South Africa produced the performance they had been missing last week at Ellis Park to level Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series with a 33-26 win that should never have been as close as it turned out at DHL Stadium on Saturday night.
After the shock at the big loss in the first test - it was the biggest points defeat under coach Rassie Erasmus - the nation demanded a response. And a response was certainly given by a wounded Springbok side that was never going to lose this game.
It's all square in #RugbysGreatestRivalry 🤝
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) August 29, 2026
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What Cape Town witnessed was another chapter in the rivalry, and an epic game by anyone’s standards across the world of rugby.
But in the end, they turned what should have been a comprehensive win into a narrow victory thanks to their inability to plant the knockout blow, some strange refereeing decisions at the end and the All Blacks' grit.
Certainly there was always going to be drama around this game, and it delivered the showpiece that the 60 000-odd people had waited for.
LATE CHANGE
We had a week of Dave Rennie questioning the Springbok scrum, a Bok team that chopped and changed and a late swap of the front row - Thomas du Toit, Deon Fourie and Gerhard Steenekamp started the match after they had been named on the bench earlier in the week.
But all of that didn’t take away from the fireworks on the field, where the crowd bayed for All Black blood and got an immediate response from the Springboks.
After week one saw 11 22m entries and only one reward, this Bok side was never going to be lured into submission again.
There was something different about them. About the crowd, and about the occasion.
As respectful as the Haka was in Johannesburg, it felt at times as if it contributed to the Boks underwhelming performance. Not so in Cape Town. The respect was there, but as the Haka went towards its crescendo, the fans whistled and became louder. This was an arena made for being big and loud, and they were not going to be silenced.
So too the Boks, who started off exceptionally well. Their first lineout produced a 10-metre rolling maul, heaving under the chorus that echoed around the stadium. They found metres when they took it up as well, with Jesse Kriel bludgeoning his way over the line for the opening try.
One entry, one try.
MASSIVE SHIFTS FOR EBEN, SIYA
But this is a very good All Blacks team, and they had more than their share of possession during the first half. But they were met time and again by the Springbok defence. Hard-nosed, in-your-face and stopping them at every turn.
That defensive effort was led by two of the greatest Boks to have lived: Eben Etzebeth and Siya Kolisi. Etzebeth was exceptional, hungry and in the kind of mood that would have scared young kids around the world.
Kolisi, more passionate and composed, was everywhere, and marshalling everyone around him. This may be his playground, but he was certainly not here to play around.
It didn’t matter that referee Angus Gardner seemed intent on letting every collapsed scrum go, or allowed the All Blacks to put the ball in under the locks’ feet. Or that he missed an offside line for the All Blacks that was non-existent during the game. This Bok team was determined.
But they weren’t perfect on defence. They missed tackles but the scramble was there, and while the All Blacks found space on the outside almost at will, the Bok defence for the most part gobbled them up.
Well, until the moment that Cam Roigard fired a ball wide for Will Jordan, who beat Kriel first and then De Allende, motoring down the near touchline to send the ball inside for Roigard to stun the Boks with a try.
KOLBE’S BOOT MASSIVE
But this is what this All Blacks team is, and what they have forever been. A team that can find a weakness and sniff it out to turn nothing into a try. Brutally effective with a killer instinct.
The Boks were undeterred. They forced a penalty and Cheslin Kolbe - whose boot could do no wrong and contributed 18 points on the night- sent them further into the lead.
The Boks were relentless. Five minutes later another lineout drive saw them surge again; this time De Allende made up for the missed tackle by powering close, and then stretching over the line to score.
The Boks were up 17-7, but they just couldn’t get the distance between them and the All Blacks to stick.
Ardie Savea took a ball up from a lineout, found space through the middle and had the Boks so stretched that Damian McKenzie almost walked over for the try. That lead was cut to three.
By 35 minutes, the starting front row was gone, and Ox Nche, Malcolm Marx and Wilco Louw made their way onto the field, winning a penalty on their first scrum.
KOLISI’S TRY WAS KEY
They should have won another on their second, but again Gardner abdicated his responsibility. It didn’t matter. The Boks hammered the line before Kolisi found a hole to go over.
The captain is back to doing captain things 👏👏
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) August 29, 2026
Siya Kolisi goes over for his 15th Test try 🇿🇦©️
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At halftime it was 24-14. But like at Ellis Park, the argument could have been made that the Boks should have been further ahead.
It was clear in the second half they weren’t going to let this test go. Even though they lost Damian Willemse at the break to injury, they continued moving forward.
Kolbe added two more penalties to put them 16 points up. It was looking like a comprehensive Bok win. But the All Blacks weren’t done.
Their aerial ball skills had improved, and Jordie Barrett fielded a high ball; the transition play spread wide quickly and found enough space for Leroy Carter to motor down the sideline, too quick and too far from the closing Bok defence to be stopped.
Marx’s third turnover penalty gave Kolbe an opportunity to make it 33-19 but the All Blacks were pressing.
Cheslin Kolbe is playing a different sport 🧠🏉
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) August 29, 2026
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SOFT YELLOW CARD
And thanks to a period of two consecutive penalties conceded and an off-side line that appeared, they were on the front foot. It didn’t take Savea long to add his name to the scoresheet.
But time was running out. As the All Blacks desperately searched for the draw, the Boks were throwing themselves at them. Lood de Jager received a yellow for a tackle that, on the only replay shown, looked relatively tame. But Gardener had already stopped play and made up his mind by the time the replay showed.
The yellow gave the All Blacks hope, but this Bok team was not going to throw away another test match. They were too determined, too focused, and too desperate to level the series.
And when the turnover came, the roar was also relief as much as it was celebration.
This Springbok team delivered again, as they have done in the past. They stood up and were counted, and while they were far from perfect, they were good enough to get the win.
And that sends the series into a perfect third week in Johannesburg next week. Which is what the rugby world not only needed, but also probably wanted.
SCORERS:
SOUTH AFRICA - tries: Jesse Kriel, Damian de Allende, Siya Kolisi. Conversions: Cheslin Kolbe (3). Penalties: Kolbe (4).
NEW ZEALAND - tries: Cam Roigard, Damian McKenzie, Leroy Carter, Ardie Savea. Conversions: Ruben Love (3).