'South Africa would give you a physical battering': Ex-All Black great Bunce recalls late 90s rivalry
Frankly, the Springboks are the ultimate.
The only things harder than maintaining a successful midfield partnership are playing the Springboks and marriage, laughed affable and legendary All Blacks centre Frank Bunce (All Black, 915).
Before Ma’a Nonu and Conard Smith became a redoubtable pair in the All Blacks midfield, Walter Little and Frank Bunce were synonyms with midfield stability.
Together Bunce and Little played 32 Tests, including 18 out of a possible 21 Tests between 1995 and 1996.
The All Blacks dominated the 1995 Rugby World Cup, only to lose the final continuously in extra time to hosts, South Africa.
In 1996 the pair helped reverse that disappointment beating the Springboks four times in five Tests to win the inaugural Tri Nations championship and Test series in the republic.
“Australia would run you all over the place and sometimes you didn’t have a clue what was happening. South Africa would give you a physical battering and then you had to run them all over the place,” Bunce responded when asked to surmise the Springboks style.
“South Africa was and still is the ultimate challenge. I grew up listening to stories of all the great players and rivals.
“The build-up to Springboks Tests was so intense and back when I was playing, we were neck and neck in terms of wins so that added an ever greater edge.
“There’s no way we would have won the series in ’96 without a second squad. By the end of the tour, we’d play the matches on Saturday and be walking again on Wednesday. We were only training once a week.”
It was in 1992 that Bunce had his first exposure to South Africa. When apartheid ended the All Blacks returned, winning four mid-week matches and the ‘Return Test” 27-24 at Ellis Park, Johannesburg on August 15.
The All Blacks were up 20-3, a late rally courtesy of two Pieter Muller tries saving some face for the hosts.
“That was a wonderful tour and a real eye-opener,” Bunce reflected.
“The size of their guys was enormous, but lacked our match hardness, nous, and fitness because they were stuck in time a little because of isolation.”
“We got wonderful support as the All Blacks. We were delighted to reconnect the rivalry and I think they felt the same way. I didn’t experience anything out of the ordinary from the crowds. You got similar in every country you went.”
By 1995 the Springboks were resurgent. Under Kitch Christie, they won all 14 Tests including the World Cup final (15-12) at Ellis Park.
The All Blacks alleged food poisoning, any conceivable methods to shut down Jonah Lomu, and the Joel Stransky drop goal are all part of a profitable, but critically lukewarm, Hollywood movie Invictus.
Bunce features briefly, shaking the hands of a historically transformative figure.
“It wasn’t announced that Nelson Mandela was going to meet the teams before kick-off. It was a huge moment for them and us, what an honour to have a man like that acknowledge rugby,” Bunce reminisced.
“Nelson hit the nail on the head. He kinda got everything right politically. I have a photo of him shaking my hand, I’m proud of that. Eric Rush later joked about the haka, if that’s your biggest worry, you’ve properly got other issues.
“Japie Mulder was one of the hardest players I marked. He was a typical South Africa, tough as they come. He was a little bit shorter than me but man he was solid.”
The Springboks had issues containing the 1996 All Blacks, the genesis of whom were born in 1995. The All Blacks won the three-test series before a decider was required.
The stubborn defense, hanging on grimly, at Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria is an enduring theme of All Blacks folklore.
“I was beside the posts next to Walter. It was all forwards. I was thinking I hope the ball doesn’t come out here, but God if it did, I better be ready. I don’t want to be that guy,” Bunce said.
“It’s hard to recall specifics against the Springboks, all the games are kinda of a blur. I think the All Blacks of ’95 to ’97 are one of the great teams. It was a privilege to play alongside blokes like Fitzy, Zinzan, Goldie, and Cullen.”
Bunce belongs in the ‘greats’ conversation and when it came to linking with Walter Little specifics were unsaid.
“We were similar enough to work together and different enough to cause problems.
“Walter deserves a lot of credit. He was so skilled, had great natural ability, and is a big rugby brain. He carried a lot of injuries throughout his career including a knee issue from 19.
“We played for North Harbour, the Chiefs, and the All Blacks together. He knew what I was going to do, and I knew what he was going to do. It’s hard to explain, but we were a natural combo even if were different people. That’s what Ma’a and Conrad have. That’s what Retallick and Whitelock have, and I know nothing about locks.
Ironically Bunce’s most meritorious performance for the All Blacks was beside Lee Stensness at Ellis Park in 1997. He scored two brilliant individual tries (accessible on Sky Sport Now archived highlights) in a 35-32 win against South Africa in 1997.
“That was one of my most satisfying tests. The team played brilliantly ,as did the Springboks. I don’t remember a lot about it. All the games against the Springboks are a blur. It’s hard to explain, but it was intense.”
The discussion about who’s ideal an All Blacks midfield combination is intense.
Bunce believes Jordie Barrett and Rieko Ioane are a suitable pair with Ioane especially effective on the “outside break.”
He sees Anton Lienert-Brown and Jack Goodhue as “more 12’s than 13’s,” “really solid but not as much X-Factor as the likes of Ioane.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Pacific Lions, cry me a river
124 Go to commentsThis is the single worst piece of journalism I have ever seen since your last one. As a neutral, who really states that there should be an asterisk next to a win? You are an utter embarrassment to real AB fans, journalism and that joke of a house which pays you for this nonsense. Get a life, Ben.
