Long before there was such a thing as a Rugby World Cup, the measure of global dominance in the sport was found in the tense, brutal tests between the All Blacks and the Springboks.
For more than a century, clashes between rugby’s two greatest foes have delivered a rare mix of sporting excellence, outlandish thuggery and geopolitical dilemmas.
There’s nothing else in sport quite like it.
There’s magic and intrigue every time these sides face off. Whether it’s in the excellence of execution, the intensity of the bloodbath, the looming political hazards or a scarily low-flying aircraft, these matches are never not-interesting.
Going into Saturday’s match at Eden Park, the All Blacks are ahead in the ledger, with 62 wins to the Springboks’ 42 (four matches have been drawn) – though the Boks have a 2-0 edge in World Cup finals.
The average scoreline is 21-17 in favour of the All Blacks.
But which match was the greatest? We’ve ranked every test match ever played between the two sides. Our criteria for ranking the matches is vague: we’ve looked at the contemporary significance of the match, off-field dramas and, of course, the quality of the spectacle. And yes, an All Blacks win counts for more – this is the NZ Herald, not the Johannesburg Post.
You couldn’t undertake an exercise like this without reference to the amazing work of authors, archivists and publishers in producing Men In Black. The match-by-match tome documenting All Blacks history has a place on every sports fan’s bookshelf and is a well-thumbed companion on the Herald sports desk.
108. November 4, 1999
Springboks 22 All Blacks 18
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff. Rugby World Cup, third-place playoff
No prizes for guessing which is the worst match ever played between the All Blacks and the Springboks: it’s this Cardiff fizzer, where similarly, there were no prizes up for grabs.
Ahead of the match, skipper Taine Randell had unwisely mentioned it was tough to get fired up for a third-place playoff when the team had arrived with hopes of winning the World Cup final.
His Bokke opposite, the flint-hard halfback Joost van der Westhuizen, was quick to respond that his men needed no extra motivation to play against the black jersey.
The All Blacks have only been held try-less twice at World Cups, with the Boks providing the brick wall, in 1995 and on this grey day.
107. September 17, 1921
All Blacks 0 Springboks 0
Athletic Park, Wellington. Third test in three-test series
People who claim rugby has become unwatchable should spare a thought for the poor souls who witnessed this scoreless draw. An Evening Post weather report says the capital that day experienced “unsettled, cloudy and misty weather, with heavy rain”. The temperature in the shade peaked at a little over 10C.
Advocates for Wellington claim it’s more fun there these days.
Nil-nil specialists, the Boks had already finished a scoreless match against Taranaki on this tour. The draw meant honours were even for the three-test 1921 series, setting the template for the sport’s greatest arm-wrestle.
106. June 30, 1928
Springboks 17 All Blacks 0
Kingsmead Cricket Ground, Durban. First test in four-test series
“Gosh, it turns out this is quite a tough place to visit,” said the All Blacks (probably) after their first match on South African soil.
The selectors might have made a note that naming 13 debutants in a team to face the Boks was not a prudent move. But there was a far more unsettling selection issue at play.
This match opened a shameful passage in New Zealand’s rugby history, with the decision to leave non-white players at home to comply with the host nation’s apartheid policies. It wasn’t until 1970 that the All Blacks fielded non-white players in Africa.
Fear of offending their hosts meant the All Blacks took the field without Māori aces like George Nepia and Jimmy Mill, who had dazzled on the 1924-25 Invincibles tour.
The 17-0 down-trou stood as the All Blacks’ worst result for more than 70 years.
105. August 25, 2023
Springboks 35 All Blacks 7
Twickenham, London. One-off test
The All Blacks’ worst-ever result against the old foes was a reminder that the Boks have a happy knack of improving through a World Cup year to arrive at the final fizzing. We should learn that trick.
104. September 17, 1949
Springboks 11 All Blacks 8
Crusaders Ground, Port Elizabeth. Fourth test in four-test series
A result that completed the first – and so far only – full-series whitewash between the two great rivals. Ouch!
The tourists’ efforts were well respected, and pundits who followed the tests felt they had been unlucky not to grab at least one victory.
Nonetheless, this test marked one of the lowest ebbs of All Blacks rugby.
While the team toured South Africa, the NZ Rugby Football Union had invited the Wallabies to play two tests at home. The All Blacks side that faced the Australians did so with none of the top players, who were away in South Africa. Dropping both tests to the Wallabies meant the All Blacks had gone six defeats on the trot.
103. September 17, 2016
All Blacks 41 Springboks 13
Rugby League Park, Christchurch. Rugby Championship
The All Blacks were running with a tailwind from the previous year’s Rugby World Cup victory – which included a triumph in that tight semifinal against the Boks.
The streaker who interrupted the match late in the second half was the only runner to bamboozle the hosts on a night when the whistle ruled. The Herald’s Chris Rattue was unimpressed. “A barely watchable bore, played in the capital of polite clapping,” he wrote.
102. Springboks 21 All Blacks 20
September 2, 2006
Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg. Tri-Nations
A classic Boks bounce-back victory, sealed with a late penalty.
Wynne Gray was unimpressed by the spectacle.
“The All Blacks could not escape the scrappy, negative, spoiling tactics from the Springboks.”
101. September 12, 2009
All Blacks 29 South Africa 32
Waikato Stadium, Hamilton. Tri-Nations
Hamilton gets its shot at hosting the Springboks and the game ends in defeat for the hosts. The Boks bagged the win in time-honoured fashion: booting long-range penalties and thumping the ball high in the air over the All Blacks wingers.
Leading into the match, the Boks snubbed the host city and chose to spend much of the week based on the Gold Coast, in Australia. Coach Peter de Villiers said he was worried about his players having to stay in the Tron.
“There is nothing in Hamilton,” he opined, oblivious to the charms of a brisk stroll through Hamilton Gardens or a couple of quiet pints with young dairy farmers after the milk payout has come in.
Tron Mayor Bob Simcock wasn’t in the mood for rolling out the welcome mat.
“To be honest, if the Springboks were in the streets of Hamilton, they probably wouldn’t feel that welcome anyway,” he said.
Well said, that man.
100. August 20, 2011
Springboks 18 All Blacks 5
Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth. Tri-Nations
This was one of the least interesting modern matches between these two sides – or any tier-one sides, for that matter. The impending Rugby World Cup back home – starting in less than three weeks – cast a long shadow.
Sir Graham Henry left all the Cantabrians at home. Richard Kahui crossed the line. Morne Steyn’s cannon blasted over six three-pointers. Meh.
99. July 21, 2001
Springboks 3 All Blacks 12
Newlands Stadium, Cape Town. Tri-Nations
A tryless dud on a soggy ground.
Sayeth Men in Black: “But prettiness in test matches is added value – it’s not the underlying aim. The only aim of a test match is to win it and this the All Blacks did because they could defend as well as they could attack, and for the third of four tests this year, their goal-line had not been crossed”.
Yay verily!
98. August 6, 2022
Springboks 26 All Blacks 10
Mbombela Stadium, Mbombela. Rugby Championship
Monstered in Mbombela, the All Blacks hardly fired a shot, heaping more pressure on coach Ian Foster, with five defeats from their past six matches.
Herald journalist Liam Napier wrote: “If it wasn’t clear before, it is glaringly obvious now – this is an All Blacks group bereft of confidence and direction.
“The Boks didn’t do anything special – and they didn’t have to.“
97. July 25, 1998
All Blacks 3 Springboks 13
Athletic Park, Wellington. Tri-Nations
An unwatchable dud for All Blacks fans, the 50th clash between the pair produced a retro scoreline to suit. This was the second game in the All Blacks’ horrific five-match series of defeats.
