South Africa v New Zealand - five iconic Ellis Park face-offs

South Africa and New Zealand have a storied history in the game, dating back to 1921.

Next Saturday, August 31, they will write another chapter in that famed chronology when they face off at Ellis Park in Johannesburg – Round Three of the 2024 Rugby Championship.

The two countries have met 110 times, or 106 if you discount the 1986 New Zealand Cavaliers tour to South Africa.

For this article, I will include the Cavaliers’ results.

They were the All Blacks for all intents and purposes.

Of the 30 players who had been selected for the cancelled 1985 tour to the Republic, only David Kirk and John Kirwan did not join the Cavaliers.

The All Blacks won 63 of these encounters since 1921, the Springboks 43 and there were four drawn matches.

My hyperawareness of this iconic rivalry started in 1970 – when the legendary team of Brian Lochore toured South Africa. As a 10-year-old I followed Test matches on a dilapidated wireless, tuned with match sticks because the knobs were no longer functioning.

However, the colourful commentary of Spiekeries – or Gerhard Viviers – brought the games to life.

Six years later, Andy Leslie’s All Blacks arrived in South Africa, again as favourites.

This time, approaching the end of my schooling, I had the privilege of being an usher at all three New Zealand games at the iconic Doornfontein stadium – against Transvaal, the Junior Springboks and the Test.

I have watched many Springboks versus All Black matches since – live and on television.

However, with a view to next Saturday’s World Cup Final replay, I have picked the five best matches between South Africa and New Zealand I attended at Ellis Park!

September 18, 1976: South Africa 15–14 New Zealand

In those days, at least at Ellis Park, it was a practice to use schoolboys as ushers. The award was that you had free entry to watch the All Blacks. As soon as the match was about to kick off, we jumped the fence and sat pitch side on the grass watching the drama unfold.

South Africa, leading the four-Test series 2-1 – with wins in Durban (16-7) and Cape Town (15-10), along with a loss in Bloemfontein (9-15) sandwiched in between – faced a mammoth challenge against Andy Leslie’s vengeful All Blacks.

The Boks, relying on their gargantuan pack, had the reliable boot of Gerald Bosch behind the likes of Rampie Stander, Piston van Wyk, Johan Strauss, Moaner van Heerden, Kevin de Klerk, Boland Coetzee, Klippies Kritzinger and captain Morné du Plessis.

Ian Kirkpatrick, playing as a No.4 lock, opened the scoring with a try for the tourists. Bosch replied with a drop-goal for the home team, before scrumhalf Sid Going sniped over from close range to make it 8-3 for the tourists.

Big Klippies Kritzinger got the Boks’ first try, with Bosch’s conversion giving the hosts the lead for the first time – 9-8.

Doug Bruce reclaimed the lead with a drop-goal (11-9), followed by a Bosch penalty and with Bryan Williams adding a penalty (14-12).

The All Blacks were penalised for pushing Kevin de Klerk out of the line-out, allowing Bosch to slot the match-winning kick, 15-14.

We, the ushers, were the first on the playing surface to get a close-up view of the warriors.

May 31, 1986: South Africa 24-10 New Zealand

Ten years later, now a journalist on my first major international tour, I saw the Boks open the series with a 21-15 win over the Cavaliers at Newlands – a result I not only accurately predicted, but won me a handy sum in the media pool.

New Zealand won 19-18 in Durban to level the series, before a 33-18 third Test win in Pretoria saw South Africa back in command.

Ellis Park was again the scene for the decider of a series nicknamed the ‘Battle of the Giants’.

The All Blacks even performed their traditional pre-match haka – the first time they did so on tour.

While the Bok pack – Frans Erasmus, Uli Schmidt, Piet Kruger, Schalk Burger (snr), Louis Moolman, Wahl Bartmann, Gert Smal and Jannie Breedt – again held the key, there was a very potent backline.

In my view, close to one of the most potent I ever saw – Garth Wright (I would have preferred Divan Serfontein), captain Naas Botha, Carel du Plessis, Michael du Plessis, Danie Gerber, Jaco Reinach (Ray Mordt was better) and Johan Heunis.

Ian Kirkpatrick, the manager of the ‘rebels’, explained they named Wayne Smith at flyhalf ahead of Grant Fox to play a more expansive game.

It proved to be a mistake and there were also plenty of complaints (post-match) about the refereeing of Ken Rowlands.

The Cavaliers, as they had done in earlier Tests, took an early lead – leading 10-6 at half-time.

