Tomorrow marks the 100th Test lucifer betwixt the All Blacks and the Springboks, 1 of satellite sport's top and astir enduring rivalries.
Remarkably, it is besides 100 years since New Zealand and South Africa archetypal met successful a rugby Test - connected August 13, 1921 astatine the present demolished Carisbrook crushed successful Dunedin.
This historical Rugby Championship clash was primitively scheduled to beryllium played successful Dunedin but was shifted to the improbable venue of Townsville owed to COVID-19.
Here's a look backmost astatine the astir iconic moments and the numbers that substance from rugby's top rivalry.
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- THE HISTORY -
The rivalry has been built connected an endless arm-wrestle to beryllium crowned the world's best, arsenic some teams person enjoyed important periods of planetary dominance successful their histories.
It is besides underlined by the unescapable cross-pollination of athletics and politics, which has divided and reunited their rugby narration implicit the years.
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- 1921 –
The archetypal clip the New Zealand nationalist saw the Springboks successful action. Their inaugural circuit saw the 3 Test bid shared 1-1 with a nil-all gully successful the decider connected a flooded Athletic Park successful Wellington incapable to abstracted the 2 sides. This is inactive the lone clip the All Blacks person been held scoreless connected location soil.
- 1928 –
The All Blacks' archetypal large trek to South Africa. This was the commencement of 68 years of disappointment and vexation successful the Republic until 1996's historical tour. One 100 and 30 All Blacks had tried and failed to triumph a Test bid successful South Africa since 1928, but it wasn't until 1996 that the drought was broken.
- 1970 –
Under the unreality of apartheid and governmental oppression of radical of colour, the NZRU had primitively postponed this circuit successful 1967 due to the fact that of the anti-Maori policy. Disguised arsenic a compromise, Maori were granted an objection nether the guise of playing arsenic 'honorary whites' allowing Auckland-born Samoan Bryan Williams to beryllium among respective players to beryllium selected. The Springboks won the bid 3-1, but it volition beryllium remembered for Williams' exploits with shot successful manus arsenic helium burst onto the planetary rugby country scoring 14 tries successful 13 matches successful his archetypal appearances successful the achromatic jersey. He is inactive the past All Black to people a effort connected Test debut successful South Africa.
- 1981 –
The 'flour weaponry Test' astatine Eden Park, a lucifer wherever authorities and athletics could nary longer tiptoe astir 1 different successful what would beryllium the past Test betwixt these teams until 1992. All Blacks prop Gary Knight was deed successful the caput during play from debris dropped from a anti-Apartheid protestor's Cessna 172 that buzzed crossed the ground, portion transportation invaders, flares and fume bombs hurled from the stands continually disrupted the match. The bid was tied, and scores were level astatine 22-22 with 3 minutes to spell earlier New Zealand's Allan Hewson kicked the winning punishment to triumph the lucifer and the series.
- 1995 Rugby World Cup last –
The Springboks were conscionable 3 years into their instrumentality from sporting and governmental isolation, and spurred connected by Nelson Mandela's imagination to reunify the nation, arsenic the 3rd World Cup decider went into other clip for the archetypal time.
After exclusion from the archetypal 2 tournaments successful 1987 and 1991, the Springboks could officially beryllium crowned the world's champion team.
- 1996 –
This circuit encompassed 4 Tests against the Springboks, the past lucifer of the recently minted Tri-Nations Series, and a abstracted 3 Test tour. The archetypal lucifer astatine Newlands did not number towards the series, and truthful the All Blacks had to commencement from scratch a week aboriginal successful Durban.
The All Blacks had to decision the Springboks astatine slightest 3 times connected location ungraded to triumph the Tri-Nations and series; up until past the Springboks had not mislaid 3 location games successful a play since 1974 against the British & Irish Lions, and lone 3 times successful their past (1891 & 1896 against Great Britain).
Then connected August 24 astatine Loftus Versfeld, 68 years of heartache and disappointment came to an end. The failed tours of 1928, 1949, 1960, 1970 and 1976 were erased from memory. Just arsenic a driblet extremity had decided the Springboks destiny astatine Ellis Park successful 1995, a 30m effort from Zinzan Brooke pushed the borderline retired to a converted try, leaving the All Blacks to support their enactment ruthlessly for the remaining minutes to triumph the lucifer and the series.
- 1998 –
The 50th Test betwixt these 2 teams, and the winning team's people was the aforesaid arsenic 1921 (13 points), nevertheless it was South Africa who came distant victorious astatine Athletic Park this day. After 49 matches, the ledger could hardly person been closer: 24 wins for New Zealand and 22 for South Africa with 3 draws, portion the full points tally stood astatine 654 for New Zealand and 648 for South Africa. The Springboks won 13-3, their archetypal triumph successful New Zealand since 1981, and their archetypal Tri-Nations triumph extracurricular of South Africa.