No team have held the All Blacks to three points since.
96. August 27, 1921
All Blacks 5 Springboks 9
Eden Park, Auckland. Second test in three-test series
Not such a fortress back then. The visitors won the first-ever test match played in Sandringham, squaring the opening series.
95. August 31, 1996
Springboks 32 All Blacks 22
Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg. Third test of three-test series
Whatever, bro. We’d already won the series.
94. September 25, 2021
All Blacks 19 Springboks 17
Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville. Rugby Championship
The first of two Covid-transplanted matches, played out in that legendary fortress of All Blacks v Bokke rivalry: North Queensland.
In the 100th edition of rugby’s greatest clash, the All Blacks took line honours after Jordie Barrett banged over a long, 78th-minute penalty.
“Jordie will be the guy who won the 100th so good on him,” coach Ian Foster said.
This match (along with the one that followed it) loses ranking status courtesy of Covid.
93. October 2, 2021
Springboks 31 All Blacks 29
Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast. Rugby Championship
The second of two see-sawing encounters played out in Australia courtesy of Covid. The ABs had this in the bag until big No 8 Duane Vermeulen won a kickable penalty with 20 seconds on the clock.
92. September 4, 1976
Springboks 15 All Blacks 10
Newlands Stadium, Cape Town. Third test of four-test series
A tough day with the boot for “Super” Sid Going with both sides playing for the chance to take a lead in the series. Northland’s finest son missed three shots at goal and had another attempt cancelled by the referee after the ball twice fell off the kicking tee – and, no, that’s not a rule. The referee that day Gert Bezuidenhout also handled the fourth test to infamous effect.
Long-range ace Sir Bryan Williams pinged one over from five metres inside his own half. But the missed goals and a heap of errors meant this was a lost cause.
91. July 16, 1949
Springboks 15 All Blacks 11
Newlands Stadium, Cape Town. First test in four-test series
Some big names took the field in this match. Kevin Skinner (of 1956 fame) was there, so too Sir Fred “the Needle” Allen, while the Bokke put up monstrous No 8 Hennie Muller (whose name would later become synonymous with training-ground drills in NZ).
The All Blacks were leading late into the match until the referee – a gentleman called Eddie Hofmeyr, who happened to be from the Transvaal – handed the hosts two debatable ruck penalties.
The Boks’ goalkicking prop Okey Geffin – also a gentleman from the Transvaal – duly knocked them both over.
90. September 25, 1937
All Blacks 6 Springboks 17
Eden Park, Auckland. Third test in three-test series
Funny to think of it now, but Eden Park was looking like a bit of a dud for All Blacks results back in 1937. By the time the final whistle blew on this match, the hosts had two wins and two defeats on the ground.
The All Blacks went into this match with a chance to seal the series, but the Bokke machine was warming into its work the more the tour went on.
The visitors dominated up front, with a steady flow of scrum penalties keeping them in charge, while halfback Danie Craven showcased his radical dive pass.
This victory meant the Boks had a series win against us on our soil – it took another 58 years for the All Blacks to return the favour.
89. August 13, 1949
Springboks 12 All Blacks 6
Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg. Second test in four-test series
Thunder-footed fullback Bob Scott landed one penalty but missed a few more. The Boks’ beast-mode No 8 Hennie Muller nailed the late corner-flag tackle on All Blacks winger Kevin Meates to seal the result.
88. June 25, 1960
Springboks 13 All Blacks 0
Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg. First test of four-test series
Back home, the anti-tour movement was building momentum, fuelled by the NZRFU’s willingness to go along with South Africa’s apartheid policies. No Māori were selected in the travelling squad.
A rallying cry among anti-apartheid activists took hold: “No Māoris, No Tour.”
As for the footy, the series opener marked a rare scoreless outing for the All Blacks (their only nought at Ellis Park). Despite the selection restrictions, this was a powerful All Blacks team with Don Clarke at the back and a cluster of legends in the forwards.
Veteran South African rugby writer A.C. Parker described the series opener as the finest Springboks performance he had seen. He quoted the famed All Blacks loose forward Peter Jones telling him: “We were well and truly whipped [although he used a more expressive word than whipped]”.
87. September 3, 1949
Springboks 9 All Blacks 3
Kingsmead Cricket Ground, Durban. Third test in four-test series
Two down in a four-test series, the All Blacks selectors dropped skipper Sir Fred Allen. Panic stations, much?
It nearly paid off. But the Boks continued their happy knack of winning – and successfully landing – penalty kicks when it mattered.
86. August 6, 2005
Springboks 22 All Blacks 16
Newlands Stadium, Cape Town
Hot off dunking on the woeful Lions, the All Blacks were looking good and full of confidence. Turns out Sir Clive Woodward’s clunkers were poor preparation for the biggest match in world rugby.
The rush defence of the Boks inside backs and the brutal hits of flanker Schalk Burger calmed the hype.
85. July 12, 2008
All Blacks 28 Springboks 30
Carisbrook, Dunedin. Tri-Nations
The Boks muscled up to end the home side’s 30-test winning streak on these shores. Little halfback Ricky Januarie grabbed a stunning late winner, slipping around a ruck before chipping the ball over fullback Leon MacDonald and dotting down.
The tightly contested encounter ended South Africa’s decade-long losing streak in New Zealand.
“[Mils] Muliaina and [Conrad] Smith are quality, mistake-free footballers,” Herald scribe Wynne Gray wrote. “Had the All Blacks shifted more possession towards that super-reliable duo, defeat might have been averted.”
84. July 27, 2019
All Blacks 16 Springboks 16
Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington. Rugby Championship
A scratchy, misfiring All Blacks team made too many errors, leaving the door open for Springboks halfback Herschel Jantjies to bag a hooter-time try.
But did any of it really matter?
The Herald’s Dylan Cleaver said the match could be “filed under ‘I’ for irrelevant”.
“No coaching staff worth their sea salt is going to put their full wares on display when these two teams are soon set to meet on the second day of the World Cup – arguably the most pivotal pool match of the tournament.”
83. July 22, 2006
All Blacks 35 Springboks 17
Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington. Tri-Nations
The Boks – humiliated 49-0 by the Wallabies the week before – made a good fist of it in a cracking end-to-end clash. A 25-point haul from the boot of Dan Carter did the job for an otherwise misfiring All Blacks side.
82. September 4, 1937
All Blacks 6 Springboks 13
Lancaster Park, Christchurch. Second test in three-test series
After winning the first test with a depowered backline and leading this one 6-0 at halftime, the All Blacks must have felt they had a first-ever series victory over the Boks within their grasp.
But the visitors rallied in the 40-minute brawl that was called “the second half”, with troublesome flanker Ebbo Bastard scoring the decisive late try.
In tribute to this moment, NZ supporters to this very day mutter the name “Bastard” every time a Bok scores late against the All Blacks.
81. July 25, 2009
Springboks 28 All Blacks 19
Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein. Tri-Nations
The Boks were the better side in a scrappy, disjointed rumble, their forwards tapping into some of the old virtues of the code.
The standout All Black in an otherwise disjointed effort? Step forward, Stephen Donald.
“He’s an international player, genuinely, I feel,” prescient assistant coach Sir Wayne Smith said. “He’s kicked big goals under pressure, he reads the game well, he’s starting to direct it well. We’ve got a lot of confidence in him.”
80. September 14, 2013
All Blacks 29 Springboks 15
Eden Park, Auckland. Rugby Championship
The writing was on the wall in this one when Boks hooker Bismarck du Plessis was sent off for his second yellow card early in the second half. If his first card for a tackling offence was a tad unlucky, his second (and the red that followed) was fair cop for an elbow to Liam Messam’s throat.
