Rating the best of the Springboks wins in New Zealand

There have only been four Test wins for the Springboks against the All Blacks in New Zealand since the game turned professional in 1996. Mark Keohane rates his best one of the four.

Firstly, any Springboks win, by just one point against the All Blacks is special, so every one of the four wins in New Zealand has a rightful place in history.

The statistics historically are staggeringly in favour of the All Blacks.

The Springboks, pre Rassie Erasmus’s arrival as Boks coach in 2018, have never been comfortable or consistent when playing the All Blacks in New Zealand.

The Boks have played 25 Tests since their first professional Test in Christchurch in 1996. They have won just four and drawn one.

Since the return to international rugby in 1992, the Boks toured New Zealand in 1994 and lost the first two Tests and drew the third and final Test of the series 18-all at Eden Park, Auckland.

The draw, in which the Boks outscored the All Blacks two tries to nil, followed New Zealand’s defeat to France with the last play of the Test two months previously.

I was in the press box for the France Test win to seal a historic series win 2-0, and I was in the same seat at Eden Park when All Blacks fullback Shane Howarth, kicked six penalties to deny the Springboks victory.

The All Blacks, since that draw in 1994, have won 48 and drawn one Test in remaining unbeaten for 31 years at Eden Park, a venue at which the All Blacks won both the 1987 and 2011 World Cup finals against France.

It is the All Blacks Garden of Eden and when they drew to the 2017 British and Irish Lions in the third and final Test 15-all, the irony was they outscored the Lions two tries to nil.

The Boks, since 1994, have played five Tests at Eden Park and lost the last four times.

South Africa’s last five matches vs New Zealand at Eden Park

• 1994 — New Zealand 18–18 South Africa (draw)
• 1997 — New Zealand 55–35 South Africa
• 2001 — New Zealand 26–15 South Africa
• 2010 — New Zealand 32–12 South Africa
• 2013 — New Zealand 29–15 South Africa

The 55-35 defeat was particularly depressing. I was in the press box, this time as part of the travelling South African media, whereas in 1994 I was living in Auckland.

The Boks scored an early seven pointer, then lost Andre Venter to a dubious sending off, and got absolutely obliterated in trailing 55-21 going into the final few minutes. Two late converted tries did not tell the story of a shocking afternoon.

The Boks have won at Eden Park, way back in 1937, when they became the first – and only – Springboks to win a series in New Zealand.

KOLBE READY TO DAZZLE AT EDEN PARK

The wins, pre professionalism, were as scarce as they have been post 1996, and the first one in 1998 will always be memorable because it was the first one.

Nick Mallett was the coach, Gary Teichmann the captain and Rassie Erasmus was the preferred starting option at flank. Only Erasmus got injured in the week and Andrew Aitken replaced him.

The Test highlight was Pieter Rossouw’s try, off a move designed by flyhalf Henry Honiball. Midfielder Pieter Muller made 20 tackles and Percy Montgomery kicked the important points on a day All Blacks flyhalf Carlos Spencer missed five times in the wind of the old Athletic Park Stadium in Wellington. The Boks won the Tri Nations that season and did the double over the All Blacks, coming from 23-5 down in Durban to win 24-23.

1998

2008

In 2008, Montgomery was again on song with his left boot, kicking the early points, but it took the individual brilliance of Ricky January to score the most sensational of tries in the final few minutes to square the match at 28-all. Frans Steyn kicked the winning conversion. It was the first time the Boks had ever won a Test at Carisbrook in Dunedin.

2009

This was the only time, outside of this year, when the Boks arrived in New Zealand with conviction more than hope that they could beat the All Blacks in their own backyard. The Boks of 2009 are regarded by 148 Test All Blacks icon Richie McCaw as the finest team he played against. The Boks had beaten New Zealand twice in South Africa and raced to an early lead in Hamilton.
The All Blacks, inspired by Dan Carter, fought back to make it a three point Test and Carter’s cross kick with the last act of the Test just missed his jumper and the Boks won the Test, won the Tri Nations and beat the All Blacks for a third successive time in one season.

2018

In Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber’s first Test as Bok coaches against the All Blacks in New Zealand, the result was as remarkable as the match. The Boks, who in 2018, lost seven of 14 Tests, were outscored six tries to four by the All Blacks, but the goal kicking of Handre Pollard and Beauden Barrett proved the difference in winning, drawing or losing.

Barrett kicked just two conversions from six and hit the post from nearly in front to level the scores 36-all. Pollard kicked four conversions and a penalty, with the latter coming in the 41st minute. In the 42nd minute Cheslin Kolbe intercepted and scored and Pollard’s 43rd minute conversion of Kolbe’s try was the last points the Boks scored in the match.

Eight of the All Blacks match 23 are in the current All Blacks squad and 13 of the winning Springboks match 23 are in New Zealand, with all of them likely to be in the match 23 on Saturday.

So, which of the four do I put TOP of the POPS?

2008 – The 30-28 at Carisbrook, Dunedin given that the Boks had never won there since the first time they had played there in 1921, the quality of the All Blacks match 23 and the individual brilliance of scrumhalf Ricky Januarie’s solo effort to level the scores before Frans Steyn kicked the winning conversion.

*FAST FACT: While the Boks have won just four in 25 against the All Blacks in New Zealand since the sport turned professional in 1996, the All Blacks have won 19 from 30 against the Springboks in South Africa. The two teams have met eight times since 1996 on neutral venues, winning four each.