The Springboks took a significant step towards securing the Rugby Championship title with a thrilling 31-27 victory over the All Blacks at Ellis Park on Saturday. Trailing 17-27 with under 12 minutes remaining, South Africa rallied with late tries from Kwagga Smith and Grant Williams to clinch a memorable win in Johannesburg.
Despite the All Blacks outscoring the Springboks by four tries to three, 16 points from the boot of Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu proved crucial. With three rounds left, the Springboks now hold an eight-point lead over New Zealand in the standings.
The match began with the All Blacks applying early pressure, forcing the Springboks into defensive scrambles. This pressure led to a yellow card for Aphelele Fassi in the seventh minute. From the ensuing penalty, Codie Taylor scored the opening try for New Zealand with a powerful driving maul.
South Africa quickly responded, with hooker Bongi Mbonambi breaking off a driving maul to score a try in the 17th minute, though Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s conversion attempt was unsuccessful. He made up for it with a 61-meter penalty in the 30th minute to give South Africa a one-point lead.
New Zealand regained the lead after Caleb Clarke capitalized on an unforced midfield error, scoring their second try. Feinberg-Mngomezulu narrowed the gap again with a penalty just before halftime, but the All Blacks went into the break ahead.
The second half started well for New Zealand as Jordie Barrett intercepted a pass from Damian de Allende and raced away for their third try. Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Damian McKenzie exchanged penalties before the All Blacks received an official warning for repeated infringements at the breakdown. This allowed Feinberg-Mngomezulu to add another penalty in the 60th minute.
The All Blacks looked strong with ball in hand, and Clarke scored his second try in the 52nd minute following excellent play from a line-out. However, a pivotal moment came in the final quarter when South Africa’s pack gained dominance.
Ofa Tu’ungafasi’s yellow card for collapsing a maul in the 68th minute set the stage for Smith to power over for a try shortly thereafter. South Africa took the lead in the 75th minute with a brilliant individual effort from Williams.
Despite New Zealand’s efforts, the Springboks managed the final minutes effectively to maintain their unbeaten run in this year’s tournament.
Man of the Match: Flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu showed great composure in the final quarter, guiding his side to victory despite some earlier mistakes. Scrumhalf Grant Williams contributed with the winning try. However, the standout performer was Pieter-Steph du Toit, who dominated in physical exchanges both with ball in hand and on defense.
Moment of the Match: The decisive moment came with Grant Williams’ try in the 75th minute, which secured the win for the Springboks.
Villain of the Match: Given the intensity of the game, no player stands out as a villain.
Scorers:
South Africa:
- Tries: Mbonambi, Smith, Williams
- Conversions: Feinberg-Mngomezulu (2)
- Penalties: Feinberg-Mngomezulu (4)
New Zealand:
- Tries: Taylor, Clarke (2), Barrett
- Conversions: McKenzie (2)
- Penalty: McKenzie
Yellow Cards:
- Aphelele Fassi (South Africa, 7′ – cynical play, offside)
- Ofa Tu’ungafasi (New Zealand, 68′ – cynical play, collapsing the maul)
Teams:
South Africa:
- Ox Nche, 2. Bongi Mbonambi, 3. Frans Malherbe, 4. Pieter-Steph du Toit, 5. Ruan Nortje, 6. Siya Kolisi (captain), 7. Ben-Jason Dixon, 8. Jasper Wiese, 9. Cobus Reinach, 10. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 11. Kurt-Lee Arendse, 12. Damian de Allende, 13. Jesse Kriel, 14. Cheslin Kolbe, 15. Aphelele Fassi.
- Replacements: 16. Malcolm Marx, 17. Gerhard Steenekamp, 18. Vincent Koch, 19. Eben Etzebeth, 20. Elrigh Louw, 21. Kwagga Smith, 22. Grant Williams, 23. Handre Pollard.
New Zealand:
- Tamaiti Williams, 2. Codie Taylor, 3. Tyrel Lomax, 4. Scott Barrett (captain), 5. Tupou Vaa’i, 6. Ethan Blackadder, 7. Sam Cane, 8. Ardie Savea, 9. TJ Perenara, 10. Damian McKenzie, 11. Caleb Clarke, 12. Jordie Barrett, 13. Rieko Ioane, 14. Will Jordan, 15. Beauden Barrett.
- Replacements: 16. Asafo Aumua, 17. Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 18. Fletcher Newell, 19. Sam Darry, 20. Samipeni Finau, 21. Cortez Ratima, 22. Anton Lienert-Brown, 23. Mark Tele’a.
Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland) Assistant Referees: Matthew Carley (England), Jordan Way (Australia) TMO: Brian MacNeice (Ireland)
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