- 2005 –
The archetypal clip the All Blacks performed Kapo o Pango successful a Test match, making its debut against the Springboks astatine Carisbrook. The All Blacks won 31-27, making it 7/7 successful Dunedin against South Africa. The Springboks would person to hold different 3 years earlier winning their maiden Test successful this city.
- 2010 –
The archetypal rugby Test to beryllium played successful Soweto, and Springboks skipper John Smit's 100th Test, this is 1 of New Zealand's top ever comeback performances against South Africa. Trailing 22-17 with 3 minutes remaining, Richie McCaw scored successful the country to bring the visitors level, earlier a effort to replacement Israel Dagg aft fulltime secured the All Blacks' 10th Tri-Nations title.
- 2018 –
South Africa arrived successful Wellington having mislaid their past 8 Tests against the All Blacks successful New Zealand, including the erstwhile 2 by a combined borderline of 85 points. They had not beaten New Zealand successful a Test successful 4 years, and had not won successful Wellington successful 20 years. Down to 14 men successful the last minutes they held connected for a nail0biting 36-34 victory. That was the astir points the All Blacks person ever conceded astatine home, and their highest scoring full successful a losing a Test. Aphiwe Dyantyi became the archetypal Springbok to people a treble against the All Blacks successful Wellington, and conscionable the 5th wide to bash truthful successful New Zealand.
All Blacks excessively beardown for Pumas
- THE CURRENT STATE OF PLAY -
World Rugby rankings: The All Blacks person returned to the apical of the rankings for the archetypal clip since October 2019, overtaking South Africa who are present successful 2nd aft consecutive losses against the Wallabies.
Rugby Championship: Victory successful this lucifer volition unafraid New Zealand's 18th Tri-Nations/ Rugby Championship crown combined since 1996, and seventh rubric successful this four-team edition.
- They presently beryllium 10 points wide connected the ladder from 2nd placed South Africa.
- The All Blacks won the archetypal Test betwixt these 2 teams, 13-5 successful Dunedin, portion the Springboks won the 50th Test 13-3 astatine Athletic Park successful 1998.
- The All Blacks person won 59 of their 99 Tests against the Springboks, with 36 losses and 4 draws.
- This volition beryllium the 5th clip they person met connected neutral soil, and the archetypal extracurricular of a Rugby World Cup (1999 successful Cardiff, 2003 successful Melbourne, 2015 astatine Twickenham and 2019 successful Yokohama).
- It has been 735 days since their past meeting, with the All Blacks winning 23-13 successful Yokohama astatine RWC 2019.
- All BLACKS STATS -
No All Black has ever scored a hat-trick against the Springboks successful 100 years of Tests against each other. Seventeen players person scored doubles, with Christian Cullen's 4 (1997, 1999, 2 successful 2000) the astir of immoderate All Black.
Rieko Ioane is lone 3 tries distant from equalling Ben Smith's All Blacks grounds for astir Rugby Championship tries (18), and six tries distant from Bryan Habana's contention grounds of 21 tries.
- Ioane has scored astatine slightest 1 effort successful 4 of his past 5 Tests against South Africa.
- Ioane is the past All Black to people a treble against the Springboks, with 2 tries astatine Sky Stadium successful 2018.
- If helium scores connected Saturday, helium volition go conscionable the 5th All Black to people much than 5 tries against the Springboks.
- Christian Cullen has the astir All Blacks Test tries against South Africa with 10.
- Beauden Barrett requires 12 much points to go conscionable the 3rd All Black successful Test past to people 700 positive points, aft Dan Carter (1598) and Andrew Mehrtens (967).
Springboks get location from RWC win
- SOUTH AFRICA STATS -
Trevor Nyakane volition play his 50th Test match. He made his debut successful 2013 against Italy successful Durban, and has earned conscionable 8 of his 49 caps arsenic a starter.
- This volition beryllium his archetypal vocation commencement against the All Blacks, earning his past 8 caps against them from the bench.
Morne Steyn holds the grounds for astir idiosyncratic points successful a azygous Test against the All Blacks, scoring each 31 points successful their 31-19 triumph astatine Kings Park successful Durban successful 2009.
- Steyn is South Africa's all-time starring constituent scorer successful Tests against the All Blacks (139).
Handre Pollard requires 4 much points to go conscionable the 3rd Springbok successful Test past to people 100 points against the All Blacks (Morne Steyn 139 and Percy Montgomery 103).
Siya Kolisi captained the Springboks to their archetypal triumph successful Wellington since 1998 erstwhile they won 36-24 astatine Sky Stadium successful 2018. This was their archetypal triumph connected Kiwi ungraded successful astir a decade.
If used, Frans Steyn volition play his 10th Test against the All Blacks successful a span that began successful 2007 successful Durban.
- Steyn was portion of the squad who won the Springboks' archetypal ever Test astatine Carisbrook successful 2008, and their 2009 triumph successful Hamilton wherever they completed their archetypal ever Tri-Nations cleanable expanse of New Zealand.
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