The Ultimate Rivalry – The Magnificent Seven
Test rugby is packed with fixtures which stir up emotion and create the fiercest of rivalries, whether it be the Calcutta Cup, the Bledisloe Cup or some of the brutal France v England games. However, one rivalry stands head and shoulders above all others – All Blacks v Springboks.
August 1921 at Carisbrook in Dunedin was the first time the two most successful rugby Test teams New Zealand and South Africa faced each other, where tries by Belliss, Steel & Storey resulted in a 13-5 home win for New Zealand. This was the start of an incomparable rivalry between the two pre-eminent Test teams, commonly known as the All Blacks and Springboks.
A one-hundred-year rivalry goes hand-in-hand with the hundredth Test match between the two teams at Queensland Country Bank Stadium this coming Saturday. The history of these two sides is packed with intrigue – extremely rare away series victories, the famous flour bomb Test in 1981, the controversial rebel Cavaliers tour in 1986 certainly has an asterisk next to it, and the recent modern Rugby World Cup matchups of 1995 and 2015 immediately spring to mind.
Some of the great players and legends of the game have played in this compelling fixture, Meads & Du Preez, Botha & Fox, Fitzpatrick & Schmidt to more recent greats like opposing captains McCaw & Smit whom both have lifted the Webb Ellis Cup. Only the highest quality rugby players star in this the most passionate of fixtures, where brutality meets brilliance and charisma meets character.
Graeme Peacock has a look at seven classic clashes between these great rivals after the Springboks returned from isolation in 1992.
South Africa 15 –12 New Zealand (World Cup Final)
24 June 1995 – Ellis Park
One of all the all-time classic Test matches, a game that changed a country – South Africa was riding the crest of a wave of emotion. From the moment Nelson Mandela entered Ellis Park with a Springbok No 6 jersey it felt like it would be a special occasion. As with most World Cup Finals it was a game of nip and tuck where favourites New Zealand couldn’t bring the new phenomenon Jonah Lomu into the game. Every tackle on the mammoth No 11, like those by Van Der Westhuizen and Mulder were greeted with rapturous applause.
The closest either side came to scoring a try was through Ruben Kruger when he crashed over the line only for Ed Morrison not to award the try. The game was all square at full time (9-9) with both flyhalves in Mehrtens & Stransky kicking all the points. The Springboks eventually winning in extra time 15-12 through a Joel Stransky drop goal in one of the great if not the greatest Rugby World Cup moment.
South Africa 24 – 27 New Zealand
15 August 1992 – Ellis Park
This was the official comeback of the Springboks to the Test arena and who better than to face the old foe in their first game back. Springbok fans had an expectation of rolling the All Blacks and the World Champions Australia on successive weekends to announce their return to the global rugby stage. However, a large dose of reality was awaiting Naas Botha and his charges, the lack of exposure to international rugby had taken its toll on Springbok rugby. The score line of 27-24 suggests it was a close encounter however this wasn’t truly the case. The All Blacks went into halftime 10-0 up through a converted Zinzan Brooke try and a penalty by No 10 Grant Fox.
Legends Kirwan and Gerber traded tries but with 70 minutes on the clock, the All Blacks seemed to be out of sight with a 27-10 lead, through a Timu try. Late tries by the superb Danie Gerber, his second of the day and Pieter Muller brought respectability to the scoreline, in truth the All Blacks were more convincing than the score suggests.
The Springboks were back in the Test arena though, however worse was to follow with a 26-3 loss to the Wallabies at a wet Newlands the following week showing there was much work to be done for the men in green and gold.
South Africa 24 – 23 New Zealand
15 August 1998 – Kings Park
Kings Park was the scene for one of the great Springbok comebacks in what was a key victory for Gary Teichmann’s side to go on and win the Tri Nations, finishing unbeaten at the same time. Taine Randell’s All Black side were in miserable form during the 1998 Tri-Nations, eventually losing all four of their games. However, in Durban they had rushed out to a 17-5 lead at halftime through tries by Justin Marshall and captain Taine Randell and seemed to be well and truly on the road to victory.
Two second-half penalties by Andrew Mehrtens extended the lead to 23-5. The Springboks trailing by 18 points with just under 15 minutes left on the clock threw everything they had at the All Blacks and tries by Joost Van Der Westhuizen, and Bob Skinstad brought them right back into the Test. A lineout drive by the Springboks in the dying stages resulted in James Dalton being awarded a try under a heap of bodies by Australian ref Peter Marshall in what proved to be one of the great comebacks by a special Springbok team. As a side note, the great Michael Jones & centre Walter Little had been dropped for this Test match and were never to wear the famous black jersey again.
