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All Blacks and Springboks went head-to-head for first time since World Cup final
By Josh Raisey
History repeated itself again on Saturday for South Africa’s World Cup stars Faf de Klerk and Jesse Kriel as they once again got the better of a couple of All Blacks.
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Just weeks after the Springboks edged past the All Blacks 12-11 at the Stade de France to lift their fourth Webb Ellis Cup, a few of those players were going head-to-head again in very different circumstances, this time in Japan Rugby League One.
A Yokohama Canon Eagles side boasting double World Cup winners de Klerk and Kriel hosted a Toyota Verblitz side containing All Blacks centurions Aaron Smith and Beauden Barrett on Saturday, with the Springboks narrowly coming away victorious again 24-22.
This match obviously saw a repeat of the scrum-half battle between Smith and de Klerk, who both started opposite each other in Paris. De Klerk famously played every minute of the match against the All Blacks after the Springboks had bizarrely opted to not name a scrum-half on their bench in a 7-1 split. Smith did score a late try on this occasion in Japan, but was once again on the wrong side of the scoreline.
The pair were filmed chatting after the match, as they have probably built quite a bond over the years given the number of times they have faced each other in black and green.
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??????????????🤝@fafdeklerk @Te_Nug @Canon_Eagles @toyotaverblitz pic.twitter.com/UbXpKhySiF— JAPAN RUGBY LEAGUE ONE??????🏉 (@LeagueOne_JP) December 16, 2023
Smith brought the curtain down on his All Blacks career at the World Cup, leaving the field with 15 minutes to play of the final. After the match, the 35-year-old reflected on the “brutal” nature of Test rugby.
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“We didn’t die wondering,” he said. “I think we threw everything we had and the champions south Africa held strong in those key moments and they held strong in the moments, got turnovers, They nailed those little moments. That’s rugby. That’s Test match rugby and it’s brutal sometimes. It was an amazing game to be a part of and I was proud of our effort tonight.”