World champions South Africa delivered a powerful first-half performance as they edged past New Zealand and levelled 'Rugby's Greatest Rivalry' series at 1-1 with two Tests to play. The All Blacks travelled to Cape Town knowing a win would write them into the history books as the first New Zealand team to win back-to-back Tests in South Africa since the 'Incomparables' of 1996.
But South Africa dominated the basics and showed a more clinical edge this week, even though the lively All Blacks again outscored them on the try count by four to three. New Zealand's fightback ultimately came too late, captain Ardie Savea barging over on 77 minutes to get the game within a score, but on the All Blacks' final attack Boks replacement Cameron Hanekom won a superb turnover that settled the nervy closing stages.
As he did last week, Springboks wing Cheslin Kolbe took on the kicking duties over fly-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, notching up 18 points in a player-of-the-match performance. The first series in 30 years between these two mighty rugby nations is shaping into an epic, with the third Test back at altitude in Soweto, Johannesburg next Saturday.
The Springbok team that took the field at the Cape Town Stadium was markedly different to the one originally named by head coach Rassie Erasmus on Monday. Fly-half Handre Pollard was fit and then injured and withdrawn in the week, while Kolbe was injured and then fit and eventually named on the wing.
On top of that, Erasmus switched around his whole front row in the hours before kick-off, with the starting trio dropping to the bench and vice-versa. It meant there were five changes in all from the matchday squad announced on Monday and surely would have had the New Zealand management thumbing through the regulations of