New Zealand 55 – 35 South Africa
9 August 1997 – Eden Park
Ninety points in a Test match was unheard of, especially between two of the classic heavyweights in world rugby. This day in Auckland however it rained tries like never before, with a certain Carlos Spencer playing at flyhalf it was always going to expansive. The All Blacks scored seven tries on the day, six of them through backline players with the legendary Christian Cullen grabbing a double for the home team. Not to be completely outdone the Springboks scored five tries of their own in a game that was certainly pleasing on the eye for the neutral.
It was not surprising as the All Blacks scored a minimum of at least three tries in all their other Tri Nations Tests in 1997. At halftime there wasn’t much between the sides with New Zealand leading 23-21, both teams having scored three tries apiece. The Springboks were always going to be under pressure after the talisman backrower Andre Venter was red-carded early in the second half for stamping on All Black captain Sean Fitzpatrick, a three-week ban was to follow for Venter. The All Blacks ran in four second-half tries to cap a dominant display getting past a half-century of points.
New Zealand 20 – 18 South Africa (World Cup Semifinal)
24 October 2015 – Twickenham
The 2015 Rugby World Cup semi-final was as expected a game of attrition between the two great rivals, but it must be said it was also a game of high quality in tough conditions. This All Black side was arguably the greatest rugby side of all time sweeping opposition aside with relative ease, but the Springboks took them all the way to the bell. In Richie McCaw they had the most successful Test captain of all time, in Dan Carter probably the best No 10 of all time. Throw in players like Read, Retallick, Kaino, Nonu and the three Smiths and it is easy to see why they swept all before them. The Springboks had to get over the greatest shock in Test match history in their 34-32 defeat to Japan in the group stages.
A Springbok side full of quality got back on track and built up a good head of steam going into the semifinals. Kaino set the scene with an early try evading Lood De Jager in a tackle the tall second-rower would have expected to make. The metronomic boot of Handre Pollard kicking four first-half penalties meant a deserved 12-7 lead to the Springboks at halftime.
The All Blacks put the pressure on in wet London conditions in the second half with a Dan Carter penalty and drop goal as well a converted Beauden Barrett try meaning they got over the line despite a late Pat Lambie penalty. A week later with a dominant display over the Wallabies resulting in back-to-back World Cup wins for the All Blacks.
South Africa 22 – 29 New Zealand
21 August 2010 – Soccer City
This was an absolutely enthralling encounter at Soccer City stadium in Soweto, however, it was late heartbreak for Springbok captain John Smit in his 100th Test match. South Africa were leading 22-17 with only a couple of minutes to play in this fantastic venue which was purpose-built for the 2010 football World Cup only for a dramatic couple of tries by skipper Richie McCaw and substitute Israel Dagg to spoil the party. This victory meant the All Blacks extended their winning run to 14 successive matches and carried on a remarkable run of consistency.
In a rare off-day for Carter with the boot, the All Blacks managed to get over the line with sheer desire and determination. A Schalk Burger try in the 25th minute and the ever-dependable Morne Steyn meant that the Springboks went into halftime with a 16-14 lead.
A rare Tony Woodcock try kept the scoreboard ticking over for the men in black. However, some excellent running rugby by the visitors resulted in a late revival led by their trusted captain McCaw which proved to be a dagger through the heart of Smit and his men in green and gold, resulting in defeat to this relentless All Black team.
New Zealand 29 – 32 South Africa
12 September 2009 – Waikato Stadium
Test victories in New Zealand are extremely rare for any touring side but this was a special Springbok side that had developed and improved from the 2007 Rugby World Cup into an even more complete side. A series win against the British & Irish Lions in 2009 proved as much.
Three victories from three against the All Blacks in 2009 with this away win in Hamilton meaning a fantastic return for Smit and his side, with this result confirming their world number one status. A Francois Steyn kicking master class (including kicks from 60 & 57 metres) backed up by Morne Steyn in the kicking department to land 22 points between them meant they were well on their way to a famous victory in the land of the long white cloud.
A trademark intercept try by Jean De Villiers as well as a Fourie Du Preez try gave the Springboks a comfortable 29-12 lead only for the trademark All Black fight back which nearly resulted in another famous comeback. Tries by All Black number 1052 Sitiveni Sivivatu and a late try by captain McCaw meant it was once again a closely fought affair. Victory meant a Tri Nations series victory for Peter De Villiers’ Springbok team.
