Springboks make a statement with dominant win over All Blacks

No two Tests are ever the same in international rugby. The All Blacks dominated the Boks in Auckland last month, but it was a very different story at Twickenham on Friday night.

Tries to Siya Kolisi and Kurt Lee-Arendse saw the Boks taking a commanding lead into the break, and this continued throughout the second term as they ran away with a 35-7 win.

The All Blacks’ impressive unbeaten run comes to an end at the hands of their rivals, while the Springboks can take plenty of confidence into the upcoming Rugby World Cup.

Walking into the legendary venue before the Test, it was clear who the majority of fans were here to see. There was plenty of green around the streets of Twickenham, and even a mix of braai and drinks.

If you closed your eyes, even for a moment, you were practically transported to the streets of Johannesburg before a Test at Ellis Park. This was a Springboks home Test, even if it wasn’t.

The anticipation for another instalment of this enthralling rivalry continued to build and build as the clock continued to tick ever closer to 7.30 pm. Thousands flocked the stands at Twickenham, and they couldn’t wait.

As the teams made their way out on the hallowed turf at Twickenham, the noise that echoed throughout the stadium was incredible. It gave this writer goosebumps.

After the anthems and a passionate rendition of Kapa O Pango from the All Blacks, the Test was finally here. The waiting was all but over.

All Blacks fullback Beauden Barrett kicked the ball high into the London sky as the Test got underway on Friday evening.

Things started slow, if only for a while, as both teams began to ease their way into the Test – but one of them, clearly, did that better than the other.

It was all the Springboks throughout the first half of the Test. The All Blacks were in survival mode, but did enough to hang on – for a while, at least.

Following a series of penalties from the New Zealanders, which saw Scott Barrett and Sam Cane sent to the sin bin, Springboks captain Siya Kolisi opened the scoring in the 18^th minute.

Just as it was during their disastrous run of losses last year, poor discipline and errors were the All Blacks’ Achilles heel. Against a team like the Springboks, you’ll be made to pay.

Midfielder Jordie Barrett threw an intercept in the 34^th minute, and Kurt Lee-Arendse reaped the rewards. The wing scored under the sticks to give the Boks a commanding 14-nil advantage.

But the worst was yet to come.

Lock Scott Barrett was sent to the sin bin for a needless high tackle on a defenceless Dane Vermeulen, and two yellows make a red. Barrett’s night was done, and the All Blacks were in trouble.

Wing Will Jordan gave the All Blacks a glimmer of hope though with a try on the stroke of half-time, only for the TMO to dismiss the score for a knock-on.

The All Blacks were held to zero, and were down to 14 men. As for the Boks, they were playing some of their best rugby since maybe the 2019 World Cup.

The good times continued to roll after the break for the Boks, with hooker Malcolm Marx scoring about a minute into the second term.

Beauden Barrett kicked a cross-field kick, inside his 22 too, directly into touch on the full. The Boks, and Marx, made the most of their opportunity to strike.

Another Beauden Barrett error, this time on the defensive side of the ball, almost saw Boks centre Canan Moodie score a brilliant solo try. Moodie danced around Barrett, with ease, and had the pace to beat covering defenders to the line

But the score was called back by the TMO. New Zealanders could breathe a sigh of relief, if only for a bit. The Springboks continued to launch waves of attacking pressure.

But the Springboks sacrificed their one-man advantage with flanker Pieter-Steph du Toit leaving the field after a high tackle on All Blacks captain Sam Cane. Du Toit’s yellow card went under review, though, but remained unchanged.

It didn’t trouble the Boks, though, with replacement Bongi Mbonambi scoring before du Toit returned to the field. The raced out to a 28-nil lead with 20 minutes to play.

Nobody saw that coming, and the attacking onslaught wasn’t over either.

Replacement Kwagga Smith scored with just over 10 minutes to play, and that sent the Boks fans into a frenzy. This was probably their best win over the All Blacks ever.

It was enough for some New Zealand fans as they began to make their way for the exit.

Replacement Cam Roigard scored a brilliant solo try which saw the All Blacks avoid ‘naught’ for the first time in quite some time.

In front of a crowd of more than 80,000 people, the Springboks made a statement ahead of the upcoming Rugby World Cup.