Dan Carter exited the match in the 16th minute after being smashed by du Plessis. “The incident provoked a lengthy melee,” noted Herald scribe Wynne Gray, who went on to describe the match as “a brutally combative contest”.
Carter’s replacement – some Barrett kid from Taranaki called Beauden – stepped up to steady the ship.
This was the fifth appearance of the Springboks in the unbeaten run at Eden Park. The fact they have not appeared in the dozen years since lends credence to the tinfoil-hat conspiracists who claim NZ Rugby manufactures soft schedules to boost the All Blacks brand.
79. September 21, 2019
All Blacks 23 Springboks 13
International Stadium, Yokohama. Rugby World Cup pool match
New rule: World Cup titles are worth less if you lose a pool match, right?
78. August 10, 1996
Springboks 18 All Blacks 29
Norwich Park, Newlands, Cape Town. Tri-Nations
This Tri-Nations match was not technically part of the three-test series that followed, but it was important to get the win so the Boks couldn’t later claim that they had drawn honours over four tests on the tour.
The trophy makers tasked with producing the cup for the first-ever Tri-Nations prizegiving got the measurements all wrong and produced an over-sized whopper that Sean Fitzpatrick struggled to hold aloft.
77. July 25, 1970
Springboks 17 All Blacks 6
Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria. First test of four-test series
Prop Ken Gray – who had faced the Boks in the 1965 series – took a remarkable stance, refusing to join the tour to South Africa in protest at apartheid. His brave position, taken from within the heart of NZ’s rugby culture, was to be followed in 1981 by the then All Blacks captain Graham Mourie.
Nineteen-year-old winger (now Sir) Bryan Williams scored on debut in this match; the Auckland-born Samoan was allowed to play courtesy of South Africa’s bizarre “Honorary Whites” policy.
The tourists arrived for the first test with high hopes, having gone through 10 tour matches undefeated. The Boks were unimpressed.
This defeat ended a winning run of 17 tests for the All Blacks that had begun the last time the two sides had met in 1965.
76. August 18, 1928
Springboks 11 All Blacks 6
Crusaders Ground, Port Elizabeth. Third test in four-test series
A tough match hailed by many who saw it as the best test they ever witnessed. The fact that many who saw it would have been cheering the Boks and the result was a Boks’ win might have something to do with their feelings on the matter.
75. September 15, 2018
All Blacks 34 Springboks 36
Westpac Stadium, Wellington. Rugby Championship
The rise of Rassie Erasmus – the man who has baited, beaten and bewildered the All Blacks since taking charge of the Springboks – could have been cauterised right here.
The new Boks coach had tasted defeat in his opening two matches in charge.
“We [had recently] lost to Australia and Argentina, and if we didn’t win in Wellington, I would have resigned,” he said after the match.
“I have never lost three games in a row as a coach; and if I did that, I don’t deserve to be a Springbok coach.”
History could have been so different. If only Beauden Barrett had a little more success from the kicking tee; if only Damian McKenzie had held a slippery ball in an 82nd-minute try-scoring chance.
Nonetheless, it was a brilliant game and a brilliant turnaround from the Springboks that no one saw coming. This was their first win in NZ since 2009.
The Boks produced one of the great defensive performances of the age and their ability to hang on for the final 20 minutes was sensational. The visitors made 235 tackles while the All Blacks made just 61. The Boks won the match with just 25% of possession.
The All Blacks became the first tier-one side to score six or more tries in a losing effort.
The tension in the closing stages was unbearable, the Boks somehow hanging on and the All Blacks playing all the rugby and yet not quite able to finish the many half-chances they created.
Regardless, the Boks were superb and they earned the win. Their attacking rugby was good – excellent at times – but what about that defence?
They just didn’t miss a tackle around the fringes and the All Blacks battered away at the ruck but couldn’t score in those final five minutes, despite having laid siege to the Boks’ line.
Welcome to the big show, Rassie!
74. September 12, 1970
Springboks 20 All Blacks 17
Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg. Fourth test of four-test series
A finale that fitted the tour – the All Blacks had played great footy, but were unable to put it together in the tests.
73. August 27, 1960
Springboks 8 All Blacks 3
Boet Erasmus Stadium. Fourth test of four-test series
The 11-11 draw in the third test meant this match had everything at stake.
With a strong wind at their backs, the All Blacks needed a healthy halftime lead, and they looked on track when midfielder Frank McMullen scored a try. The referee Ralph Burmeister – a gentleman from Western Province – was unimpressed and rather than award the try, gave the Springboks – five of whom were also gentlemen from Western Province – a penalty.
The Boks had the better of the second half and closed out the series.
72. August 6, 1994
All Blacks 18 Springboks 18
Eden Park, Auckland. Third test in three-test series
The All Blacks botched the chance to secure a clean sweep – which would have been vengeance for the 1949 whitewash over there. The draw at least set the hosts on their path of undefeated tests at Eden Park; this was just the second match in what has become a remarkable 50-match unbeaten run.
71. July 21, 1928
Springboks 6 All Blacks 7
Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg. Second test in four-test series
First-ever win on South African soil at second time of asking. We’ll take that – thanks, chums.
70. August 13, 1921
All Blacks 13 Springboks 5
Carisbrook, Dunedin. First test in three-test series
The first match ever played between the two greatest sides the sport has ever known. Nice result, too.
Things were simpler in those days; in an age before scientific nutrition and hardcore training, the All Blacks forwards averaged a sniff over 86kg. Today’s halfback Cortez Ratima, the smallest man in the current All Blacks squad, clocks in at 87kg.
69. August 4, 1956
All Blacks 3 Springboks 8
Athletic Park, Wellington. Second test in four-test series
The All Blacks selectors were criticised for making five changes after the first-test victory (though two were forced by injury). They started with the strong wind at their backs, but the 3-0 halftime lead was soon pulled in as the Boks’ scrum took control.
There were fist fights, brawls and late body-checks throughout. In his book Winters of Revenge, Spiro Zavos wrote: “This was the hardest game of rugby I’d ever seen. Players indulged in fist fights from the first scrum. In one memorable set-to, [Maurice] Dixon and [Paul] Johnstone had a personal duel, oblivious to the play that carried on further down the paddock. That was the tone of the game and the series; nasty, hard and vicious”.
Looking at the Boks’ monster scrum, the selectors had one major question to answer: where is Kevin Skinner?
68. August 26, 2006
Springboks 26 All Blacks 45
Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria. Tri-Nations
The high-altitude Loftus Versfeld had become a happy hunting ground for the All Blacks. They were awful in the first half, yet somehow led 16-11 when they returned to the changing rooms beneath the vast stadium.
What did coach Sir Graham Henry say to the players at halftime? Here’s Wynne Gray: “Henry’s dressing room talk would have peeled the undercoat from the shabby labyrinth”.
In the second spell, they carved up good. Gray again: “It was no contest between the All Black sword and the Bok baton.”
67. July 24, 1976
Springboks 16 All Blacks 7
Kings Park Stadium, Durban. First test of four-test series
This tour marked another shameful chapter for NZ rugby. The All Blacks’ trip to South Africa, backed by belligerent Prime Minister Sir Rob Muldoon, led to 31 countries (including 25 in Africa) boycotting that year’s Montreal Olympics.
On the downside, our international reputation took a kicking. On the upside, Sir John Walker was able to bag a 1500m gold medal without his biggest rival, the Tanzanian Filbert Bayi, in the hunt.
But rugby meant too much to the NZ public. As this tour got under way, T.P. McLean described the rivalry as “the peak of world rugby for half a century”.
In the tour opener, skipper Andy Leslie played a blinder, to no avail.
