By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Springboks cured their Eden Park hangover in the perfect way, securing a rampant 43-10 win over the All Blacks in Hamilton on Saturday morning (SA Time).
The All Blacks’ heaviest-ever Test defeat sees them drop from No 1 to No 3.
The Boks trailed 10-7 at the break after failing to convert their territorial dominance into points, but crossed the line five times in a superb second-half performance to claim a bonus-point win (their biggest-ever against the All Blacks), retain the Freedom Cup and return to the top of the World Rugby Rankings.
The world champions have 10 log points after four rounds of the competition, the same as the All Blacks, with two matches against Argentina to come. The Wallabies top the log with 11 points, while Los Pumas have nine.
An 18th-minute try from Leroy Carter had given the All Blacks the lead, but the home fans were stunned by a barrage of late tries.
Cheslin Kolbe lit the spark with the Springboks’ first try from an intercept, then grabbed another early in the second half.
Despite a succession of backline injuries in a chaotic second half, Damian Willemse, Kwagga Smith, RG Snyman and Andre Esterhuizen then crossed for the Springboks in the final 20 minutes as the clinical away side recorded their most dominant win over the All Blacks in over 100 years of matches.
Captain Siya Kolisi says belief and a fearless mindset drove the Springboks to their record win.
“We played fearlessly,” Kolisi said. “We said before [the game] we were not going to hold back, we knew what we need to do. And we believed in ourselves, that was the most important.”
The captain added that younger teammates were urged to embrace the stage.
“We told guys like Sacha [Feinberg-Mngomezulu] we are not boxing, do what’s in your skillset and go 100%. That is what we did today.”
Beyond the margin of victory, Kolisi emphasised the importance of staying alive in the Rugby Championship race. The Boks are second on the log with 10 points, just one behind the Wallabies, with two matches against Argentina to come.
“All we wanted was the win. We are happy that we showed the fight to get back into the running, that is all that matters to us.”
Kolisi closed by highlighting the squad’s collective effort.
“I have to give credit to my boys, we didn’t give up, and to the coach for giving players an opportunity in a game like this.”
When the Rugby Championship resumes on September 27, New Zealand will host Australia at Auckland’s Eden Park and the Springboks play Argentina in Durban.