Springboks hold firm against All Blacks fightback to level series

Staring down the barrel of trailing 2-0 in Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series, Rassie Erasmus’ Springboks bounced back at DHL Stadium in Cape Town to level the four-Test series.

The Springboks were always going to bite back fiercely, doing so in a way only the back-to-back Rugby World Cup winners could. The home side were dominant from the get-go, bursting out of the blocks to stun the All Blacks in the opening quarter. The visitors, who claimed a famous victory at Ellis Park in the first Test, struggled for large parts of the contest until the final 15 minutes, where Dave Rennie’s men battled back.

It was brutal by the Springboks. Not only did they lift their own performance, but the Springboks forced Dave Rennie’s side to make countless unforced errors and uncharacteristic kicks that handed possession back to the home side.

Initially, the All Blacks opted to kick away several attacking opportunities, gifting the Springboks the ball back. But the game plan swiftly adjusted, as Rennie’s side attacked more from the edge.

The Springboks’ power game was on show during the first 40 minutes, proving difficult for the All Blacks around the field and close to the line. Rennie’s side couldn’t get enough bodies in front, double shoulders in the tackle, or set the ball free as they did so often at Ellis Park just seven days ago.

The second half was clunky, with the Springboks, smartly, choosing to go up in threes as the All Blacks infringed.

Rennie’s side had a late comeback, through tries to Ardie Savea and Leroy Carter, but it wasn’t enough as the Springboks held on to level the series.

It was a dream start for the Springboks, opening the scoring in the second minute through Jesse Kriel. The Springboks used their maul to great effect to earn the opportunity, driving down the field into the All Blacks’ 22. Siya Kolisi carried hard over the gain line, before a wide pass to Kriel put the experienced centre over the line. Cheslin Kolbe made no mistake with the conversion.

The All Blacks’ first opportunity came in the eleventh minute when Damian McKenzie found space in the Springboks defensive line. McKenzie found Will Jordan with a grubber kick, but the winger couldn’t find the chalk.

Minutes later, the attacking depth from the All Blacks was on show. Jordie Barrett and Ruben Love were used as passers, shifting it to Leroy Carter, who gave the ball early to Jordan. The winger looked inside, putting Cameron Roigard in under the posts.

Tyrel Lomax was pinged for being offside during a Springboks attack, as Kolbe re-took the lead from out in front.

Once again, the Springboks’ driving maul proved a challenge for the All Blacks to stop, leading to another try. Damian De Allende was the beneficiary, shrugging off two defenders to score the home side’s second.

All Blacks captain Ardie Savea broke the line off a lineout move, linking up with Carter. The left-winger shifted it left, where McKenzie had no South African defenders in sight, scoring in the right-hand corner. Love’s conversion from the touchline sailed over the posts to close the gap to three.

Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s cross-field kick landed just inside the field, giving Kolbe the chance to toe it ahead and win a penalty on the All Blacks line. In the same spot that Kriel crossed, Kolisi powered over to give the home side an eight-point advantage heading into the second half.

HT: 24-14 to the Springboks.

Both teams struggled to gain ascendancy during the first five minutes of the second half, with a large part of it spent at scrum time. Two clumsy let-offs by the All Blacks gifted Kolbe back-to-back threes, on either side of the posts.

The visitors continued their kicking strategy, without much reward, until Ox Nche was offside an All Blacks ruck. Rennie’s side, in their first opportunity in the second half, coughed up the following lineout.

Fabian Holland, who contributed brilliantly in the build-up, gave it to Quinn Tupaea on the left edge, throwing a crisp pass to Carter on the left. Carter put the foot down, scoring an important try to start a comeback for the All Blacks.

Malcolm Marx earned a crucial breakdown penalty in midfield to slow down an All Blacks comeback, as Kolbe extended the lead to 14.

Savea hit back late, following Jordan’s close attempt down the right-hand touchline. Love’s conversion was successful, as the game entered its final stages.

Lood de Jager, who only just joined the contest, was yellow-carded by Australian referee Angus Gardner for a high-shot on Leroy Carter. With the All Blacks threatening with the ball in hand, Andre Esterhuizen came up with a clutch turnover to claim victory at DHL Stadium.

Final score: 33-26, Springboks.