Cape Town found its roar again as Siya Kolisi and the Springboks kept their Rugby Greatest Rivalry hopes galloping with a gripping 33-26 victory over the All Blacks at a sold-out DHL Stadium on Saturday night.
On a cool Mother City evening, Kolisi returned from injury and wore the captaincy like a crown, inspiring the Boks through a bruising battle that became a sprint to the finish.
Rassie Erasmus had thrown the first punch before kick-off, reshuffling his entire front row. Gerhard Steenekamp, Deon Fourie and Thomas du Toit, originally named among the replacements, started, while Ox Nche, Malcolm Marx and Wilco Louw moved to the bench.
The gamble paid immediate dividends.
Jesse Kriel crashed over in the second minute after a brutal rolling maul from an attacking lineout. Cheslin Kolbe converted before adding a penalty as South Africa bolted to a 10-0 lead.
New Zealand soon found another gear. Slick handling released Will Jordan, who broke two tackles before feeding Cam Roigard, whose perfectly timed inside run produced the All Blacks’ first try. Ruben Love converted.
The Boks answered with their trademark muscle. Another lineout maul gathered momentum and Damian de Allende barged over for his side’s second try.
Then came a touch of All Black magic. Damian McKenzie finished a sweeping attack, with Love converting to make it 17-14.
Erasmus reached into his bench and produced the cavalry. Marx and Nche entered for a scrum near the New Zealand line and the Boks’ pack pulverised the visitors.
Kolisi finished the job with a pick-and-go try, with Kolbe converting for a 24-14 half-time lead. The captain departed three minutes after the restart, replaced by Andre Esterhuizen, while Marx repeatedly punched holes in the New Zealand defence.
Kolbe then turned the scoreboard into his personal kicking range, landing penalties in the 48th, 50th and 70th minutes to complete a haul of 18 points and push South Africa 33-19 ahead.
New Zealand refused to wave the white flag.
Leroy Carter burned the cover defence with blistering pace to score the first try of the second half.
Love missed the conversion.
With 10 minutes remaining, Ardie Savea dragged the All Blacks closer with a try, converted by Love, reducing the gap to seven points.
A late yellow card for Lood de Jager gave New Zealand a final sniff but the Boks held their nerve. The finish was as tense as a marathon sprint, with every tackle carrying the weight of a rivalry measured in history.
South Africa’s scorers were Jesse Kriel, Damian de Allende and Siya Kolisi with tries, while Cheslin Kolbe kicked three conversions and four penalties for 18 points.
For New Zealand, Cam Roigard, Damian McKenzie, Leroy Carter and Ardie Savea scored tries, with Ruben Love converting three.
The Boks had crossed the Cape Town finish line first. The rivalry remains alive and the scoreboard has plenty of story left to tell.
- South Africa defeated New Zealand 33-26 in a Rugby match at DHL Stadium, Cape Town.
- Siya Kolisi returned from injury as captain and scored a try before being substituted early in the second half.
- Rassie Erasmus reshuffled the Springboks' front row, starting Gerhard Steenekamp, Deon Fourie, and Thomas du Toit.
- Cheslin Kolbe scored 18 points through three conversions and four penalties for South Africa.
- New Zealand's tries were scored by Cam Roigard, Damian McKenzie, Leroy Carter, and Ardie Savea, with Ruben Love converting three.
Cape Town found its roar again as Siya Kolisi and the
On a cool
Rassie Erasmus had thrown the first punch before kick-off, reshuffling his entire front row. Gerhard Steenekamp, Deon Fourie and
Jesse Kriel crashed over in the second minute after a brutal rolling maul from an attacking lineout. Cheslin Kolbe converted before adding a penalty as
New
Erasmus reached into his bench and produced the cavalry. Marx and Nche entered for a scrum near the New
Kolisi finished the job with a pick-and-go try, with Kolbe converting for a 24-14 half-time lead.
Kolbe then turned the scoreboard into his personal kicking range, landing penalties in the 48th, 50th and 70th minutes to complete a haul of 18 points and push
New
Leroy Carter burned the cover defence with blistering pace to score the first try of the second half.
Love missed the conversion.
A late yellow card for Lood de Jager gave New
For New
