Rugby's top rivalry: Springboks 30 All Blacks 28
Almost as good as beating TSUN!
Last week, in a game marred by All Black dirty play and home-cooked officiating, the New Zealand All Blacks ended the #1 South African Springbok 14 game winning streak and extended their own five year winning streak at home.
Here's hoping they enjoyed a week as the world's #1 ranked rugby team.
South Africa entered Dunedin, New Zealand's "House of Pain" stadium in an angry mood. Their captain had been injured badly and gone home for medical attention after a spear tackle and an incident where he was illegally tackled and thrown to the ground. They had not won a test on New Zealand soil for a decade. They had endured a week of racial taunting from New Zealand players and supporters.
The result was an exciting, physical game of rugby, in which the Springboks outplayed the All Blacks to win for the first time in more than a decade on New Zealand soil to regain the world #1 ranking.
The House of Pain was supposed to be the clencher for the All Blacks. They were riding a world record 30 game win streak at home in New Zealand. After eight games, stretching back 100 years, South Africa had never won at Dunedin. New Zealand seemed invincible at home and even more so at the House of Pain.
Not on this day. In a physical game, it was the Boks who delivered the pain. With much more left than the All Blacks late in the game, they scored two tries to come from behind and win.
Try to catch a replay of the late try by Januarie. It is likely to go down as one of the best individual tries of rugby in 2008. South Africa were a man short after Matfield was sent off for a high tackle (officiating once again trying to decide the game). Januarie breaks through the All Black line and chips over the defense, takes the ball on one bounce and scores.
Short one man, the Boks hold off New Zealand at home for the final four minutes. Stunning stuff.
When they come to South Africa on the final leg of the Tri-Nations, the All Blacks can expect to find a real house of pain. The racial abuse heaped on our team has made people here quite interested in supporting the Boks. Look for stadiums to be filled to capacity and for a lot of noise. Personally, I think the All Blacks could lose here by 15 points.
For a good summary of the game, go
here.
Here are some photos and some links to see them.
South Africa beat New Zealand 30-28
Sat 12 Jul, 10:35 AM
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Battling Boks Back In Business link
Sat 12 Jul, 11:09 AM
[snip]
The match went down to the wire with a piece of individual brilliance by scrum-half Ricky Januarie and the cool head of substitute Francois Steyn, who slotted the winning conversion, sealing the win for the world champions.
A first-half try by JP Pietersen, three penalties to Percy Montgomery and a Butch James drop goal gave them a narrow 17-15 lead at the break.
And they were then forced to withstand a ferocious fightback by New Zealand, whose lone try came from replacement Sione Lauaki, before taking the spoils in the closing minutes.
[snip]