Boks bounce back

Rugby order was restored in South Africa last night. At least for the next seven days.

What a Test match between the sport’s greatest rivals and what an important victory for the Springboks to keep alive the four Test series, and pull it back to one-all with one to play in South Africa. The fourth Test is in Baltimore in the US.

This was the Springboks’ most important Test match since the 2023 World Cup final against the All Blacks in Paris.

The heat was on after the All Blacks dismantled the Boks in the final quarter at Ellis Park.

And Siya Kolisi’s Boks responded within the opening two minutes with a seven pointer.

The start in this dramatic 33-26 Springboks win contrasted with the finish, with the All Blacks on the attack in the last two minutes, pushing for a seven-pointer that would tie the match.

All Blacks captain Ardie Savea applauded the Boks’ opening blitz and said his team was playing catch-up for the rest of the match. “You can’t give the Springboks that kind of start and a big lead,” he said.

The Boks led 24-14 at the break, extended this to 30-14 and were 33-19 ahead going into the final quarter.

Stunning opening minutes

The All Blacks outscored the Springboks by four tries to three, but the momentum was always with the Springboks, given the stunning opening two minutes. Coach Rassie Erasmus swapped his entire front row before kick-off and the big gamble paid off, with hooker Deon Fourie getting through on 35 minutes.

Fourie’s story is a Hollywood script. He is a flanker by trade and played the last 77 minutes as a replacement hooker in the 2023 World Cup final. Last night, three weeks shy of his 40^th birthday, he started at Test at hooker.

It is a remarkable achievement.

Equally remarkable is the impact of hooker Malcolm Marx, the 2025 World Player of the Year. He was brilliant at the breakdown and over the ball — twice winning massive turnover penalties, which Cheslin Kolbe converted from the kicking tee.

Kolbe, who was originally not announced in the match 23 because of injury concerns, was a late addition to the starting line-up. He responded with a player-of-the-match performance; converting seven kicks from seven attempts, making telling tackles and being as skilled as he is lethal on attack. Kolbe is a rugby genius.

The All Blacks, despite the slow start, were outstanding with the ball. They played with such enterprise, skill and understanding of width, space and the value of the short pop pass.

For them to be effective against the Boks rush defence, those short passes needed exceptional hand speed and composure.

This was the Springboks’ most important Test match since the 2023 World Cup final against the All Blacks in Paris

Boks’ conversion rate

The Boks missed 39 tackles and the majority of these misses resulted from how the All Blacks’ hand speed forced a bunched compression in defence, followed by the cross-cover scrambling into the wider channels.

The biggest facet of play that changed between the Ellis Park and Cape Town Stadium Test matches was the Boks’ 22-metre area conversion rate. At Ellis Park the Boks scored less than a point from those red zone entries. In Cape Town they scored four points for each of those entries, and the All Blacks, at four an entry in Johannesburg, scored 2.8 points in Cape Town.

The performance of the Springboks as a collective was a big improvement from Ellis Park. They were disciplined and in the first hour conceded just one penalty.

There was conviction in the game management and there was certainty in taking the option of three points from penalties.

Kolbe, in the two Tests, has not missed with 11 attempts.

Individually, Siya Kolisi’s inspirational leadership was obvious. He got through 42 minutes, which is big for the rest of the series. Ethan Hooker, at left wing, was a giant in the aerial battle and powerful when attacking defenders.

Scrum battle

Veteran lock Eben Etzebeth produced a performance that wound back the clock. There was sustained intensity, while Pieter-Steph du Toit, in his 100^th Test, was as present as he has been in the previous 99.

The scrum battle never quite happened, but it was full on at the breakdown. The Boks were significantly better here than at Ellis Park. The Boks attacked the breakdown and Damian de Allende’s clean out was pivotal to the quick recycle that led to the opening try.

De Allende played his 100^th Test last week, but in Cape Town, where he has played most of his career, he was a defensive demon and difficult to contain with the ball.

Kolisi spoke of the support of South Africa and the belief in the team’s ability to deliver a winning Boks response. But he admitted it had been one hell of a tough week.

The visitors, having had just the five Tests under new coach Dave Rennie, are incomparable to the All Blacks of a year ago. They are a team on the rise, and they are the biggest threat to the Springboks attempt to win a third successive World Cup in Australia in 2027.