To appreciate what is building over the coming weeks, fans must understand the significance of every Test the All Blacks play against the Springboks in South Africa, writes MARK KEOHANE.
In a rematch of the 2023 Rugby World Cup final, the Boks face New Zealand in the Rugby Championship on 31 August at Ellis Park, before a 7 September duel in Cape Town.
The South Africans go into the mini-series on the back of a historically successful tour of Australia, where they collected back-to-back bonus-point wins.
The Kiwis, meanwhile, started their campaign with a shock loss to Argentina in Wellington, but bounced back with a stylish bonus-point victory last week.
Following their win when the two teams met in Paris less than a year ago, the Boks are looking at claiming three wins in a row over the All Blacks for just the second time in the professional era, matching the record set in 2009.
Writing for TimesLIVE, Keohane highlights the intense significance of the upcoming clashes. He recalls how winning in South Africa was historically a challenge for the All Blacks, with Sean Fitzpatrick’s 1996 team being the first to achieve a series victory in the professional era.
KEO: All hail Bok history makers
The two teams share a legacy of closely fought matches, with the Boks holding 26 home wins and the All Blacks 25 in their 52 South African visits.
Keohane reflects on All Blacks legends Justin Marshall and Christian Cullen, whose experiences of winning in South Africa embody the reverence for this rivalry. He suggests that current Boks will be inspired by this history as they prepare to face the All Blacks at Ellis Park, where past triumphs and heartbreaks will weigh on both sides.
“It just does not get bigger in world rugby than the All Blacks versus the Springboks in South Africa and Scott Robertson’s All Blacks get the rare opportunity in the modern era to win a series in South Africa,” Keohane writes.
“It is at Ellis Park where the two start the latest chapter of a rivalry that sits at 106 Tests, with 52 of them having been played in South Africa. The average score is 20-19 to the All Blacks.
“So little separates the two greatest rugby nations. To fully appreciate what is building over the next two weeks, there must be an understanding of what has played out in the previous 106 Tests.”
Photo: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images/Getty Images
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Src: sarugbymag.co.za
