In the Rugby Championship, South Africa defeated New Zealand with a score of 18-12. This marked South Africa’s fourth consecutive victory over New Zealand, a feat they had not achieved in 75 years. Siya Kolisi and Malcolm Marx, two of South Africa’s players, scored tries, securing this victory.
This intense match, witnessed by a crowd of 55,000 passionate supporters in Cape Town, was marked by frequent errors on both sides which affected their respective momentum. However, regardless of the struggle, it was South Africa that managed to secure a winning edge. Despite enduring a fractured nose, team captain Kolisi scored in the second half while Marx added a late try. This win has brought South Africa one step closer to the Rugby Championship title.
New Zealand’s outhalf, Damian McKenzie, managed to score all of their points but unfortunately missed two penalties from near the post, which proved critical for their side. This poses an additional challenge to New Zealand under the leadership of their new coach, Scott Robertson, who has seen them lose three of their last four tests.
With 18 points at the top of the Rugby Championship leaderboard, South Africa is followed by New Zealand, who has only seven points and can no longer catch up with only two more games against Australia scheduled. Argentina and Australia, with five and four points respectively, will play in hopes of staying in contention later on the same day.
This win saw South Africa reclaim the Freedom Cup, a trophy competed for by the two sides, for the first time since 2009. Kolisi commended the All Blacks for their performance, but stressed their focus on maintaining their winning streak. Despite their dominance at the breakdown and winning several penalties, New Zealand struggled to counter the home team’s strategy in the final minutes of the match, ultimately falling to the Springboks.
New Zealand had a 9-3 advantage at half-time after both teams effectively defended their goals, with one yellow card each for Springbok’s number eight, Jasper Wiese, and All Black’s wing, Sevu Reece. South Africa managed to utilise their sub-players earlier in the second half, taking the lead for the first time in the match at 49 minutes. This was done after an extended stage of play in New Zealand’s 22 field area which ended with Kolisi scoring from a short distance.
Both teams exchanged penalties before the Springboks had to compete with a one player deficit due to fullback Willie le Roux’s fumble while trying to intercept the ball. In the last eight minutes, McKenzie missed a crucial penalty shot from directly in front of the goalposts, that could have put New Zealand in the lead. In addition, New Zealand’s team was reduced to 14 players a second time following Tyrel Lomax’s clear obstruction of Cheslin Kolbe.
In the subsequent offensive lineout, Marx broke free from the maul resulting in a second try for South Africa, scoring in the corner. Reflecting on the match, New Zealand’s captain, Scott Barrett said, “We had our chances but when they aren’t capitalised on, a quality team like the Springboks will make you pay. They clawed their way back into the game, just as they are known to do.
(Sourced from Thomson Reuters 2024)