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Watch: The miraculous win that saved the Erasmus regime and changed the trajectory of the Springboks
Heading into the All Blacks first clash against the Springboks in 2018, new coach Rassie Erasmus had lost two Rugby Championship games in a row against Argentina and Australia.
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With the All Blacks at the top of the rugby world, the expectation was that they would beat South Africa handsomely after previous wins at home of 57-0 in 2017 and 41-13 in 2016. They had not lost at home since 2009 during the stretch of their two World Cup-winning campaigns.
Before the match Rassie Erasmus claimed he was under pressure to retain his job even after committing to SARU on a long term contract.
“Yes‚ I do think so‚” he responded when asked about his prospects diminishing after a defeat to the New Zealanders.
“Maybe I will not be fired immediately but pressure will definitely mount‚” Erasmus said.
“I will probably not be in the seat in the next couple of matches and somebody else will be here.
“For me to survive is very important and if we can beat the All Blacks here‚ everyone will think that there is growth and we have a realistic chance of winning the World Cup next year.
“But‚ if we do badly‚ I can tell you it will be a different story.”
The Springboks started slow out of the blocks with the All Blacks scoring two early tries to Jordie Barrett and Aaron Smith, falling to a 12-0 deficit.
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Staring down the gun barrel, the Springboks managed to score two quick tries with Willie Le Roux setting up Aphiwe Dyantyi before grabbing one himself when an ill-advised quick lineout throw went astray.
The Springboks were able to build a 24-17 halftime lead which quickly exploded to 31-17 when debutant Cheslin Kolbe pinched an intercept just minutes into the second half.
The All Blacks kept punching back with tries despite an off-night from Beauden Barrett where 8 points were left on the field through missed kicks.
Down to the last possession of the game, the Springboks clung on to a 2-point lead up 36-34 as the All Blacks pressed their goal line.
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The moment would become a massive talking point and criticism of Steve Hansen’s side following the match with the All Blacks’ leadership thrown into question.
Every nrl team – even the one on the bottom of the table – has a drop goal plan. Why not the All Blacks? #NZLvsRSA
— Ali Ikram (@AliIkram) September 15, 2018
Wow!! Congrats to the Boks. The ABs really need to learn you can win by dropping goals it’s not an insult if you use that option #NZLvsRsa
— Sam[uel] Smith (@sgowsmith1988) September 15, 2018
The knock on by the All Blacks right there…did someone turn off the skills switch? #NZLvsRSA
— AC (@TheStroBro) September 15, 2018
The All Blacks spread the ball wide in search of a try when a rushing Dyantyi pressured Damian McKenzie, stripping the ball one-on-one and forcing a knock-on.
With unmarked men outside him, the All Blacks would have surely scored but the knock-on ended the game with the clock already well-passed 80-minutes.
The Springboks players immediately became overwhelmed with emotion as they just pulled off what many thought was impossible.
I hope every single South African who joked, criticised and mocked the @Springboks this week eat humble pie and apologise. What an effort. More than 226 tackles. Come on.
— ?y?? ????? (@CowansView) September 15, 2018
I loved Peter-Steph du Toit’s tears. That’s #beingaman #NZLvsRSA #bokke
— Penza (@pedvr) September 15, 2018
Every single statistic points to a massacre. All Blacks had 75% possession, 79% territory. Boks had to make 226 tackles today. All Blacks made 46.
But it wasnt. It was a famous win.
Well done @Springboks #NZvSA— Brenden Nel (@BrendenNel) September 15, 2018
One of the greatest & most exciting victories I have ever witnessed by the @Springboks felt like a World Cup final, they showed guts, character and talent to bring it home! Siya Kolisi – take a bow, one hell of a leader! Rassie ? you did it! #NZLvsRSA #RugbyChampionship #Bokke
— Mandi Strimling (@MandiStrimling) September 15, 2018
Hey Springboks, that's how won World Cups, that's how Springboks play. Proud of you boys!
— Dan Retief (@Retief_Dan) September 15, 2018
Just catching up with #NZLvRSA. What a Test match! Some insanely good rugby on both sides. Immense effort from the Springboks. Been a long time coming.
— Andy Burke (@AndyBurke_) September 15, 2018
What the @Springboks did in Wellington is something that should be celebrated as 1 of the most important victories in recent history. Hats off fellaz!!
— Sensei_Juice (@MogulJuice) September 15, 2018
“We just have to respect them a little more…”Ian Foster AB assistant coach. Shouldn’t you respect all your opponents…even if you the ALL BLACKS ?#NZLvsRsa
— Eduard Coetzee (@coetzee_eduard) September 15, 2018
Love the emotion of the South African players after the game. What a win. Defence at the end unreal. Gives all the rest some hope against the ABs. Brilliant match ????#NZLvsRsa
— Shane Murphy (@smurphser) September 15, 2018
All Black coach Steve Hansen said his side’s dressing room was in a sombre mood following the defeat with the pain of the loss setting in.
“Any time you lose, of course it hurts,” Hansen said after the match.
“The dressing room’s very somber, very quiet.
“It doesn’t happen very often – but it’s important we learn something from it, otherwise it’s a waste of time.”
One of the Springbok heroes from the win, Willie Le Roux, said the embattled side had been playing for the support of the people back home in order to restore national pride in the Springboks.
“We said the whole week, us 23 guys playing, management, all the guys travelling with, training against us, it’s about putting the pride back in the jersey,” he said.
“It’s about making the people back home proud.”
Erasmus said they had been targetting this game to prove their World Cup credentials as ‘nobody beats them there’.
“We could have lost this game in the last minute, so we were a bit lucky,” said Erasmus.
“But we are very relieved and very proud to beat New Zealand in New Zealand.
“Our big thing was, and all respect to New Zealand, when we started the planning we said one way of coming back [from a couple of poor seasons] was beating New Zealand in New Zealand and that was months ago.
“When we lost those two games in a row, you do lose some belief, but we always targeted this game to turn things around and be real contenders at the World Cup.”
Comments on RugbyPass
A wallaby front-row of Bell, Blake and Tupou…now that would be hefty
1 Go to comments“But with an exceptional pass accuracy rating “ Which apart from Roigard is not a feature of any of the other 9s in NZ. Kind of basic for a Black 9 dont.you. think? Yet we keep seeing FC and TJ being rated ahead of him? Weird if it’s seen as vital to get our backline beating in your face defences.
1 Go to commentsThanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
11 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
10 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
11 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
24 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
10 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
35 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
35 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
17 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to comments