Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry is finally here, and there is reason to celebrate.
A tour that has been years in the making, that has been yearned for by true rugby fans, and one that hopefully will encapsulate the meaning of contests between the two sides, finally kicks off on Friday.
But why is this different to every single test match anywhere else? Why is it different to tours of old? When two former colonies clash in a game that reverberates around the world, the shared identity, the shared love of the game, and the mutual respect get amped up - until the teams get out onto the field.
Because while each rugby nation presents a unique challenge, there are few as unique as facing the Haka and the passion and power that the black jersey brings.
On Friday night we will see the first of this - the first edition of the new All Blacks under Dave Rennie against a DHL Stormers side that will be undercooked, but not lacking in desire and motivation.
A CHANCE AT HISTORY
Win, and their names go down in history. The record books are full of sides that have scored a rare and monumental victory over the All Blacks. It doesn’t happen often, and it is a feat for any team, but certainly for the Stormers without their Springboks.
Perhaps it is because both nations have built their identity around rugby - probably more than any nation on earth - and while South Africa has a chequered history amid the evils of Apartheid, New Zealand were the one nation that stood up and were counted against it.
Even once apartheid ended, the history didn't disappear. It just turned into something else: a rivalry between the country that boycotted and the country that was boycotted, playing out symbolically every time they met.
The images of the small plane above Eden Park in 1981’s infamous flour bomb test, Gary Knight crumbling after being hit by a flour bomb and the stories surrounding a tour that tore a nation apart still sit with me and formed my love of rugby.
1981 SHAPED MY LOVE FOR THIS CLASH
As a nine-year-old in front of a television in a dark room at 3am to watch history unfold, we never understood the gravity of it all. Years later, I was still enthralled on a stopover in Dubai, running into the legendary commentator, Keith Quinn, who spent four hours telling me tour tales that rugby fans would love.
There was also a night at the 2011 World Cup when South African journalists were entertained by the villain of the 1981 tour - fullback Allan Hewson - who kicked the winning penalty to give New Zealand the series - a controversial penalty in itself. But Hewson was more than entertaining. He regaled us with tales of the tour and the shared history and what it was like to be in the middle of that flour bomb test.
The shared respect, love of the game and the way the teams approach it - hammer and tongs - makes this not only unique, but something that should never be lost. There is an aura about the All Black jersey and the same with the Springboks.
CLASH OF STYLES
For many generations it was the clashing of rugby styles like no other. The free-flowing attack of the All Blacks against the brutal physicality of the Springboks. In this series the contrast won’t be as stark, but there are sure to be several heart-stopping moments that remind us all why exactly this series matters more than most.
Each series has been mired in controversy, from 1921 and 1928, the exclusion of Māori players like George Nepia, to the referee scandals that New Zealand claim robbed them of victories in 1976. Colin Meads being ignored by the selectors in 1965, Kevin Skinner - the ex-heavyweight boxing champion that was brought in to “sort out” the Springbok front row in 1956.
The anthem controversy in the one-off test of 1992, the internal problems and dropping of Francois Pienaar ahead of 1996. There is always a storyline with the tour, and it always means controversy.
RENNIE TO LEAD THE CHARGE
The All Blacks dumped coach Scott Robertson before the tour and Dave Rennie has the legacy to protect, while the Springboks are undisputed No 1 in the world at the moment. For more than a century both sides have been competing for that tag of best in the world, and now they square off once again.
Lest we forget, just three years ago the Boks won a World Cup final by the slimmest of margins. One point.
And there has been pain as well. The 43-10 win in Wellington last season was the biggest defeat at home ever for the All Blacks and the 57-0 is still a nightmare etched in Springbok fans’ minds from Albany a few years back.
There has been heartbreak and controversy, but above all there has been some exceptional rugby played by two sides that won’t stand back for anyone, and who relish the opportunity of facing each other more than any side on earth.
There is respect and love and there is a rivalry that says no matter what, we want to smash you. Probably the best example of this was a few years back when the Boks and All Blacks clashed in Port Elizabeth - now Gqeberha - and shared a flight back the next day. Seeing players who had been at each other’s throats a day before share family snaps and laugh like old mates brought it home.
NO FIXTURE QUITE LIKE THIS
This is something else. This is exceptional, and this is why, above all else, Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry has no precedent.
There has been drama, there has been politics. And there has been plenty of injustice and controversy surrounding more than a century of clashes.
But there he has been an ingrained love of rugby that surpasses it all. There has been a respect that sets the basis, and a deep desire to face off that has no equal in rugby.
There have been great names, from Philip Nel, Maurice Brownlee, Salty du Randt, Danie Craven, Wilson Whineray, Brian Lochore, Meads, Frik du Preez, Sid Going, Morne du Plessis, Andy Leslie and Andy Haden, Wynand Claassen, Naas Botha, Ray Mordt and Sean Fitzpatrick, Zinzan Brook and Christian Cullen. There are so many more we could mention.
But when Siya Kolisi and Ardie Savea lead their teams into the ultimate battle in a few weeks, another chapter will be written. And two nations will be very much on edge.
It is rugby’s ultimate battle, because in an era of jeopardy where there must be a trophy for everything, this is a match where the win itself is bigger than any trophy.
And all true Springbok and All Black fans know that.
That is why I can’t wait for it to begin.