66. July 17, 2010
All Blacks 31 Springboks 17
Westpac Stadium, Wellington
On a miserable night (“It does seem,” wrote the scribes of Men in Black, “that rugby tests in Wellington are often played when it’s wet [and] windy”), the All Blacks made dry-weather footy in foul conditions look easy.
65. July 9, 1994
All Blacks 22 Springboks 14
Carisbrook, Dunedin. First test in three-test series
Their first visit since the barbed-wire tour of 1981 was the last of the old-fashioned Springbok tours – they played five provincial games before fronting up in Dunedin.
The match was suitably old-fashioned, too. There was one try apiece, a few penalties and plenty of biff.
64. July 22, 2000
All Blacks 25 Springboks 12
Jade Stadium, Christchurch. Tri-Nations
The hosts came in both fizzing and flat after a victory in Sydney the previous weekend that was described by excitable types as the greatest test ever played. The thrills of that 39-35 victory over the Wallabies were unlikely to be repeated against the confrontational Boks.
Two tries from Christian Cullen did the business.
63. August 9, 2003
All Blacks 19 Springboks 11
Carisbrook, Dunedin. Tri-Nations
It seemed the All Blacks – who in recent weeks had smashed the Boks in Pretoria and the Wallabies in Sydney – might have been a touch complacent about this one. Coach John Mitchell made five changes to the forward pack (which included giving Brad Thorn his first cap).
In the end, it was the steady boot of Carlos Spencer that got the hosts home.
62. August 7, 1999
Springboks 18 All Blacks 34
Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria. Tri-Nations
Seven penalties from the boot of Andrew Mehrtens decided the fixture. The Durban-born All Black had a real affection for this venue, notably waving to locals with his middle fingers raised during his most recent visit to Pretoria when his boot had again proved decisive for the Crusaders.
A fifth win on the trot made the All Blacks nailed-on favourites for the Rugby World Cup. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t end well.
61. August 1, 2009
Springboks 31 All Blacks 19
Kings Park Stadium, Durban. Tri-Nations
After two defeats on the trot, the All Blacks were out of sorts – the Boks pounced. “The storm clouds gathered over Durban,” noted Men In Black.
The visitors tried to play a high-paced game, but were scratchy in execution.
60. September 4, 1965
All Blacks 16 Springboks 19
Lancaster Park, Christchurch. Third test of four-test series
The Boks were out on the ropes, trailing by 16-5 at halftime, but won the match with a late Tiny Naudé penalty. The big lock did well, hoofing the ball over the posts from deep mud near the sideline.
59. August 14, 2004
Springboks 40 All Blacks 26
Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg. Tri-Nations
The hosts were running hot and secured the Tri-Nations title the following week against Australia.
This result ended an eight-game streak of All Blacks wins in this fixture, the biggest for either side (the Boks had a 19-year streak of six matches between 1937 and 1956).
58. July 10, 1999
All Blacks 28 Springboks 0
Carisbrook, Dunedin. Tri-Nations
This was South Africa’s biggest-ever defeat at the time, but in truth, their selections were unsettled and the squad afflicted with injuries. Halfback Justin Marshall was the sharpest in a good-looking All Blacks performance.
Jonah Lomu came on for Tana Umaga late in the match and the legendary tome Men in Black reports the big man “contributed a couple of his typical barnstorming runs that had Springboks clinging to him like Lilliputians to Gulliver”.
57. August 14, 1937
All Blacks 13 Springboks 7
Athletic Park, Wellington. First test in three-test series
The All Blacks – with a backline entirely made up of debutants – were forced to play most of the match one man down after winger Donald Cobden was injured and carried from the field in the 25th minute.
No matter. The black pack set about their brutal work, quelling the Boks’ menace and cementing the legacy of tough forwards play that has been the marker for success in this encounter.
56. October 4, 2014
South Africa 27 New Zealand 25
Ellis Park, Johannesburg. Rugby Championship
A gripping contest which showcased an emerging creative spirit from the Springboks. The home side were rampant in the first half, the All Blacks defiant in halting the onslaught in the second.
In keeping with the history of these two famed rugby warriors, controversy reigned. Pat Lambie’s massive winning penalty came thanks to a contentious high-tackle decision against Liam Messam. Whistler Wayne Barnes – who finished his refereeing days running the 2023 Rugby World Cup final – was coerced into the ruling by the crowd’s reaction to big-screen replays, a dodgy method which produced a fair result.
55. August 16, 2008
Springboks 0 All Blacks 19
Newlands Stadium, Cape Town. Tri-Nations
Poor old Percy. South African fullback Percy Montgomery’s 100th test wasn’t meant to be like this. Kept scoreless on home soil for the first time since a punch-up with the British Lions in Kimberly in 1903, you can bet the Boks felt this one hard.
54. September 18, 1976
Springboks 15 All Blacks 14
Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg. Fourth test of four-test series
Bruce Robertson was denied a late chance to win the match – and level the series – when Springboks fullback Ian Robertson (no relation) obstructed his clear run at the ball over the tryline following his own chip kick.
The referee Gert Bezuidenhout – a gentleman from the Transvaal – awarded a penalty shot at goal, rather than a penalty try. His decision meant that the Boks won the match (and the series), courtesy of the goalkicking of Gerald Bosch – who also happened to be a gentleman from the Transvaal.
Bosch’s goalkicking had carried the Boks in the third test, too, on another day when Bezuidenhout’s refereeing made life hard for the Kiwis.
Even Danie Craven, president of the South African Rugby Board, said the ref’s call was dodgy.
In the rich history of hometown calls that had marked All Blacks visits to South Africa, Bezuidenhout’s handling of the second, third and fourth tests had set a new standard for perversity. The Boks front row got away with murder and Sid Going was essentially instructed to put the ball into scrums under the Springboks hooker’s feet.
53. September 13, 2014
All Blacks 14 Springboks 10
Westpac Stadium, Wellington. Rugby Championship
Another old-fashioned bruiser of a clash, with an old-fashioned scoreline, too: a try apiece and a couple of shots at goal the difference.
“The ending was World-Cup tight,” the Herald’s Gregor Paul wrote.
52. August 29, 1981
All Blacks 12 Springboks 24
Athletic Park, Wellington. Second test of three-test series
The hosts were favoured to close out the series until the savvy game management of Naas Botha and 20 points from his siege-cannon boot woke up the nation. With riots in the street and a rising menace on the field, there was suddenly all to play for in the decider at Eden Park.
51. July 20, 2002
All Blacks 41 Springboks 20
Westpac Stadium, Wellington. Tri-Nations
The birth of the Bomb Squad? Boks coach Rudolf Straeuli raised eyebrows when he named two props on the bench, with no hooker.
Current All Blacks gaffer Scott Robertson played probably his best test match, scoring a late try to inflate a margin that flattered the hosts.
50. August 15, 1992
Springboks 24 All Blacks 27
Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg. One-off test
More than a decade since they’d last met, the old foe went at it again. Apartheid was on the way out, but the Boks’ kick-happy first five-eighths Naas Botha was still hanging in there, as was highly rated hooker Uli Schmidt.
As the apartheid regime was being rolled back, the mood in South Africa was tense. There were late threats of cancelling the game unless apartheid-era anthem Die Stem was played.
“The atmosphere was raucous and edgy,” the Herald’s Wynne Gray noted.
“And that was just in the press box.”
Playing with a neutral referee for the first time ever in Africa, the All Blacks were comfortably the better side and the narrow final score flattered the hosts.
“It was a game that ended up reasonably close on the scoreboard,” All Blacks coach Laurie Mains said. “But it never really was close.”
When Zinzan Brooke bagged a bold tap-and-dash try from a penalty, the once-mighty Springboks seemed leaden-footed, left behind by a game that had leapt forward during their absence from the international scene.
