Tomorrow marks the 100th Test match between the All Blacks and the Springboks, one of world sport’s greatest and most enduring rivalries.
Remarkably, it is also 100 years since New Zealand and South Africa first met in a rugby Test – on August 13, 1921 at the now demolished Carisbrook ground in Dunedin.
This historic Rugby Championship clash was originally scheduled to be played in Dunedin but was shifted to the unlikely venue of Townsville due to COVID-19.
Here’s a look back at the most iconic moments and the numbers that matter from rugby’s greatest rivalry.
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– THE HISTORY –
The rivalry has been built on an endless arm-wrestle to be crowned the world’s best, as both teams have enjoyed significant periods of global dominance in their histories.
It is also underlined by the unescapable cross-pollination of sport and politics, which has divided and reunited their rugby relationship over the years.
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– 1921 –
The first time the New Zealand public saw the Springboks in action. Their inaugural tour saw the three Test series shared 1-1 with a nil-all draw in the decider on a flooded Athletic Park in Wellington unable to separate the two sides. This is still the only time the All Blacks have been held scoreless on home soil.
– 1928 –
The All Blacks’ first great trek to South Africa. This was the start of 68 years of disappointment and frustration in the Republic until 1996’s historic tour. One hundred and thirty All Blacks had tried and failed to win a Test series in South Africa since 1928, but it wasn’t until 1996 that the drought was broken.
– 1970 –
Under the cloud of apartheid and political oppression of people of colour, the NZRU had originally postponed this tour in 1967 because of the anti-Maori policy. Disguised as a compromise, Maori were granted an exception under the guise of playing as ‘honorary whites’ allowing Auckland-born Samoan Bryan Williams to be among several players to be selected. The Springboks won the series 3-1, but it will be remembered for Williams’ exploits with ball in hand as he burst onto the global rugby scene scoring 14 tries in 13 matches in his first appearances in the black jersey. He is still the last All Black to score a try on Test debut in South Africa.
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– 1981 –
The ‘flour bomb Test’ at Eden Park, a match where politics and sport could no longer tiptoe around one another in what would be the last Test between these teams until 1992. All Blacks prop Gary Knight was hit in the head during play from debris dropped from a anti-Apartheid protestor’s Cessna 172 that buzzed across the ground, while pitch invaders, flares and smoke bombs hurled from the stands continually disrupted the match. The series was tied, and scores were level at 22-22 with three minutes to go before New Zealand’s Allan Hewson kicked the winning penalty to win the match and the series.
– 1995 Rugby World Cup final –
The Springboks were just three years into their return from sporting and political isolation, and spurred on by Nelson Mandela’s dream to reunify the nation, as the third World Cup decider went into extra time for the first time.
After exclusion from the first two tournaments in 1987 and 1991, the Springboks could officially be crowned the world’s best team.
– 1996 –
This tour encompassed four Tests against the Springboks, the last match of the newly minted Tri-Nations Series, and a separate three Test tour. The first match at Newlands did not count towards the series, and so the All Blacks had to start from scratch a week later in Durban.
The All Blacks had to defeat the Springboks at least three times on home soil to win the Tri-Nations and series; up until then the Springboks had not lost three home games in a season since 1974 against the British & Irish Lions, and only three times in their history (1891 & 1896 against Great Britain).
Then on August 24 at Loftus Versfeld, 68 years of heartache and disappointment came to an end. The failed tours of 1928, 1949, 1960, 1970 and 1976 were erased from memory. Just as a drop goal had decided the Springboks fate at Ellis Park in 1995, a 30m effort from Zinzan Brooke pushed the margin out to a converted try, leaving the All Blacks to defend their line ruthlessly for the remaining minutes to win the match and the series.
– 1998 –
The 50th Test between these two teams, and the winning team’s score was the same as 1921 (13 points), however it was South Africa who came away victorious at Athletic Park this day. After 49 matches, the ledger could barely have been closer: 24 wins for New Zealand and 22 for South Africa with three draws, while the total points tally stood at 654 for New Zealand and 648 for South Africa. The Springboks won 13-3, their first win in New Zealand since 1981, and their first Tri-Nations victory outside of South Africa.
