Boks take series lead in ‘Greatest’ Test

The Boks produced their most compelling rugby of the year as second half tries from Jesse Kriel and Malcolm Marx – to add to first half scores from Kurt-Lee Arendse and a penalty try – plus three successful kicks at goal from Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu put a brave and ever-threatening All Blacks to one side.

A try after the final hooter from Samisoni Taukei'aho was reward for the visitors’ spirit but flattered the All Blacks after they were outplayed in a thunderous and mesmerising encounter of skill and passion.

The Springboks began at a furious pace and dominated field position for the first ten minutes – but for a long-range Will Jordan break out – but a double blow coincided with the All Blacks taking the lead.

Feinberg-Mngomezulu was yellow-carded for a failed intercept attempt ten metres from his own line – nipping an almost certain try in the bud – and went to the sideline at the same time as fullback Cheslin Kolbe who disappeared up the tunnel for a head injury assessment to be replaced by Manie Libbok. He didn’t return.

From the resulting kick to the corner NZ captain Ardie Savea scored his second in successive matches, picking up and scampering over from five metres after a powerful first carry from the lineout got the Boks’ defence back-pedalling. First blood All Blacks.

The Boks held out while down to 14 men and answered with a try of their own playing some of their best rugby of the Tour. It was finished in the right hand corner by Arendse – his 26th try in only 34 appearances – but the credit belonged to centre Damian de Allende, who got his hands free to make the scoring pass after handing off wing Leroy Carter.

Carter extracted revenge with a break down the left wing shortly afterwards to create the chaos for Savea to score a second try. Arendse held on to the coat rails of his opposite number five metres short but, as the ball popped loose, the All Black captain was in first to pick up and again cross from five metres.

The match was being played at furious pace and intensity with punch and counter-punch. The All Blacks looked to keep the ball alive at all times with offloads and passes; the Boks began to play more expansively than at any time in the series. And it was they who struck next.

A lovely, mazy, long-range break from his own half by Libbok saw him tackled centimetres short from scoring what would have been a try for the ages.

It was a great field position – under the poles – and although the All Blacks were in disarray they were able to thwart a succession of drives at the line before they knocked on to give a five metre scrum to the Boks. Their flyhalf, Ruben Love, was yellow carded for a professional in the sequence.

Daan Human’s tractors fired up, and the All Blacks were imperiously shunted backwards into their own in-goal with referee Nika Amashukeli instantly awarding a penalty try.

The half ended with the Boks on attack after great work from left wing Ethan Hooker – who was having an outstanding half – chasing Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s grubber kick, to within five metres. The All Blacks held out – winning a free kick at the resulting scrum. There was nothing to separate the teams at 12-12.

With bursts of light rain beginning to sweep across the ground on the swirling chilling wind the game settled down into a war of small moments in the second half with the handling of both sides being tested.

A measure of that was the fact that the All Blacks took their first shot at a penalty in the series – from 45m by Jordie Barrett – in the 55th minute after winning a rare scrum penalty. It went wide.

But the second half deadlock exploded into points after 15 minutes of play with the Springboks taking the lead for the first time at the end of it.

The The All Blacks celebrated first as the prolific Will Jordan crossed yet again in the series. It was made by Cam Roigard’s grubber behind the Bok defence and although Carter was hauled down his offload inside to Jordan allowed him to cross untouched from a few metres.

Three minutes later the Boks had the lead. Carter was the man who was exposed by a Springbok centre for a second time as this time Kriel brushed off an attempt at a choke tackle to open up an unopposed 40-metre run to the line.

Feinberg-Mngomezulu converted from halfway in from the right to puyt his side into the lead for the first time at 19-17 and when that was extended  by seven points  eight minutes later the stadium almost exploded.

Once again it was down to forward power. Libbok kicked a penalty into the 22 on the left and from the resulting lineout maul the Bok pack marched the All Blacks to their own poles for Marx to break away and score his 28th try in 92 Tests. 

Feinberg-Mngomezulu converted and then slotted a 45-metre penalty goal into the tricky wind to stretch to lead 12 minutes at 29-17 with ten minutes remaining. It was too much for the All Blacks.

Scorers:

Springboks 29 (12) – Tries: Kurt-Lee Arendse, Penalty try, Jesse Kriel, Malcolm Marx. Conversions: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (2). Penalty goal: Feinberg-Mngomezulu.

All Blacks 24 (12) – Tries: Ardie Savea (2), Will Jordan, Samisoni Taukei'aho. Conversions: Ruben Love, Damian McKenzie.