The All Blacks’ tour of South Africa delivered on almost every front, but one major mistake cannot be repeated, writes SIMON BORCHARDT.
So how was the All Blacks’ first full tour of South Africa in 30 years for you?
I loved it – from New Zealand’s welcome event in Cape Town on 31 July right up until the final whistle of the third Test of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series at FNB Stadium on 5 September. It was almost everything I’d hoped it would be.
I say almost because of the scandalously high ticket prices, which prevented full stadiums for the All Blacks’ matches against South Africa’s four URC clubs.
Yes, the local sides were still in pre-season and without their Boks, but you can’t tell me the sold-out signs wouldn’t have gone up for the Friday night Stormers match in Cape Town and the Saturday Bulls match in Pretoria had tickets been affordable for the majority of South Africans. Even the Tuesday-night games involving the Sharks and Lions would have attracted far bigger crowds, although the wet Durban weather would still have kept some people away.
The fact that remaining tickets for the third Test at the 94,000-capacity FNB Stadium ranged from R2,850 to R4,000 in the week leading up to the match was, quite frankly, a disgrace. That must never happen again.
Apart from the Sharks, who were hammered 54-0, the club matches were entertaining and competitive. The Durban fixture did, however, give us one of the most memorable moments of the tour when 44-year-old former All Blacks centre Ma’a Nonu responded to his countrymen’s haka with one of his own. It gave me goosebumps.
The Stormers took the tour opener seriously and were level at 14-14 in the second half before injuries to both scrumhalves contributed to a 38-21 defeat. The Bulls also showed some fight in going down 50-19 at Loftus, while the Lions gave the All Blacks a huge fright at Ellis Park, leading 35-17 early in the second half before losing 41-35.
The three Tests in South Africa lived up to expectations. The All Blacks’ victory in the series opener at Ellis Park set things up nicely from a neutral’s perspective and ended talk of a clean sweep for the hosts.
The Boks bounced back in Cape Town to set up what felt like a World Cup final at FNB Stadium.
And it was worthy of one.
An epic Test was ultimately decided by a Bok pack that demolished the All Blacks at a scrum to earn a penalty try late in the first half before powering over from a 25m lineout maul in the second. Both moments will be talked about for decades.
While I understand the commercial realities of rugby and the need for a fourth Test in the USA, for me that money-making match was an exhibition and never really part of the series. Had the All Blacks won at the Calabash, they would have rightly claimed a 2-1 series victory in South Africa, so when the final whistle blew there, it was job done for the Boks.
EXPLAINED: Why Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry ends in USA
Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry is clearly here to stay, and I’m already looking forward to the Boks’ tour of New Zealand in 2030.
Hopefully, organisers will have learned their lesson and make tickets affordable enough to ensure packed stadiums for every match. And unlike South Africa’s URC teams this year, New Zealand’s Super Rugby sides will be in-season when the Boks arrive, which should make the tour matches more competitive.
As for the Test series, well, the Boks have not won one in New Zealand since 1937 – the first and only time they have achieved the feat.
You just know Rassie Erasmus will be desperate to change that.
Photo: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images
The post Greatest Rivalry can get even better appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
The All Blacks’ tour of South Africa delivered on almost every front, but one major mistake cannot be repeated, writes SIMON BORCHARDT.
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