A 26-3 towelling from the Wallabies, the World Cup holders, the following week underlined the point.
In the post-match speeches, a tearful Schmidt acknowledged the significance of the match.
“In South Africa,” he told the audience, “there are two types of Springboks, those who play the All Blacks and those who don’t.
“Thank you for making us real Springboks,” he directed to the visitors.
49. July 14, 2007
All Blacks 33 Springboks 6
Jade Stadium, Christchurch. Tri-Nations
The All Blacks were clearly the better side, but led just 12-6 with 11 minutes remaining on the clock. They put the foot down in the closing stages, leaving fans content with a result that suggested we were looking good for the World Cup. The Boks, on the other hand? Judging by this performance, they’d be no chance at all of winning the 2007 Rugby World Cup title! Right? Right? ...
48. July 19, 2003
Springboks 16 All Blacks 52
Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria. Tri-Nations
It’s easy to forget that under John Mitchell, the All Blacks played some cracking rugby. Here, they met a South African side at their lowest ebb and absolutely tore them apart.
Playing on a hard, dry surface, Carlos Spencer was lethal as the training-ground moves came off perfectly.
47. July 5, 2008
All Blacks 19 Springboks 8
Westpac Stadium, Wellington. Tri-Nations
A tough match, easily forgotten in the sugar rush of constant professional-era fixtures.
New coach Peiter de Villiers set a template for Springboks gaffers, spraying wild quotes for the media and successfully (if not deliberately) distracting the footy discourse away from any of his team’s failings. It’s a playbook that was later picked up to good effect by Rassie Erasmus.
46. August 9, 1997
All Blacks 55 Springboks 35
Eden Park, Auckland. Tri-Nations
From when hostilities first opened in 1921, it had taken 16 years and 10 test matches for these two sides to accrue 150 points between them. In two Tri-Nations fixtures played three weeks apart in 1996, they clocked up 157 points. Professional rugby is a hell of a drug.
This was a doozy of a match, a terrific spectacle and possibly the peak of that tendency in the early pro-footy years when Southern Hemisphere sides carved up as Northern Hemisphere commentators harrumphed and moaned.
The South Africans were well in it until the 47th minute when Andre Venter was shown a red card for using Sean Fitzpatrick’s head as a welcome mat – 20 years earlier, he might merely have been given a ticking-off from the referee and a discreet slap around the chops from an All Black.
The mostly modern game had arrived.
45. August 10, 2002
Springboks 23 All Blacks 30
Kings Park Stadium, Durban. Tri-Nations
The one where Richie McCaw throws his only punch in international rugby. When emotional Springboks supporter Pieter van Zyl wanted to have a few words with referee David McHugh, the All Blacks openside intervened.
Herald rugby writer Wynne Gray said the incident was “some of the most bizarre stuff I’ve ever seen on a rugby field”.
“It defied belief, really. You could understand people getting on the field but you’d think they would not get too far.
“But here was a guy who is not exactly the most svelte athlete of all time, who has managed to waddle halfway across the field and get to all the players. That was the most dumbfounding piece about the whole thing.”
The match was tense, with a late Aaron Mauger try sealing the victory, bagging the All Blacks’ first Tri-Nations win since 1999.
44. July 20, 1996
All Blacks 15 South Africa 11
Lancaster Park, Christchurch. Tri-Nations
The first match between the two sides in the professional era was a watershed moment in the rivalry. Before rugby turned professional in 1995, the Springboks held a 50% winning record against the All Blacks; the All Blacks could muster just 43%. The scale has tilted inexorably in the All Blacks’ favour ever since.
This was a tough one. It was the third consecutive test in which the All Blacks had failed to score a try against the Springboks. They were lucky to come away with the win.
Best bit: making the Boks fly all the way around the world for one test against us at home before we flew over there for the Series That Put Things Right.
43. July 30, 2011
All Blacks 40 Springboks 7
Westpac Stadium, Wellington. Tri-Nations
When South African coach Peter de Villiers left most of his top players at home to rest ahead of the Rugby World Cup, a six-tries-to-one rout was always on the cards.
Nonetheless, they all count – and this was a good omen as the All Blacks sharpened up for the most must-win of all must-win Rugby World Cups.
(It should be noted, in fairness, that Sir Graham Henry rested six from his starting line-up in the following week’s Bledisloe Cup match.)
42. July 31, 1965
All Blacks 6 Springboks 3
Athletic Park, Wellington. First test of four-test series
Going into the series, Herald scribe T.P. McLean described All Blacks-Springboks encounters as “the greatest sporting friendship of the southern hemisphere”.
Springboks midfielder John Gainsford was less poetic about the rhythm of touring campaigns between rugby’s two great nations.
“When you come to us, we cheat you and beat you. And when we go to you, you cheat us and beat us.”
Cheating? Maybe, but we certainly beat them in 1965, building on the glory of 1956.
Kel Tremain pounced for the decisive try, but victory here was built on a mighty into-the-wind forwards effort, drawing in and bashing the Boks pack in the second half.
This was a great era for All Blacks forward play. The efforts here outlined the template that would define this series and the 4-0 slaughter of the Lions who visited the following year.
41. July 19, 1997
Springboks 32 All Blacks 35
Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg. Tri-Nations
This match marked a significant milestone. Going into the game, the ledger between the two sides was square, both with 22 wins apiece (and three draws). This victory meant that the All Blacks finally had a winning record over every side in international rugby. The Springboks have not managed to overhaul that record since.
After winning the Rugby World Cup, the Boks had lost that amazing 1996 home series to the All Blacks and been beaten 2-1 by the Lions. They really, really, really wanted this – but the John Hart-era ABs were in top form.
40. August 19, 2000
Springboks 46 All Blacks 40
Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg. Tri-Nations
The Boks came steaming into this one, leading 33-13 after 30 minutes. Their eventual 46-point haul was, at the time, the most points ever conceded by the All Blacks.
Things settled down in the second half, with the Todd Blackadder-led All Blacks unable to conjure a last seven-pointer for glory.
This was the great Christian Cullen’s final match against the Boks, and the two tries he scored lifted his total against the old foe to 10, the most of any player in rugby history.
39. July 24, 2004
All Blacks 23 Springboks 21
Jade Stadium, Christchurch. Tri-Nations
A tough match and a top spectacle as the Boks were returning to form. They led for all but the last nine seconds, as Doug Howlett’s try stole the honours. The boot of Dan Carter had earlier kept the scoreboard ticking for the hosts.
This All Blacks win was the last of a remarkable eight-match winning streak against the Springboks that began in 2001.
38. July 23, 1994
All Blacks 13 Springboks 9
Athletic Park, Wellington. Second test in three-test series
“There are any number of contenders for the title of top South African thug,” Wynne Gray, in perhaps the most understated sentence ever committed to print at the Herald, wrote.
Gray went on to name Springboks prop Johan Le Roux as his top Boks thug.
On their first trip to these shores since 1981, Le Roux confirmed much that Kiwis had suspected of Springboks forwards by taking a bite out of Sean Fitzpatrick’s ear.
The visitors played well, but history remembers their efforts that day for the wrong reason.
37. November 9, 2003
All Blacks 29 Springboks 9
Telstra Dome, Melbourne. World Cup quarter-final
The All Blacks were tougher up front and smarter all across the park.
Carlos Spencer’s magic, between-the-legs pass for Joe Rokocoko to score was a particular highlight of this clash in which the All Blacks were dominant. At the end of the quarter-final, the All Blacks looked the favourites to take the title.
“If only the All Blacks had played like this a week later,” Gregor Paul wrote in the Herald.
