By JOHANNESBURG — New Zealand delivered a master-class in clinical execution to claim a 33-16 victory over the Springboks at 10bet Ellis Park, drawing first blood in the opening Test of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry. In front of a raucous crowd of 60,592, the All Blacks outscored the hosts five tries to one, capitalizing on South African errors to take a 1-0 lead in the four-Test series.
The atmosphere in Johannesburg was electric long before kick-off, featuring a dramatic double flyover and an intensely observed haka to mark 30 years of history. South Africa struck first in the fourth minute via a Cheslin Kolbe penalty goal, which was advanced 10 metres due to the visitors knocking the ball away.
However, the All Blacks responded in the ninth minute. On their second entry into the Bok 22, winger Will Jordan squeezed over in the corner following a crisp flat pass from Cam Roigard after a series of tight drives. The play proved costly for South Africa: winger Kurt-Lee Arendse suffered a heavy blow in the build-up and failed his Head Injury Assessment. The reshuffle pushed Jesse Kriel to the wing and brought Andre Esterhuizen into the midfield.
Esterhuizen made an immediate impact, bursting through a flailing tackle off a third-phase lineout carry to score. Kolbe converted, restoring South Africa’s lead.
Despite New Zealand enjoying the better of the field position, their second try arrived from halfway as swift wing-to-wing passing found blindside flanker Tupou Vaa’i, who offloaded to Josh Moorby for an untouched 30-metre run. Ruben Love converted, but Kolbe pegged the score back to 13-12 with his second penalty goal after Roigard delayed a scrum feed.
From there, the Springboks seized momentum. Their scrum began to wreak havoc, but conversion eluded them. A massive lineout drive was denied when the ball squirmed from Malcolm Marx’s grasp over the line, and another chance went begging when the ball was ripped from Jasper Wiese as he surged toward the posts. South Africa took a fragile 13-12 lead into the break.
Kolbe extended the lead to 16-12 early in the second half with another penalty, but the advantage was short-lived. Locking giant Fabian Holland charged down Grant Williams’ restart clearance, resulting in a kind bounce for the All Blacks’ third try. Love’s conversion put the visitors ahead 19-16.
South Africa pressed again, turning the screw at the scrum five metres out. After earning three consecutive penalties, the Boks were ultimately repelled when New Zealand forced a crucial penalty of their own to clear the pressure.
That marked the turning point. The All Blacks flexed their muscle from a five-metre scrum of their own, with Luke Jacobson crossing from the base after a series of powerful carries. Love converted to extend the cushion.
Desperation set in for the hosts, leading to discipline issues late in the match. Marco van Staden was yellow-carded for playing the halfback, quickly followed by replacement scrumhalf Cobus Reinach for a deliberate knock-on.
Playing against 13 men in the closing minutes, the ruthless visitors sealed the match through Jordan’s second try of the afternoon, completing a dominant performance in the 50th meeting between the two sides on South African soil.
Match Details:
- Springboks 16 (13): Try: Andre Esterhuizen. Conversion: Cheslin Kolbe. Penalty goals: Kolbe (3).
- All Blacks 33 (12): Tries: Will Jordan (2), Josh Moorby, Fabian Holland, Luke Jacobson. Conversions: Ruben Love (4).
