Greatest games: All Blacks edge Springboks in classic

Colin Newboult

We take a look at the best ever games from years gone by and today head back to 2013 where the Springboks and All Blacks played out a superb match in Johannesburg.

Lead-up to the fixture

In between World Cups, the Springboks tend to underachieve. Riddled with politics, selection dilemmas and a wont – generally driven by their supporters – to play a more expansive style, they never quite get it right.

Following their disappointing World Cup in 2011, Peter de Villiers was replaced by Heyneke Meyer, a man renowned to favour the conservative aspect of the game. What followed in ’12 was an inconsistent season which was generally pretty dull to watch as they won just seven of their 12 matches.

Even a successful European tour results-wise – they claimed wins over Ireland, Scotland and England – was not necessarily well received due to their style of play, but the next season saw a significant development.

South Africa were expected to dominate their June series against Italy, Scotland and Samoa, which they duly did, before Meyer’s men went on a successful run in the Rugby Championship.

Three successive victories in the southern hemisphere competition set them up nicely and, although they succumbed to New Zealand at Eden Park, another comfortable win over Australia gave the Springboks a shot at the title.

Standing in their way was, of course, the All Blacks, who had been typically imperious. They were unbeaten, winning eight matches in a row, and went into the match in charge heading to Johannesburg.

The hosts needed a four-try triumph and to prevent their opponents from claiming a bonus-point to lift the trophy. While South Africa had shown an ability to cross the whitewash during that 2013 season, there were questions as to whether they could expand their game enough to put the world champions under pressure.

Those concerns were answered in emphatic fashion as two giants of the sport went toe-to-toe in a pulsating clash. It did not quite end in the way the South Africans wanted it to, with Steven Hansen’s charges displaying their brilliance at key moments, but it led to a modern day classic.

Memorable players involved

It was felt that the Springboks needed a quick start, particularly with the four tries an absolute necessity, but the All Blacks rather extinguished that enthusiasm early on. Although a Morne Steyn penalty got the hosts on the board, the world champions responded with a typically wonderful score, created by the superb Kieran Read.

The number eight was consistency personified over his career, making him an all-time great, but it isn’t controversial to say that his form during that period saw him at his best.

At the age of 27, having reached his physical peak, the athletic back-rower escaped the clutches of one defender and then produced a wonderful off-load for Ben Smith to collect. Smith still had plenty to do but he weaved inside and handed off Steyn to touch down.

That could have dented South Africa’s confidence and belief, but they reignited the flame with two outstanding quick-fire scores. The first was created by Duane Vermeulen, who broke through and found Bryan Habana with a perfectly-weighted pass, before the wing crossed the whitewash again thanks to more back-row brilliance.

This time it was Francois Louw that was to the fore as the flanker broke down the left and somehow got an off-load away to Habana. The wing then chipped over Smith’s head and recollected to give his side a sniff of an unlikely triumph.

The All Blacks were always on their tails, however, and two tries from Liam Messam made the task even more difficult for the home side.

Hopes were then raised when Willie le Roux and Jean de Villiers scored but that dissipated as Beauden Barrett came off the bench to go over for the decisive effort. That secured the bonus-point, ending South Africa’s chances of claiming the title, and New Zealand went on to seal a 38-27 win via Read.

Why it will live long in the memory

It was perhaps the best Test match of the decade as it combined a high skill set with World Cup-like physicality. There is no doubt that more important games take place every four years but this encounter is arguably just as well remembered.

The encounter showcased the best of the sport and, interestingly, was also a defining game for referee Nigel Owens. His handling of the encounter allowed it to flow, with his decisiveness taking any potential cynicism out of the contest. As a result, it was just two sides going hammer and tongs as the lead switched a number of times during the 80 minutes.

This All Blacks side were also utterly brilliant. Of all the great New Zealand teams to have graced the planet, they were probably the best and surpassed the one that claimed the World Cup in 2011.

By late 2013, Brodie Retallick had quickly risen to become one of the best locks in the world, forming an incredible partnership with Sam Whitelock, while Julian Savea and Ben Smith cemented themselves as superb back three players.

Although the great Dan Carter was in poor form and suffering from a number of injuries issues, Aaron Cruden was a world-class stand in and Beauden Barrett was beginning to display his immense talent at the highest level.

It therefore took an excellent side to challenge them, not just for one match, but throughout a competition, which is what Heyneke Meyer’s men did. South Africa were exceptional that year and came so close to winning the southern hemisphere’s premier tournament for the first time since 2009.

Yes, Meyer preferred a conservative game plan but style of play doesn’t determine greatness and, even so, the shackles were very much released for this encounter. It was refreshing to see and it all resulted in one of the great games in modern day rugby.

Credit to Owens, credit to South Africa but particular credit to New Zealand, who faced a side that were inspired yet still came out on top to claim the Rugby Championship and then finish a perfect year with 14 successive victories.

 

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