36. July 23, 1960
Springboks 3 All Blacks 11
Newlands Stadium, Cape Town. Second test of four-test series
A comeback of Ian Foster-like proportions. After a 13-0 drubbing in the first test, the All Blacks levelled the series with an 11-3 win.
The All Blacks were the better side, Sir Colin Meads scoring from the unusual position of No 8 and Don Clarke belting the ball over from all angles.
35. August 25, 2001
All Blacks 26 Springboks 15
Eden Park, Auckland. Tri-Nations
Knocked over by the Wallabies in Dunedin the week before, the All Blacks charged into this one and flattened the Boks. It was the ninth match in the unbeaten streak at Eden Park.
“The All Blacks never looked like losing and the Springboks never looked like winning,” Men In Black decreed, paying particular tribute to the efforts of Taine Randell.
34. August 27, 2005
All Blacks 31 Springboks 27
Carisbrook, Dunedin. Tri-Nations
The All Blacks unveiled their new haka, Kapa o Pango. It’s a fitting tribute to the Boks that the new challenge was first rolled out against our greatest rivals.
Springboks captain John Smit acknowledged the significance.
“To stand there and watch it for the first time was a privilege.”
A seventh victory from seven tests against the Boks at Carisbrook set the All Blacks up to secure the Tri-Nations title the following week against the Wallabies.
33. October 7, 2017
Springboks 24 All Blacks 25
Newlands Stadium, Cape Town
A late Malcolm Marx try brought the Boks one point shy of the visitors in an old-fashioned doozy of a footy match.
The Herald’s Liam Napier summed it up: “This was a seriously willing contest. Players were left strewn all over Cape Town’s historic rugby venue.
“The pace was frenetic; the collisions, particularly at the breakdown, brutal.”
32. October 6, 2012
Springboks 16 All Blacks 32
FNB Stadium, Johannesburg. Rugby Championship
The All Blacks put together 20 unanswered second-half points on their way to recording Richie McCaw’s 100th victory in test matches (he was playing in his 112th test).
The highlight was the All Blacks’ 25th-minute opener when Sam Whitelock finished an all-hands break by chugging over the line with 220kg of Afrikaner beef hanging off his frame.
31. August 21, 1965
All Blacks 13 Springboks 0
Carisbrook, Dunedin. Second test of four-test series
Carisbrook laid on a high-quality mud bath, leaving the tourists in no doubt about how far away they were from the dry playing fields of home.
A happy day for the hosts, who had shrugged off an odd hoodoo – this was the first time in four attempts that they’d managed to beat the Springboks in the second test of a home series.
30. October 6, 2018
South Africa 30 New Zealand 32
Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria. Rugby Championship
The All Blacks, very ordinary for large periods, looked dead and were down 30-13 in the final quarter; the inspired Springboks were in total control.
But with one of the best turnarounds you’ll ever see, the visitors somehow rallied to stun the locals.
Late tries to Aaron Smith, Rieko Ioane and Scott Barrett got them within touching distance of the seemingly unthinkable. Richie Mo’unga, who moments earlier got a favourable bounce with his penalty kick landing 5m out from the Boks line, then stepped up to nail the match-winning conversion. Cool as ice.
29. September 7, 2024
Springboks 18 All Blacks 12
Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town. Rugby Championship
A fourth win on the trot for the Boks – a run that included both their biggest victory over the All Blacks and the small matter of a World Cup final. Rassie Erasmus’ machine also tucked away the Rugby Championship title and secured the Freedom Cup trophy for the first time in 15 years.
The game itself was a busy, tense scrap with a wallpapering of yellow cards and inspirational Boks skipper Siya Kolisi playing on with a broken nose.
When the fulltime whistle blew, Scott Robertson in his debut season as coach was sitting on a 57% win record. For every All Blacks coach, the Boks are the ultimate and truest measure of performance. After this, Razor had a point to prove.
28. September 1, 1928
Springboks 5 All Blacks 13
Newlands Stadium, Cape Town. Fourth test in four-test series
The All Blacks winning this one meant the sides had now shared two drawn series, setting in place the toe-to-toe foundation of the sport’s greatest rivalry.
27. August 21, 2010
Springboks 22 All Blacks 29
FNB Stadium, Johannesburg. Tri-Nations
After a Tri-Nations start that included three home wins and victory against the Wallabies in Melbourne, the true test for the 2010 All Blacks was how they would do in the white-hot atmosphere of 94,000 fans at FNB Stadium in Soweto.
It was a belter of a game, settled by Ma’a Nonu slipping past the great Boks skipper John Smit for a last-minute 40m break and feeding Israel Dagg. Moments earlier, Richie McCaw had scored in the corner with a pile of Boks tacklers on him.
“McCaw’s left foot possibly grazed outside of play at the same time he planted the ball,” wrote someone in the Herald, who wisely left their name off the story.
26. September 16, 2017
All Blacks 57 Springboks 0
North Harbour Stadium, Albany. Rugby Championship
“A down-trou! That’ll show them,” declared All Blacks fans after the biggest defeat in Springboks history.
Surely no team that ships 57 unanswered points at Albany could be serious contenders for World Cup glory? Less than two years later, the Boks had the only trophy that really matters.
25. August 8, 1970
Springboks 8 All Blacks 9
Kings Park Stadium, Durban. Second test of four-test series
This is generally regarded as one of the most violent encounters between the two sides to ever take place – which is really saying something. Punches were thrown, elbows were sent into teeth. Those who romanticise old-fashioned rucking should spare a thought for Piston van Wyk, the Springboks hooker who was carried from the field with blood pouring from his head.
Nice scoreline, though.
24. August 14, 1976
Springboks 9 All Blacks 15
Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein. Second test of four-test series
Joe Morgan scored one of the great individual tries of the 70s after receiving a ropey reverse flick-pass from his mate Sid Going from behind a struggling scrum. All mutton chops, flowing locks and thundering pistons, he steps one bloke, powers up the guts then slides outside-and-inside as the cover defence flops. It’s a thing of beauty.
23. July 10, 2010
All Blacks 32 Springboks 12
Eden Park, Auckland. Tri-Nations
“Intense, brutal and fast,” the Herald’s Gregor Paul wrote.
The “intense” bit might refer to the work of the All Blacks loosies: Richie McCaw, Kieran Read and Jerome Kaino were everywhere that night.
The “fast” would be Joe Rokocoko’s break to set up Ma’a Nonu’s try.
And brutal? Bakkies Botha received a nine-week ban when – true to the level of Corinthian values that have long been a hallmark of these encounters – he headbutted a prone Jimmy Cowan in the back of the skull.
22. October 8, 2016
Springboks 15 All Blacks 57
Kings Park Stadium, Durban. Rugby Championship
Leading 12-9 at halftime, the Black Machine changed gears after the hooter, racking up what remains the Boks’ biggest loss on home soil. They put on 45 second-half points, conceding just six.
21. June 23, 2007
Springboks 21 All Blacks 26
Kings Park Stadium, Durban. Tri-Nations
A cracking match between the two best sides in the world.
Herald man Wynne Gray: “All Blacks errors helped the Boks to two tries and they still led 21-12 with about 10 minutes left. Up stepped McCaw again to cap a thrilling move, while minutes later, Joe Rokocoko crossed the stripe to crown a thrilling counter-attack which began in their own 22.
“A likely loss had become a rousing win in the space of minutes.”
20. July 15, 2023
All Blacks 35 Springboks 20
Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland. Rugby Championship
All Blacks fans should know by now that a powerhouse pre-World Cup performance generally means disaster is looming. But, on this evening at Auckland’s home of rugby league, all was right in the world.
The game was pretty much in the bag by the time the much-vaunted Boks “Bomb Squad” took the field. Shannon Frizell looked to have answered the Jerome Kaino question in the No 6 jersey, while Beauden Barrett carved up sweetly from fullback.
