The Springboks put one hand on the Rugby Championship and won the Freedom Cup for the first time since 2009 when they beat the All Blacks 18-12 at a packed Cape Town Stadium on Saturday night.
The Springboks beat the All Blacks for the fourth consecutive time over the last year. It was also the Springboks’ first win over the All Blacks in Cape Town since 2005.
The match was far from a classic, with both teams making loads of errors, while both lineouts malfunctioned on the night. The rugby didn’t quite match the occasion as a full house enjoyed a lovely evening out with perfect weather for rugby.
The Springboks are still unbeaten in the Rugby Championship and one more win in their next two matches against Argentina home and away should seal the deal.
At the end of the game in the Mother City, the whole stadium stayed to watch captain Siya Kolisi lift the Freedom Cup, the one piece of silverware that has eluded this golden generation of Springboks.
Kolisi, broken nose and all, said in the pre-match press conference that they were desperate to win this trophy and try and win over some Cape Town All Blacks supporters in the process.
Well, the captain wasn’t just a hype man. He came to the party in a big way, leading from the front. He scored a try in the second half and made a few big hits to turn the tide in the match after it looked like the All Blacks would pull this one through.
It was again a game of two halves, with the All Blacks dominating the first stanza through their excellent play at the breakdown. Damian McKenzie kicked three penalties to give them a 9-3 lead at the break.
Both teams’ lineouts were a shambles and that led to a rather drab affair on the attacking front. Lineouts are usually the bread and butter of both teams.
But the Boks started to get into their work in the physical stakes in the second half and they eneded up going in front after Kolisi went over the line after sustained pressure on the All Blacks’ line nine minutes into the first half.
The Springboks’ bench came on and made an impact, but they were still blown away at the breakdown for not rolling quickly enough.
However, the All Blacks couldn’t make these count, as McKenzie missed a few kickable penalties which saw the home team get off the hook.
In the end, though, it was a case of deja vu as the Bok forwards made sure of the result five minutes before the end of the match, when Malcolm Marx went over from a maul to start the biggest party Cape Town has seen at this venue since the 2010 Fifa World Cup.
Scorers:
Springboks 18 (3) – Tries: Siya Kolisi, Malcolm Marx. Conversion: Handre Pollard. Penalty goals: Pollard, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
New Zealand 12 (9) – Penalty goals: Damian McKenzie (4).
IOL Sport