All Blacks Hold Firm as Springboks Fight Back at Eden Park
- The All Blacks came out firing at Eden Park, putting the Springboks under early pressure with an electric start
- South Africa showed resilience in the second half, mounting a fightback that threatened to shift momentum in a thrilling contest
- The final stages were tense and closely fought, with both teams battling fiercely in a Castle Lager Rugby Championship clash that kept fans on the edge of their seats
- Briefly News had an exclusive interview with rugby analyst Hannes Lotter, who gave his brutal assessment of the Springboks' performance
The All Blacks survived a late Springboks comeback in a thrilling Castle Lager Rugby Championships match at Eden Park on Saturday, 6 September.
Source: Getty Images
The Springboks came into this match on the back of beating the Wallabies 30-22 in Cape Town, a result that avenged the 22-38 defeat they had suffered from them at Ellis Park Stadium.
New Zealand set the tone early at Eden Park, with Emoni Narawa opening the scoring from a Beauden Barrett cross-kick in just the third minute. Will Jordan added a second try in the 18th minute, giving the All Blacks a 14-0 lead.
Watch the clip below:
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The Springboks hit back with a Pollard penalty in the 23rd minute, but New Zealand extended their advantage through a Daniel McKenzie penalty early in the second half, taking the score to 17-3.
How did the Springboks fight back?
South Africa showed fight as Malcom Marx crashed over following a dominant scrum, with Sasha Feinberg Mngomezulu converting to make it 17-10 in the 63rd minute. However, mistakes proved costly for the Boks as Quinn Tupaea’s try, converted by McKenzie, extended New Zealand’s lead to 24-10 with 12 minutes remaining.
As seen in the tweet below:
The Springboks refused to give up, though. Another powerful scrum set up Reinach to snip over for South Africa’s second try. Mngomezulu’s conversion on the angle narrowed the gap to 24-17 with just five minutes to go, adding a tense finish to the clash.
In the end, the All Blacks held on for a hard-fought victory at Eden Park, while the Springboks’ late surge came just short.
Source: Getty Images
Where did the Springboks lose the match?
Briefly News had an exclusive interview with former rugby analyst Hannes Lötter after the match at Eden Park.
"The Springboks shot themselves in the foot early. Dropped passes, misfiring lineouts, and poor decision-making in the first quarter set them back too far to recover," Lotter said.
He added that while the bench brought renewed energy in the second half, it wasn’t enough to erase the damage done by those early errors.
Lötter explained that the All Blacks capitalised perfectly on turnover possession, converting lineouts into points and keeping South Africa constantly on the back foot.
"Momentum is everything in these fixtures. The Boks won the last hour on the scoreboard but starting 14-0 down meant they were always chasing shadows," he continued.
Lötter further observed that the Springboks’ dominant scrum offered a glimmer of hope, forcing penalties and keeping them in the game, but inconsistent execution in open play prevented them from fully leveraging that advantage.
Take a look at the clip below:
The two rivals clash again next weekend at Wellington, where the Springboks will have an opportunity to exert revenge over the All Blacks.
Springboks legends advise Erasmus
Briefly News previously reported that Springboks legend Steven Kitshoff urged coach Rassie Erasmus to reassess the team’s playing style as South Africa prepares to face the All Blacks at Eden Park on 6 September.
Erasmus named a full-strength squad packed with experience, to be captained by Jesse Kriel, while regular skipper Siya Kolisi will take on a different role, playing at number eight.
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Source: Briefly News