19. September 15, 2012
All Blacks 21 Springboks 11
Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin. Rugby Championship
In the first test under the roof at Forsyth Barr, Richie McCaw was superb, while the Boks continued in the brutal theme that’s lasted well since day one.
Prop Dean Greyling took 10 minutes on the naughty chair after cleaning out McCaw with a flying elbow to the face. His flying assault on the All Blacks captain came barely a second after No 8 Duane Vermeulen had put his shoulder into McCaw’s head. Both would be candidates for red cards by the standards of today’s officiating and even arguably by the standards of 2012.
“The Springboks have just the one trick,” the Herald on Sunday’s Gregor Paul wrote. “But it’s a good trick and it took all of the All Blacks’ patience, courage, composure, belief and superior fitness to see them through.”
18. July 14, 1956
All Blacks 10 Springboks 6
Carisbrook, Dunedin. First test in four-test series
The first Springboks test in New Zealand since 1937 was seen by many as a chance for vengeance from the two previous tours on these shores.
There was also the small matter of a 4-0 series dunking in 1949. The doyen of Kiwi sports scribes, T.P. McLean, wrote that “New Zealand prepared unceasingly for months, perhaps years” for the series.
“The hardest of heads, and the shrewdest, thought long and anxiously over ways in which South Africa might be mastered. New Zealand didn’t give a damn about a championship; all it wanted to do was to beat the Springboks.”
Tom Pearce, the bullish Auckland Rugby chairman, encouraged the country to “hate” the Springboks.
In the series opener, both sides were tense, with a Ron Jarden intercept try giving the All Blacks the edge. The result ended a 19-year-long streak of six Springboks victories, starting in 1937.
They were tough days in the brutal code. The Boks finished the match with 13 on the field and the hosts with 14, three blokes having been carted off injured.
17. August 13, 1960
Springboks 11 All Blacks 11
Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein. Third test of four-test series
Don Clarke had a blinder, at one point kicking the ball up the line for a 73m gain.
He also scored the decisive points to nail the draw, keeping the series alive. The Waikato man landed a penalty from 5m inside his own half six minutes from the end and then potted a sideline conversion right on the final whistle. His efforts were instrumental in bagging the draw, to set up a fourth-test decider.
16. August 17, 1996
Springboks 19 All Blacks 23
Kings Park, Durban. First test of three-test series
There was a lot at stake in the opening test of what many believed would be the last of the grand tours between the two sides. The All Blacks had achieved everything a top side could hope for in rugby, except win a series in South Africa. The disappointment of the Rugby World Cup final the previous year still sat heavily with Kiwi fans.
Following the food poisoning scandal of 1995, the players were told to avoid seafood and chicken. “I’m sure some of the players may have last year’s incident at the back of their minds but we are deliberately not making an issue of it,” Dr John Mayhew said.
Jeff Wilson blazed in for an early try, while Christian Cullen and Zinzan Brooke also dotted down; the dominant visitors were unlucky not to have a couple more. They were good for this one, and the side went to Pretoria with the chance to close out the series – to cauterise the wounds of all the decades past – with the confidence of the nation behind them.
15. August 15, 1998
Springboks 24 All Blacks 23
Kings Park, Durban. Tri-Nations
A stunner of a match. With 15 minutes on the clock, the All Blacks led 23-5 – and it stayed that way until the Boks launched an epic fightback with 20 minutes remaining.
Springboks hooker James Dalton later admitted he had not managed to ground the ball in the last-minute try that decided the result. Thanks, James.
This was the fourth match in the All Blacks’ miserable run of five defeats. And (briefly) reset the ledger between the two sides at 24 victories each.
14. August 31, 2024
Springboks 31 All Blacks 27
Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg. Rugby Championship
Scott Robertson could fairly feel he was robbed when he first took his side into action against the Boks – the All Blacks played some excellent footy and scored four tries to the Boks’ three.
But it was the hosts’ Bomb Squad, in conjunction with their century-old tendency to kick three-pointers when offered, that got them home ... that and an outrageously bad TMO decision that allowed a try when Bongi Mbonambi clearly spilled the ball in the act of scoring.
13. July 25, 2015
Springboks 20 All Blacks 27
Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg. Rugby Championship
Highlanders first five-eighths Lima Sopoaga had dazzled through Super Rugby as the Crusaders man Dan Carter looked tired. The drums were beating for Sopoaga to make the Rugby World Cup squad, putting heat on Carter.
Sopoaga was then thrown pretty much the biggest hospital pass in test rugby: an international debut in the No 10 jersey at Ellis Park. In an age when players routinely have half a dozen caps before making their first start against a minnow, Sopoaga was in the deep end.
Conspiracists wondered if the Highlander was being set up to fail, clearing the channels for World Cup selection.
Sopoaga played beautifully, with steady game management, a reliable boot and nice running in a game played at a frenetic pace and with ferocious defence the norm.
Fat lot of good it did him, though. Sopoaga never made Sir Steve Hansen’s World Cup squad. “He over-delivered in his first test and through no fault of his own, had set public expectation a little too high,“ the Herald’s Gregor Paul wrote.
12. August 29, 1970
Springboks 14 All Blacks 3
Boet Erasmus Stadium, Port Elizabeth. Third test of four-test series
Next time you see a football player rolling around on the ground clutching their shin after an innocuous brush with an opposition defender, spare a thought for Sir Colin Meads, who started a test against the Boks with a broken arm. “Of course, that wouldn’t happen today. ACC wouldn’t allow you to play,” Pinetree noted, decades later.
Not a great result for the All Blacks, but in terms of cementing the legacy of the team and the importance of the clash, this one is right up there.
11. September 18, 1965
All Blacks 20 Springboks 3
Eden Park, Auckland. Fourth test of four-test series
Captain Fantastic Sir Wilson Whineray’s last test secured a series win. The All Blacks had fielded the same forward pack in all four matches – and with good reason: alongside Whineray’s name there was a Lochore, a Tremain, a Gray and a pair of Meads.
The Herald’s T.P. McLean was both brutal and florid in his assessment of the tourists’ demise.
“A legend was shattered at Eden Park today – a legend of invincibility. Farewell the tranquil mind, South Africa, farewell content. The pride, the pomp and circumstance of glorious war belong to New Zealand. The circus of Kobus Louw is in disarray, its poles shattered, the canvas torn and stretched. The All Blacks have won the final test, 20 points to 3, five tries to none, 17 points in the second half, 12 points scored within the space of 11 minutes. It is a beating, a defeat, beyond the experience of any South African team in history. It is subjection. Worse, it is a disgrace.“
10. August 15, 1981
All Blacks 14 Springboks 9
Lancaster Park, Christchurch. First test of three-test series
Sport and politics were well and truly mixed on the 1981 Springboks tour. Captain Graham Mourie and Counties legend Bruce Robertson withdrew from the All Blacks squad on moral grounds.
Nelson Mandela later said that as he sat in his cell on Robben Island, hearing news of the protests that followed the 1981 tour was “like the sun came out”.
The opening match – played behind barbed wire and guarded by baton-wielding police – was delayed by protesters invading the pitch. The game itself was a typically bruising affair, in which a couple of those batons might have come in handy up front. The hosts’ pack carried the edge.
9. August 18, 1956
All Blacks 17 Springboks 10
Lancaster Park, Christchurch. Third test in four-test series
Cometh the hour, cometh Kevin Skinner.
The selectors had been criticised for making five changes before the second test, but they doubled down for this one, making seven. Among them was Skinner, a boxing champ and Boks tamer. He was joined by debutant Don Clarke, who clocked in at 1.88m and 110kg – which by the standards of the day made him a man-mountain of a fullback. Herald scribe T.P. McLean said the Waikato man was “as big as a small castle”.