– 2005 –
The first time the All Blacks performed Kapo o Pango in a Test match, making its debut against the Springboks at Carisbrook. The All Blacks won 31-27, making it 7/7 in Dunedin against South Africa. The Springboks would have to wait another three years before winning their maiden Test in this city.
– 2010 –
The first rugby Test to be played in Soweto, and Springboks captain John Smit’s 100th Test, this is one of New Zealand’s greatest ever comeback performances against South Africa. Trailing 22-17 with three minutes remaining, Richie McCaw scored in the corner to bring the visitors level, before a try to replacement Israel Dagg after fulltime secured the All Blacks’ 10th Tri-Nations title.
– 2018 –
South Africa arrived in Wellington having lost their past eight Tests against the All Blacks in New Zealand, including the previous two by a combined margin of 85 points. They had not beaten New Zealand in a Test in four years, and had not won in Wellington in 20 years. Down to 14 men in the final minutes they held on for a nail0biting 36-34 victory. That was the most points the All Blacks have ever conceded at home, and their highest scoring total in a losing a Test. Aphiwe Dyantyi became the first Springbok to score a double against the All Blacks in Wellington, and just the fifth overall to do so in New Zealand.
– THE CURRENT STATE OF PLAY –
World Rugby rankings: The All Blacks have returned to the top of the rankings for the first time since October 2019, overtaking South Africa who are now in second after consecutive losses against the Wallabies.
Rugby Championship: Victory in this match will secure New Zealand’s 18th Tri-Nations/ Rugby Championship crown combined since 1996, and seventh title in this four-team edition.
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– They currently sit 10 points clear on the ladder from second placed South Africa.
– The All Blacks won the first Test between these two teams, 13-5 in Dunedin, while the Springboks won the 50th Test 13-3 at Athletic Park in 1998.
– The All Blacks have won 59 of their 99 Tests against the Springboks, with 36 losses and four draws.
– This will be the fifth time they have met on neutral soil, and the first outside of a Rugby World Cup (1999 in Cardiff, 2003 in Melbourne, 2015 at Twickenham and 2019 in Yokohama).
– It has been 735 days since their last meeting, with the All Blacks winning 23-13 in Yokohama at RWC 2019.
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– All BLACKS STATS –
No All Black has ever scored a hat-trick against the Springboks in 100 years of Tests against each other. Seventeen players have scored doubles, with Christian Cullen’s four (1997, 1999, two in 2000) the most of any All Black.
Rieko Ioane is only three tries away from equalling Ben Smith’s All Blacks record for most Rugby Championship tries (18), and six tries away from Bryan Habana’s competition record of 21 tries.
– Ioane has scored at least one try in four of his past five Tests against South Africa.
– Ioane is the last All Black to score a double against the Springboks, with two tries at Sky Stadium in 2018.
– If he scores on Saturday, he will become just the fifth All Black to score more than five tries against the Springboks.
– Christian Cullen has the most All Blacks Test tries against South Africa with 10.
– Beauden Barrett requires 12 more points to become just the third All Black in Test history to score 700 plus points, after Dan Carter (1598) and Andrew Mehrtens (967).
– SOUTH AFRICA STATS –
Trevor Nyakane will play his 50th Test match. He made his debut in 2013 against Italy in Durban, and has earned just eight of his 49 caps as a starter.
– This will be his first career start against the All Blacks, earning his past eight caps against them from the bench.
Morne Steyn holds the record for most individual points in a single Test against the All Blacks, scoring all 31 points in their 31-19 victory at Kings Park in Durban in 2009.
– Steyn is South Africa’s all-time leading point scorer in Tests against the All Blacks (139).
Handre Pollard requires four more points to become just the third Springbok in Test history to score 100 points against the All Blacks (Morne Steyn 139 and Percy Montgomery 103).
Siya Kolisi captained the Springboks to their first win in Wellington since 1998 when they won 36-24 at Sky Stadium in 2018. This was their first victory on Kiwi soil in almost a decade.
If used, Frans Steyn will play his 10th Test against the All Blacks in a span that began in 2007 in Durban.
– Steyn was part of the team who won the Springboks’ first ever Test at Carisbrook in 2008, and their 2009 victory in Hamilton where they completed their first ever Tri-Nations clean sweep of New Zealand.