The Boks also took a giant leap forward toward possibly winning the tournament for the first time since 2019 after registering back-to-back victories against the All Blacks.
These results also contributed to the side making history by becoming the first Springbok team to beat New Zealand four times in a row since 1949 – a feat achieved the Boks have now only achieved twice in history.
The Springboks defeated the All Blacks 31-27 in Johannesburg and built on this with a 18-12 win in Cape Town last weekend, the first time the Boks kept New Zealand tryless since 2011, and the first time the Kiwis failed to score a try in a Test since they lost 16-9 to Ireland in Dublin in 2018.
After winning their first four matches of the campaign, the Boks are now on 18 points on the Castle Lager Rugby Championship log – eight above Argentina, with two matches remaining in the competition against Los Pumas, in Santiago (21 September) and in Nelspruit a week later (28 September).
“Hats off to all the guys for putting us in a position to win two in a row against the All Blacks,” said Marx, who scored the Boks’ second try late in the match.
“We had to work hard, and it’s an effort that required every player on the field. Whether you play off the bench or start, we all have roles. If you play off the bench, you know what you are playing for as a team, so the most important thing is to go out there and make an impact.”
Asked what made this Bok team so special and one that appears to be shifting boundaries all the time, Marx said: “As a player, I’m extremely grateful to be part of this side. This generation of players has been a force in world rugby, and to be sitting here is something I cherish every day.”
The Boks scored two tries to none by New Zealand in the match, with team captain Siya Kolisi joining his replacement hooker on the score sheet, but Marx refused to take all the credit for his five-pointer.
The try in the 74th minute saw Marx extend his record as the leading Springbok forward try scorer, and move into joint 10th place on the all-time Springbok try-scoring list with the late James Small at 20 tries.
“It wasn’t just me, it was the full pack that contributed to that,” said Marx. “I was just the one fortunate enough to get over the tryline. The other players worked equally hard.”
The physical hooker singled out the breakdowns as one of the areas the team will work on as they begin their preparations for their two last matches of the competition on Wednesday in Stellenbosch, before departing for Argentina on Saturday.
“New Zealand are a great side with equally great coaches,” said Marx. “We weren’t accurate enough in the breakdown area, which is generally a place we pride we ourselves on, so we’ll look at that area of our game this week and see where to improve.”
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus will name group of 28 players later this week to travel Argentina, while a handful of players will remain behind in South Africa to train for the closing match of the tournament at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit.