Skinner’s work in this series is the stuff of legend, sitting alongside Sir Colin Meads taking the field with a broken arm. He belted one prop into submission before swapping to the other side of the scrum to sort out the other.
“There was only one way to put an end to the visitors’ illegal tactics and Kevin knew exactly what that was,” coach Sir Fred Allen said.
After the ex-boxer had downed one Boks prop, the other unwisely threatened to punch him. Skinner got in first.
8. August 13, 2022
Springboks 23 All Blacks 35
Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg. Rugby Championship
The one where they save Fozzie’s job.
The knives were out for Ian Foster a year away from the Rugby World Cup, as voices at home clamoured for Scott Robertson to be parachuted into the All Blacks coaching role.
Like the best of these clashes, this was tense and brutal with a lot of positive footy played and the Ellis Park fortress a perfect location for such a high-stakes, high-intensity scrap.
The visitors led 15-0 at the break, but the Bok bounce-back was inevitable.
Foster might have feared his number was up with his men trailing in the 74th minute. But David Havili’s try, followed by Scott Barrett scrambling over on the hooter, showed the character of the team and bought their boss enough clear air to make it to the RWC.
“For now at least, the All Blacks deserve to celebrate one of their great upset triumphs,” the Herald’s Liam Napier wrote.
7. October 28, 2023
Springboks 12 All Blacks 11
Stade de France, Paris. Rugby World Cup final
We’ve got most of the Rugby World Cup monkeys off our back, from 1987 (win the first one: check) to 2011 (win a second: check) and 2015 (win overseas: check; and win two in a row: check). Surely the last RWC hurdle to be cleared is beating the Springboks in a final.
It should have happened here. Referee Wayne Barnes and his assistants aren’t at fault for the rulebook with which they struggled on a hot night in Paris. There’s no doubt Sam Cane’s tackling technique could have been better; there’s plenty of doubt about whether Siya Kolisi’s was.
Regardless, the All Blacks were quickly in trouble after their skipper received the most unfortunate red card in the history of the game. They battled bravely and could have won a fourth title through Jordie Barrett’s late, long shot at goal.
Had they claimed it, victory would have marked one of the great reversals in All Blacks’ coaching history, Ian Foster having hung in there through some painful times. It would have been richly deserved; as it was for the Boks.
6. October 5, 2013
Springboks 27 All Blacks 38
Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg. Rugby Championship
One of the finest tests in rugby history, led by a truly great performance from No 8 Kieran Read (he got a perfect 10 in the Herald ratings). The Herald’s Wynne Gray wrote “no modern test has delivered as much quality and controversy”.
From sin-bin rulings to the All Blacks supplying an incorrect team sheet, this nine-try thriller belongs in the hall of fame. Beauden Barrett was like super-slippery soap in scoring the bonus-point try that clinched the title. Rugby doesn’t get better than this as the All Blacks hurtled to their first win at the ground in 16 years.
5. October 24, 2015
All Blacks 20, Springboks 18
Twickenham, London. Rugby World Cup semifinal
A brilliant show of composure from the All Blacks allowed them to hold off the Springboks in a gripping World Cup semifinal in which either team could have won in the final seconds. The Springboks put in a typically defiant performance and almost, almost got home.
It was an excruciating match to watch for the All Blacks supporters in the crowd of 80,000 – and there were a lot of them. Memories from the final of 2011 were never far away. And while they scored the only tries of the match – through Jerome Kaino in the right-hand corner in the first half and Beauden Barrett on the left in the second – they simply couldn’t break free of the Boks.
The All Blacks trailed 12-7 at halftime. Sam Whitelock pulled off one of the all-time great lineout steals against Victor Matfield, but it was Daniel Carter’s composure, game management and brilliant boot that led the All Blacks home in a strong second-half display.
4. September 12, 1981
New Zealand 25 South Africa 22
Eden Park, Auckland. Third test of three-test series
This will always be among the most controversial tests in rugby history, with anti-apartheid protests against the tour reaching a head.
There was violence outside the ground and a light plane buzzed the game, dropping flares and flour bombs, one of which hit All Blacks prop Gary Knight. (Boks captain Wynand Claassen famously inquired whether New Zealand had an air force.)
Skinny Wellington fullback Allan Hewson – whose wife boycotted the tour – broke the series deadlock with a penalty deep in added time.
3. September 1, 1956
All Blacks 11 Springboks 5
Eden Park, Auckland. Fourth test in four-test series
A dramatic and often violent test series concluded with a historic New Zealand victory.
The North Auckland No 8 Peter Jones attained instant legendary status, his long-range try powering the All Blacks to a victory that sealed their first series triumph over the mighty foes.
The long-range boot of Don Clarke had been crucial. Radio commentator Winston McCarthy had backed the Mooloo man as he lined up, one particularly long-range hoof into the stiff breeze. “For a man of his calibre, that bit of a breeze might not matter if it doesn’t go particularly high because they say a well-hit golf ball into the wind, the wind never worries it.”
The wind never worried that one – listen, it was a goal.
“I’m absolutely buggered,” Jones said at the final whistle.
It was the first time the Boks had lost a series to any opponent. The result also brought a measure of atonement for the embarrassing 4-0 defeat in South Africa in 1949. Springboks manager Danie Craven knew the All Blacks could now be lauded as the world’s greatest rugby team. “It’s all yours, New Zealand,” he said.
2. June 24, 1995
South Africa 15, New Zealand 12
Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg. Rugby World Cup final
Many will say it was preordained that the Rainbow Nation would collect the World Cup on their first attempt. They hosted the tournament, which had many twists and a number of inglorious episodes, but for sheer joy, intrigue and novelty, this has to rate with the best in the tournament’s history.
The All Blacks cantered to the final, the Boks just got there, after a controversial rain-drenched semifinal against France in Durban. Then the fortunes changed.
The All Blacks were stricken by food poisoning, which left many of them debilitated, the Boks double- and triple-teamed tournament sensation Jonah Lomu as the game became an all-kicks shootout. Andrew Mehrtens narrowly missed a dropped goal three minutes before referee Ed Morrison signalled extra time.
When Joel Stransky kicked a dropped goal in the second period, there was no way back for the All Blacks as Francois Pienaar – with President Nelson Mandela at his side and what seemed like the entire Republic – heading into days of mass celebration.
Not a great spectacle of rugby, but possibly the sport’s greatest occasion.
“I was disappointed about the result,” All Blacks captain Sean Fitzpatrick would say later, “but it was fantastic to be part of that final. You felt you were part of something, part of history, part of another major step in the reunification of a country.”
1. August 24, 1996
South Africa 26, New Zealand 33
Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria. Second test in three-test series
This was the last mountain for the All Blacks to scale, a victory for all those who had travelled and failed to win a series in South Africa in five previous tours since 1928.
This was for all those who had worn the black jersey but never tasted the greatest triumph. Two tasty tries from the gifted Jeff Wilson bounced New Zealand out of the blocks well and a Zinzan Brooke scrum special created a 21-11 lead at the break.
Simon Culhane went down injured, and once again it was Jon Preston who came from the bench, this time at first five-eighths. The Hurricanes man landed two vital penalties.
Naturally, Brooke pinged over a late dropped goal.
The Bokke had a chance to draw the match with a converted try and poured into heavy assaults on the All Blacks tryline in the final minutes. The All Blacks held out with heroic goal-line defence before referee Didier Mene whistled them into the history pages. Many were too exhausted to celebrate as they lay on the turf in Pretoria, trying to deal with all the emotion of the historic moment.
This series victory marked the end of the old ways of the game.