Springboks hang on against All Blacks to level Greatest Rivalry series

MATCH REPORT: The Springboks responded to last week’s defeat at Ellis Park with a 33-26 victory over the All Blacks in the second Test of the Greatest Rivalry series in Cape Town.

The All Blacks outscored the Boks by four tries to three in the match. However, Cheslin Kolbe’s boot proved to be the difference as he contributed 18 points.

It’s now 1-1 in the series ahead of the third Test at FNB Stadium next weekend. The fourth and final Test will take place in Baltimore on September 12.

There were some late changes ahead of the clash at DHL Stadium with Rassie Erasmus shuffling his front row. Deon Fourie, Gerhard Steenekamp, and Thomas du Toit started the match, which meant that Malcolm Marx, Ox Nche, and Wilco Louw played off the replacements bench.

Those players coming off the bench made an impact, especially Malcolm Marx, who gave the All Blacks problems at the breakdowns.

It was an emphatic start for the Springboks with a powerful driving maul laying the platform before the ball went wide to Jesse Kriel to run in for the first try in the second minute.

The All Blacks started to find some rhythm on attack after that, but they were stopped by some big scrambling defence by the Boks.

However, the All Blacks eventually found a way through, and it came from a well-worked move that saw Will Jordan beat his man out wide before he fed the ball to Cam Roigard, who finished things with the try.

Cheslin Kolbe put the Boks back in front with a penalty goal in the 19th minute before the lead was extended a few minutes later with Damian de Allende stretching over for a try after sustained pressure.

Once again, a powerful maul gave the Boks the momentum in the build-up to that score.

The All Blacks were straight back in it in the 30th minute after Ardie Savea found space from a line-out before the ball went wide again and this time Damian McKenzie was on hand to finish in the corner.

However, the Boks seemed to have the upper hand with their pack, especially after the introduction of Nche and Marx off the bench in the 36th minute, and the home side scored their third try when captain Siya Kolisi powered over after a few phases.

At half-time it was 24-14 to the Springboks.

Kolbe made it a 16-point ball game with two penalty goals inside the first 11 minutes of the second half.

The All Blacks tried to find a way back into the game, and they eventually got it in the 66th minute when Leroy Carter was put into space down the touchline to race away for his team’s third try.

To alleviate the pressure, Kolbe landed his fourth penalty goal to make it a 14-point lead.

The final stages of the game were nervy for the Boks with Ardie Savea scoring a try in the 77th minute before Lood de Jager got sent to the sin bin for a high tackle.

However, the Boks’ defence managed to keep the All Blacks out in those final moments.

Man of the match: Malcolm Marx provided a huge impact off the bench, especially at the breakdowns. Eben Etzebeth also disrupted the All Blacks’ line-outs all game. However, the award goes to Springbok wing Cheslin Kolbe. His kicking boot was vital as he contributed 18 points to his team’s total. There were also times when he showed his pedigree on attack and defence.

The scorers:

For South Africa:
Tries: Kriel, De Allende, Kolisi
Cons: Kolbe 3
Pens: Kolbe 4

For New Zealand:
Tries: Roigard, McKenzie, Carter, Savea
Cons: Love 3

Yellow card: Lood de Jager (South Africa, 80′ – foul play, high tackle)

Teams:

South Africa: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Ethan Hooker, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Deon Fourie, 1 Gerhard Steenekamp.
Replacements: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Ox Nche, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 Lood de Jager, 20 Andre Esterhuizen, 21 Cameron Hanekom, 22 Morne van den Berg, 23 Manie Libbok.

New Zealand: 15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Will Jordan, 13 Quinn Tupaea, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Leroy Carter, 10 Ruben Love, 9 Cam Roigard, 8 Ardie Savea (captain), 7 Luke Jacobson, 6 Simon Parker, 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 4 Fabian Holland, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 George Bower.
Replacements: 16 Asafo Aumua, 17 Xavier Numia, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Patrick Tuipoluto, 20 Peter Lakai, 21 Kyle Preston, 22 Anton Lienert-Brown, 23 Josh Moorby

Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)
Assistant referees: Karl Dickson (England), Sam Grove-White (Scotland)
TMO: Brett Cronan (Australia)