Springboks Fans Leave Ellis Park Early After All Blacks Dominate Greatest Rivalry Series Opener
New Zealand delivered a stunning 33–16 victory over South Africa at a sold-out Ellis Park on Saturday, leaving the 62,000-strong home crowd stunned and streaming for the exits before the final whistle had blown in the Rugby Championship series opener.
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The result was one few had anticipated. The Springboks dominated the scrum throughout, winning a succession of penalties and forcing injuries on All Blacks props and locks, yet none of it translated into points when it mattered most.
Springboks Draw First Blood Before Losing Control
The hosts opened the scoring inside two minutes through a Cheslin Kolbe penalty, and André Esterhuizen crossed for the Springboks' only try after smashing through defenders from a lineout inside the All Blacks' 22. South Africa led 13–12 at half-time, with New Zealand having scored through wing Will Jordan and left wing Josh Moorby.
Six minutes into the second half, another scrum penalty allowed Kolbe to extend the lead to 16–12. The match appeared to be turning in South Africa's favour.
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A Single Moment Unravelled the Springboks
Then, from a restart the Springboks failed to secure, Grant Williams' clearance was charged down by lock Luke Jacobson, who gathered the ball and scored. The momentum shifted immediately and irreversibly.
New Zealand, despite continued scrum pressure from the Boks, absorbed the punishment and struck twice more through Jacobson and a second try from Jordan. Flyhalf Ruben Love converted to push the All Blacks to 26–16 with 20 minutes remaining, and the visitors did not look back.
The Springboks had been forced into an early reshuffle when Kurt-Lee Arendse went off for a head injury assessment, and New Zealand prop Ethan de Groot and lock Josh Lord also left the field with injuries. Yet the disruptions ultimately counted for little in the final scoreline.
With five minutes still on the clock, large numbers of Springbok supporters began filling the exits, a sight rarely seen at Ellis Park during a Test match.
The pre-match build-up had been consumed by tactical mind games, with media representatives attending opposition press conferences to gather intelligence on referee Matthew Carling. The Springboks faced accusations of slowing the ball at the breakdown, while the All Blacks were warned about illegal ruck entries. Once play began, those debates were rendered irrelevant by the scoreboard.
New Zealand's ability to score five tries while losing the scrum battle will be the defining question ahead of the second Test.
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Source: Briefly News