124 Go to commentsGuys. Cancel the World Cup champions after this analysis. It changes everything. Ben knows. We’ll have to unengrave the Bokke off the trophy and hand it to the ABs, now that I’ve been enlightened about this illegitimate win. This needs to be done. Now!
124 Go to commentsBen is right here though, Springboks were woefully poor with the advantage they had throughout this game. The France match was heroic because that was an even contest this match had it taken place in Rugby Championship would have been an easy win for NZ. If anything this match should tell the Bok coaches that a lot of this team should be changed. They beat this same NZ team by record margin with the same circumstances but with a different core. They bring back the tried and tested guys and they nearly botch this game.
124 Go to commentsI knew who wrote this article from the first few words in the headline…lol. The red card actually did the ABs a favour. It galvanized them, only then did they step up a gear. Before that there was zero momentum.
124 Go to commentsFirstly the foul on Bongi was a planned move just like the NZ master plan with Bryce Lawrence you kiwis are filthy fux perhaps try to play a cleaner game next time I doubt that’s possible tho but don’t worry world rugby is on yr side they trying to take away all the BOKS strengths to help all you weakling as Jeremy Clarkson would say LA OO ZA ERR..🤣
124 Go to commentsAbsolutely spot on Ben. I certainly wouldn't gloat over a win like that. Frustrating as it is it's done and dusted and history will forever show the result.
124 Go to commentsHo hum.
124 Go to commentsNo question they were the better team. But that is the beauty of sport isn’t it!
124 Go to commentsEveryone is into Hurling in Ireland according to Porter, but only 11 of Ireland's 32 counties enter a team into the national competition. Same old blarney.
1 Go to commentsLet’s be honest. The draw and scheduling in the World Cup was a joke but South Africa found a way after having to go the hard (nearly impossible) way to the Cup Final via France and England. NZ had a hard game against France (lost) and had 5 weeks to prepare for the Quarter, 3 weeks knowing it was Ireland. NZ theerfore had to win one big game against an Irish team who played SA and then Scotland 7 days before. They won and it was de facto a semi final because they were playing a relatively weak Argentina team and it was a walk over. In the final a very rested NZ team was playing a very tired SA team and still lost. They couldn’t score more than 11 points. Put another way SA had to find a way to win while tired and they achieved that. NZ should thank their lucky stars that they fixed the scheduling in 2015 otherwise they would be dealing with a Bok treble.
124 Go to commentsPerhaps if Bongi wasn’t targeted and removed from the game in the first 3 minutes it would have been quite a different game. Maybe if NZ also faced the same competition the Boks faced to their win NZ would have looked quite different. The final score shows who outplayed who.
124 Go to commentsRubbish article! Abuladze played most of Exeters matches when fit. He got injured against Glasgow a while ago and is out for the rest of the season, thats why he hasnt played for Exeter and Georgia recently. Do some proper research next time!
1 Go to commentsGotta love it when kids throw their toys out the pram and can’t hack it with the grown ups debate. Here’s looking at you turlough! 😉🤣
148 Go to commentsThey lost the game period move on
124 Go to commentsSpringboks won! Stop winging. You can change the game however much you and your rugby colonizing IRB want to and the Springboks will win you at that too. Your mind is colonized my friend get a life
124 Go to commentsBen, nobody gets fooled anymore by selective and biased data to support an hypothesis. Games are decided on such small margins these days that you win some and lose some, and dominance is a thing of the rugby past. Look at the RWC circle of fortune…. Ireland beats SA who beat France who beat NZ who beat Ireland. And so it goes on. Match officials help to eliminate real indiscretions. If they had been with us years before, no doubt results would have been different. Remember Andy Haden’s dive from a lineout in 1978 for which a match-wining penalty was awarded? Wales should have beaten the ABs that day. They took the loss like the gentlemen they were.
124 Go to commentsWith all the analysis and how good the all blacks were.The fundamental mistake with the ABs is that this is a test match and not an exhibition.There is no better team(country) in world rugby than the Boks that knows how to win a test match(we are post masters at this).We know our rules, we have the discipline, we tackle like beasts, we take our points and we never give up.I now have educated the ABs supporters(at least say thank you).Please stop “bitching” , accept what the outcome is and move along swiftly.
124 Go to commentsAnd they came from behind to win two big games before the final. No one can say what would have happened. Had the boks gone behind the game plan changes and the result may changes. Ifs and ands are irrelevant. The boks won. Neutral critics enjoyed the games they played. Its not a popularity contest. Get over it and move on.
124 Go to commentsI'm happy for the people of SA to get a second WC. And I mean that. I was very disappointed with this man's “stand on the hand” incident with Josh Van Der Flyer (Ireland). Ireland's downfall in the last WC was they did not rotate their first 15 as the head coach probably should have. That said, I'm happy for SA and genuinely hope it lifts the mood in their country. Ireland did beat them in the first match of the tournament. And before the trolls start trolling ….. please don't bother. Etzbeth said recently that the Irish players said after the match “see you in the final”…..this was actually wishing the SA team the best of luck in the rest, the Irish team were not dismissing the AB’s. This is what Etzbeth was implying. But he was wrong. I no longer live in Ireland. But I hope to see them lift that cup before I pass. Anyway, congratulations SA. 👍
13 Go to comments