Boks poised to repeat historic feat in Baltimore
SPOTLIGHT: The Springboks could rewrite their own piece of history when they face the All Blacks in the series-decider of the Greatest Rivalry series in Baltimore this Saturday.
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South Africa can’t lose the series following their 29-24 victory over New Zealand at FNB Stadium this past weekend, and are in pole position to clinch the RGR trophy should they get the win on USA soil.
Should they manage that feat, they would repeat one they achieved 17 years ago.
The Springboks defeated the All Blacks three times in a row during the 2009 Tri Nations (now the Rugby Championship) to clinch the trophy under former coach Pieter de Villiers.
This was the first and only time South Africa managed to defeat their old foes three times in one year during the professional era.
Two victories took place on South African soil (Bloemfontein and Durban), with the third and decisive one in Hamilton, New Zealand.
A victory this weekend would have a similar trend – two wins on home soil and one away, albeit on neutral ground this time around.
It would be another incredible feat in the Rassie Erasmus era should they manage to pull it off, and it would take another four years for that opportunity to come around when these sides meet for the second RGR series in 2030.
