Two late tries by the Springboks saw the world champions seal a fight-back win over the All Blacks in a thriller at Ellis Park. New Zealand powered out to a 27-17 lead with half an hour left in Johannesburg thanks to two tries by Caleb Clarke and one each from Codie Taylor and Jordie Barrett, but South Africa’s bomb squad blew New Zealand’s hopes of avenging their defeat in last year’s Rugby World Cup final.
Springboks replacement hooker Grant Williams and flanker Kagga Smith came off the bench to touch down late on with All Blacks prop Ofa Tu’ungasfasi as the visitors were punished for giving away too many penalties.
There was an electric atmosphere around the towering stands of Johannesburg’s Ellis Park packed with a sea of green and gold, but it was the All Blacks who began with a bang.
The hosts barely got their hands on the ball early on as New Zealand smashed their way upfield, setting up camp in the Springboks half. The Boks defence buckled early when full-back Aphelele Fassi hauled down Ethan Blackadder but was caught offside with a follow-up tackle to earn himself a yellow card.
The All Blacks capitalised by securing the line-out from a penalty and driving maul before Taylor crashed over for the opening try. McKenzie landed the conversion, but the Springboks finally managed to exert some pressure and start to play in the New Zealand half.
It wouldn’t be an All Blacks-Springbok Test without controversy and it took just 16 minutes. Match referee Andrew Brace awarded home hooker Bongi Mbonambi a try despite replays showing he lost control of the ball before grounding it.
After the match, All Blacks coach Scott Robertson confirmed New Zealand want an explanation from World Rugby’s officiating department how the TMO missed it. Nevertheless, the try stood and although Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu missed the conversion, the Springbok fly-half nailed a penalty to make it 8-7 after half an hour.
The All Blacks hit the front again after they counter-attack from 40 metres out. Prop Tyrel Lomax threw a dummy pass to pull Cheslin Kolbe out of the defensive line, Will Jordan put Clarke away and the winger scorched down the left.
McKenzie missed the conversion and Feinberg-Mngomezulu landed another penalty, but missed with a long-range drop goal as the Springboks went into the break 12-11 down. The second half had barely begun with the Springboks on the attack when Jordie Barrett snapped up a loose pass and sprinted 60 metres for an intercept try.
McKenzie converted this time and landed a penalty, but Feinberg-Mngomezulu kicked two to trim the All Blacks lead to 22-17 before Clarke struck again. New Zealand scored off a line-out which was thrown over the back, Feinberg-Mngomezulu came forward to contest , but the All Blacks won the ball and the ball was moved wide to Clarke who burst away for his second try.
McKenzie couldn’t convert, but the All Blacks were in a commanding position at 27-17. New Zealand fans should look away now. Two members of the Springboks bomb squad grabbed tries to blow the All Blacks hopes of a third straight win at Ellis Park. New Zealand only had themselves to blame.
With 12 minutes still on the clock, the All Blacks were deduced to 14 men when the visitors legally defended a line-out and prop Ofa Tuʻungafasi was off to the sin bin. The momentum firmly swung back South Africa’s way.
The home pack rolled up their sleeves and replacement loose forward Kagga Smith was able to pick up and burst from the fringes to crash under the posts for a converted try with ten minutes left and the hosts just 27-24 down.
The Springboks smelt blood. When the All Blacks were on the verge of being penalised yet again, South Africa played advantage with replacement hooker Grant Williams sniping over for the winning try with Feinberg-Mngomezulu landing his sixth kick of the game to see the Springboks home in an epic Test. The second match in Cape Town on Saturday promises to be another titanic class of rugby’s heavyweight.
South Africa: 31
TRIES: 3 (Nbonambi 16’, Smith 70’, Williams 75’)
CONVERSIONS: 2 (Feinberg-Mngomezulu 70’, 75’)
PENALTIES: 4 (Feinberg-Mngomezulu 29’, 35’, 46‘, 50‘)
DROP GOALS: 0
YELLOW CARDS: 1 (Fassi 7’)
RED CARDS: 0
15. Aphelele Fassi, 14. Cheslin Kolbe, 13. Jesse Kriel, 12. Damian de Allende, 11. Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9. Cobus Reinach, 8. Jasper Wiese, 7. Ben-Jason Dixon, 6. Siya Kolisi (capt), 5. Ruan Nortje, 4. Pieter-Steph du Toit, 3. Frans Malherbe, 2. Bongi Mbonambi, 1. Ox Nche
Replacements: 16. Malcolm Marx, 17.Gerhard Steenekamp, 18. Vincent Koch, 19. Eben Etzebeth, 20. Elrigh Louw, 21. Kwagga Smith, 22. Grant Williams, 22. Handre Pollard
New Zealand: 27
TRIES: (Taylor 8’, Jordie Barrett 41’, Clarke 33’, 52’)
CONVERSIONS: 2 (McKenzie 8’, 41’)
PENALTIES: 1 (McKenzie 48’)
DROP GOALS: 0
YELLOW CARDS: 1 (Tu’ungafasi 68’)
RED CARDS: 0
15. Beauden Barrett, 14. Will Jordan, 13. Rieko Ioane, 12. Jordie Barrett, 11. Caleb Clarke, 10. Damian McKenzie, 9. TJ Perenara, 8. Ardie Savea, 7. Sam Cane, 6. Ethan Blackadder, 5. Tupou Vaa’i, 4. Scott Barrett (capt), 3. Tyrel Lomax, 2. Codie Taylor, 1. Tamaiti Williams
Replacements
16. Asafo Aumua, 17. Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 18. Fletcher Newell, 19. Sam Darry, 20. Samipeni Finau, 21. Cortez Ratima, 22. Anton Lienert-Brown, 23. Mark Tele’a
All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson laments lack of discipline
Defeat in Johannesburg seriously dents New Zealand’s hopes of retaining the championship title after a second loss having already lost to Argentina in Wellington last month. All Blacks coach Scott Robertson knows the Ellis Park Test was lost in the dying stages.
“I am so proud of the effort and the way we defended, it was just a little bit of ill-discipline by the lads that cost us,” he told reporters.
“But those are the fine margins in Test footy.
“Some of the penalties were down to a bit of interpretation, but those small moments lead to a bit of momentum and the game changes.
“We still had opportunities to win the game, we have just got to execute better. Ellis Park is a hell of an arena — what an atmosphere tonight and the crowd really gets involved. But that is where we thrive, we love those moments.”
Nevertheless, Robertson wants answers from World Rugby as to how the TMO missed South Africa’s first try when Nbonambi clearly lost control.
“We’ll wait to hear back from them,” said Robertson. “They review first, and then we pass our review on too. So officially, then there’s no double ups. And we will ask the question if they haven’t given the answer or cover that point.”
The Springboks may be without their captain Siya Kolisi for the second Test in Cape Town after the flanker suffered a facial injury. South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus was upset that his side conceded four tries.
“We gave them a couple of easy tries, and their turnover attack hurt us the most when our defence was not quite set,” he told reporters.
“But we defended really well when things were structured. “If the All Blacks had won the Test then they would have deserved it. We know the result could have gone the other way, we could easily have lost. But our character was there.”