JON CARDINELLI reflects on four bright moments for the Springboks during the long night of New Zealand’s dominance at home.
There’s a lot of talk at the moment about the Boks chasing a successive win in New Zealand – as if a solitary victory in this part of the world isn’t hard enough to achieve.
The Boks have won only 10 Tests in New Zealand in nearly 100 years. South Africa claimed the majority of those victories, as well as two draws, before rugby went professional in 1996.
BOK vs ALL BLACKS IN NEW ZEALAND (OVERALL)
| P | W | L | D |
|
44 |
10 |
32 |
2 |
Since then, wins in New Zealand have been extremely hard to come by. The Boks beat the All Blacks in their own backyard in 1998, 2008 and 2009. They broke all sorts of records with the win at the Cake Tin last year.
BOK vs ALL BLACKS IN NEW ZEALAND (PRO ERA)
| P | W | L | D |
|
24 |
4 |
20 |
0 |
ALL BLACKS 3 BOKS 13, WELLINGTON 1998
Nick Mallett’s Bok side recorded 17 consecutive wins between 1997 and 1998. That record-equalling run included a first win in New Zealand during the professional era and ultimately a first Tri-Nations title success.
Who could forget the big play that secured the Boks a famous win in Wellington?
The game was still in the balance in the 70th minute when the Boks won a scrum deep in the All Blacks 22. Joost van der Westhuizen looped round halfback partner Henry Honiball and drew the All Blacks defenders across the field.
Honiball played the ball back inside to Pieter Rossouw, though. The winger flew through the gap to score under the posts and take the game away from the All Blacks.
ALL BLACKS 28 BOKS 30, DUNEDIN 2008
The Boks got off to shaky start under new coach Peter de Villiers. After they sustained a 19-8 loss to the All Blacks in Wellington, many were expecting them to fall apart in the next Test staged in Dunedin.
The All Blacks looked to be on course for another win over South Africa until Ricky Januarie produced a piece of individual brilliance late in the contest. The scrumhalf broke from the base of the ruck, chipped the ball over the last defender and then gathered it on the bounce to complete a try that levelled the scores.
From there, Frans Steyn kicked the conversion to give the Boks their first win on New Zealand soil in 10 years.
ALL BLACKS 29 BOKS 32, HAMILTON 2009
The Boks had a season to remember in 2009. Shortly after beating the British & Irish Lions 2-1 in the series staged in South Africa, De Villiers’ team went on to win five out of six games in the Tri-Nations.
The Boks picked up their third-consecutive win over the All Blacks and clinched the Tri-Nations title when they finished with a flourish in Hamilton.
The All Blacks came back strongly in the second half, but ultimately the Boks hung on for victory.
ALL BLACKS 34 BOKS 36, WELLINGTON 2018
Expectations were low ahead of the 2018 encounter after the All Blacks’ record victories against the Boks in 2016 and 2017. In the buildup, former Bok coach Nick Mallett said that Rassie Erasmus’ side would do well to finish within 10 points of the All Blacks.
The Boks surprised with their tenacity as well as their willingness to give the ball some air. They fought back from a 12-0 deficit to lead 24-17 at the break.
While the attack fired to claim a record five tries and 36 points on New Zealand soil, the defence proved decisive. The Boks repelled wave after wave of All Blacks attack in the dying moments to claim their first win in New Zealand in nine years.
Photo: Ross Land/Getty Images
