zealand to the top of the Rugby Championship table with 14 points after five matches, but Rassie Erasmus’ Springboks can claim pole position later at Kings Park Stadium in Durban on Saturday when they face Argentina.

Springboks Need Two Wins to Secure the Title

The scenario is now exactly what South Africa hoped for. The Springboks must defeat Los Pumas in both their remaining matches to secure the Rugby Championship for only the second time. The first crucial match takes place today at Kings Park Stadium in Durban, followed by the final clash next weekend at Allianz Stadium in London.

All Blacks Extend Historic Eden Park Streak

The All Blacks’ unbeaten fortress at Eden Park—a streak now extended to 52 matches—was seriously tested by a determined Australian side. The Wallabies were desperately seeking to break their drought and lift the Freedom Cup for the first time since their 2003 victory under George Gregan. New Zealand has held the trophy ever since.

The victory was a must-win for the All Blacks, who were looking to find inspiration after losing to the defending champion Springboks in Wellington three weeks ago. Their undefeated run at the Auckland venue, where they last lost to France in 1994, has paradoxically put the Springboks in pole position ahead of their fixture against Los Pumas.

Caleb Clarke opened the scoring for the home side in the fourth minute, marking his first appearance of the season with an emotional try following a great offload from Will Jordan. Clarke’s father, Eroni, famously sang the New Zealand national anthem before kick-off. New Zealand added further tries through Leroy Carter and scrumhalf Cam Roigard before halftime.

Australia, however, showed resilience, biting back with first-half tries from Billy Pollard and Harry Potter (who was later yellow-carded). The margin was a tight 20-17 to New Zealand at the break.

In the second half, Damian McKenzie kicked two penalties to give the All Blacks a nine-point buffer. Australia capitalised on a short clearance kick, executing a lineout maul for Carlo Tizzano to score, closing the gap to just two points.

But it was Cam Roigard who settled the contest, running in his second try of the night to secure the 33-24 victory, effectively handing the title initiative back to the Springboks and retaining the Freedom Cup.

Australia will host the All Blacks in Perth next weekend for the final match of the Championship.