It was a bad day to be a beer in Nelspruit

The reality that many of the local bars ran out of the amber ale the day before the game should have been an indication of what was to come.

It isn’t everyday that Mbombela hosts a test match - there have only been three here before - nevermind the All Blacks, and it was clear from the beginning of the week that something special was brewing.

An All Black test is something special. Test match rugby has a profound effect on the average South African rugby fan, but when it comes to that black jersey, it deepens significantly, finding a place within the Green and Gold soul that few can reach.

There is a passion with these games, a hunger to see the contest that has enthralled generations, a game that has made legends and created yarns for generations on end.

Even though this was a different type of hype, a wounded All Blacks side arriving in the far east part of the country to take on a Springbok side that desperately wanted to prove points of their own, this was never going to be an ordinary contest.

You could sense it walking into the stadium. The electricity in the air. The nerves, the tension. So many of us who have arrived at these games before - in places across the world - know there simply is no thing as a bad All Black team.

They may be wounded, but they are dangerous. And before the naysayers take out another knife for the now-inevitable demise of Ian Foster’s coaching stint with the All Blacks, let’s say it fairly - This was a magical Springbok performance.

This was a performance for the ages. You may discount it on the place where the All Blacks are at the moment, but in reality this Bok team would have smashed any team in the mood they were in on Saturday.

They were ruthless, they were full of heart. They were playing in front of a part of the country that needed to see them. That longed to see them play. Mbombela had been waiting for this moment for a long time. Mbombela was seething at the seams when the teams arrived.

The cheers for every player as they walked on to warm-up, the anticipation and the belting out of the national anthem - by far one of the better versions by a crowd who couldn’t wait to sing every syllable made this a day to remember.

There always is drama in a game against the All Blacks but few forsaw the drama of local hero Faf de Klerk collapsing in a heap after taking a knee to the head 40 seconds in the game. It was a chilling moment, made only better when the 42 000 fans erupted later when he made his appearance from the tunnel to send the crowd into rapture.

There was bravery aplenty in Nelspruit on Saturday. The crowd had turned up in their droves to show their team some love. And the Boks responded in kind.

Kurt-Lee Arendse - the smallest man on the field - played with the biggest heart. The sad end in a horror clash with Beauden Barrett where he came off second best and was stretchered on the field. But it was a clear red card as he had lost the contest in the air.

But that blemish should not have taken away from a performance of heart. A defensive terrier who will give the All Black backline nightmares.

Malcolm Marx would easily have won the man of the match in his 50th and he too would have caused Foster to have more nightmares than any coach should have. Powerful on attack, and turning over enough ball to make any coach proud, Marx stood head and shoulders above an impressive pack.

This was a night that Nelspruit had been waiting for. There weren’t just one or two heroes, but an entire team.

This was a night where the ghosts of the past were laid to rest, where the passion and pride in Springbok rugby showed that while there may be those who relish writing them off across the world, those who have turned Springbok-hating into a sport, nothing can stop the heart of a Springbok.

The sponsors of the Rugby Championship, Castle Lager, sponsor the competition for a reason. In Nelspruit they got more than their return on their investment.

As the celebrations continued into the night Nelspruit turned into a place of wonder, a mardi gras of green and gold.

And beers were an endangered species.