However, New Zealand ran out of steam after the break, unable to halt the Springbok surge – allowing South Africa to score 18 points without reply, scrumhalf Garth Wright scoring their only try. Naas Botha kicked 17 points with one conversion and five penalties. Michael du Plessis added a drop-goal.

August 15, 1992: South Africa 24–27 New Zealand

Following the ‘rebel years’ – Cavaliers (1986), South Sea Barbarians (1987) & World XV (1989) – South Africa formally returned to the international stage with the ‘Return Test’ – the Springboks versus the All Blacks at Ellis Park.

With an ageing team – Heinrich Rodgers, Uli Schmidt, Lood Muller, Adolf Malan, Jannie Breedt, Naas Botha and Danie Gerber all 30 or older – the Boks were no match for a streetwise All Black team.

The first points of the match were scored by New Zealand’s Grant Fox from a penalty kick, with the first try going to New Zealand’s Zinzan Brooke following a quick tap penalty – which was converted by Fox. That saw the visitors taking an ominous 10-0 lead into the break.

The second half started with Botha kicking a penalty to narrow the gap to 3-10. However, Botha, uncharacteristically, missed two further penalty kicks – which proved crucial in the result of the match. John Kirwan scored a try for the All Blacks, converted by Fox, making the score 17–3, before Fox scored another penalty to make it 20–3. Danie Gerber then scored a try for the Springboks, which Botha converted.

Following some very ordinary defence, John Timu scored for the All Blacks, with the try again being converted by Fox.

In the last five minutes, South Africa scored two tries by Pieter Muller and Gerber, both converted by Botha – the final scoreline flattering the outclassed South African team.

June 24, 1995: South Africa 15–12 New Zealand

The date – June 24, 1995 – will forever be edged in the annals of the South African game.

There is the iconic picture of Nelson Mandela, wearing a No.6 Springbok jersey, handing the Webb Ellis Cup to the Bok captain.

However, the drama started in the build-up – with Nelson Mandela walking onto the pitch to rapturous chants of ‘Nelson, Nelson’ and included the iconic fly-by – captain Laurie Kay passing over just above the stadium in a Boeing 747-200 ZS-SAN, nicknamed ‘LEBOMBO’. The message ‘GOOD LUCK BOKKE‘ was stencilled beneath her wings and was witnessed by the full 62,000 capacity of Ellis Park.

It was a tryless Final – with drop-goals and penalties deciding the contest.

New Zealand’s nonpareil wing Jonah Lomu was contained by the now well-documented defence – the likes of flank Ruben Kruger, No.8 Mark Andrews, scrumhalf Joost van der Westhuizen and centre Japie Mulder shutting down his space. Andrew Mehrtens and Joel Stransky swapped penalty kicks, before a 32nd-minute drop-goal gave South Africa a 9–6 lead at half-time.

The All Blacks levelled the scores at 9–all with a Mehrtens drop-goal after 55 minutes. Mehrtens missed a late drop-goal, leaving the teams deadlocked by the completion of regulation time – forcing the game into extra time for the first time in a World Cup Final.

In extra time a Mehrtens penalty gave New Zealand a 12–9 lead. As half-time approached, Stransky put a high kick for his teammates to chase, and from the resultant play referee Morrison penalized the All Blacks for diving to the ground near the tackle, and Stransky levelled the scores at 12–all.

Seven minutes from time it was Stransky who scored the final points – #THAT famous drop-goal that secured South Africa their first World Cup win.

August 19, 2000: South Africa 46–40 New Zealand

Five years into the professional era, and South Africa struggling to replicate the form they showed in the early parts of the Nick Mallett era, the Johannesburg-based venue played host to one of the most manic games I ever had the privilege to witness live.

The Springboks outscored the All Blacks by six tries to four.

The hosts, scoring at virtually a point every minute, raced into a 33-13 lead just past the half-hour mark and their eventual tally of 46 was a record against the All Blacks by any team until Australia went one better in 2019.

Talked up as pre-match favourites, the All Blacks found the underdog Boks barking loud and biting hard in the opening exchanges, taking the lead – including an extremely popular first try scored by veteran South African favourite Chester Williams.

The All Blacks battled back into the game with outstanding outside backs Christian Cullen and Tana Umaga each scoring a brace of tries.

All Black flyhalf Andrew Mehrtens thought he had won the match when a drop-goal saw them regain the lead, 40-39, with only minutes remaining.

However, the Springboks – with the near-capacity 58,000 crowd roaring ‘Bok, Bok, Bok’ – stormed downfield and Werner Swanepoel dived over to secure a famous South African win in another riveting chapter to the rich history of Springboks versus All Black rivalry.

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