All roads lead to the iconic Ellis Park for what promises to be an explosive start to the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series between the Springboks and the All Blacks on Saturday (17:10 kick-off), writes Quintin van Jaarsveld.
ALSO READ: Bok Watch: Players in the Spotlight vs New Zealand at Ellis Park.
They are the oval ball game’s biggest giants. Rugby’s rulers, they’ve won seven of the 10 World Cups between them, South Africa boasting a record four titles and New Zealand three.
Since the World Rugby rankings were introduced in September 2003, these two powerhouses have collectively occupied the top spot for roughly 90% of the time.
The Boks have held the No. 1 ranking since last September, and for 333 weeks overall, while the All Blacks, currently second, have previously been on top for 747 weeks.
Not only are they the best of the best, they’re polar opposites and perfect foils. The Boks are pure power. The Kiwis, panache. It’s steak versus sizzle – enforcers against entertainers.
It’s the most compelling clash of styles in the history of the sport and a rivalry that continues to captivate over a century after the All Blacks won the first meeting 13-5 in Dunedin in 1921.
The All Blacks have the overall bragging rights, having won 63 of the 110 Tests between these titans. The Boks have banked 43 wins, while the teams have drawn four times.
The two most recent meetings came in New Zealand last year, with the honours shared. The All Blacks won 24-17 at Eden Park, before the men in Green and Gold responded with a 43-10 victory in Wellington – their biggest-ever triumph in the Land of the Long White Cloud.
It was stunning stuff from South Africa, especially after the rivalry had threatened to die out due to Kiwi dominance in the 2010s. Enter Rassie Erasmus, who, along with his right-hand man Jacques Nienaber, revived the Boks and restored the rivalry.
In the “RasNaber” era since 2018, the Boks have played against their arch-enemies 15 times, winning eight, losing six and drawing one game. It’s a truly remarkable turnaround, and while Nienaber is no longer in the picture, the Boks have remained the kings of rugby in recent years.
Since edging the All Blacks 12-11 in the World Cup final in Paris in 2023 to secure back-to-back titles, Erasmus’ charges have put together an outstanding record of 27 wins from 31 Tests (an 87.1% winning percentage).
They’re currently on a 12-game winning streak, which, coupled with home ground advantage and unrivalled depth, makes the Boks overwhelming favourites to win the four-Test series at 1.36, with the Kiwis coming back as 7.50 underdogs.
After the All Blacks failed to live up to expectations in the Scott Robertson era, they started fresh this year under Dave Rennie and are looking like the danger men of old.
Fast and furious, they’re a flawless 6-0, beating France (34-32), Italy (47-17) and Ireland (40-21) during the first half of the Nations Championship, and starting their first traditional tour of South Africa in 30 years with wins over the Stormers (38-21), Sharks (54-0) and Bulls (50-19).
Rennie and company are shrewd. Since they touched down in South Africa, they’ve stressed the “need” to speed the game up. They’re doing so in an attempt to influence officials, as a slow, set-piece-to-set-piece game would suit the Boks, whereas a fast-paced, all-action game would benefit the All Blacks. Hopefully, the officiating won’t take away from the seismic series.
Drawing first blood is crucial for both teams. If the Boks are victorious on Saturday, a whitewash could be on the cards. On the other hand, if the All Blacks pull off an upset, they’ll have a great deal of confidence and could cast doubt in the Boks’ minds.
This is a game Erasmus and the Boks have worked towards for some time. They have their bases covered and should come away with a hard-fought win.
Prediction: South Africa by 6.
Suggested Bet: New Zealand +6.5 at 1.85.
Quintin van Jaarsveld is a former MDDA-Sanlam SA Local Sports Journalist of the Year and a former three-time Vodacom KwaZulu-Natal Sports Journalist of the Year. Formerly the sports editor and Outstanding Journalist of the Year award winner at The Fever Media Group, deputy editor at eHowzit, editor at SARugby.com and senior staff writer at Rugby365.com, he boasts over 20 years of experience.
