Comment by Ashfak Mohamed
The epic line in the movie Sarafina, ‘Freedom is coming tomorrow’, came a day early for the Springboks on Saturday night as they finally claimed the Freedom Cup at the Cape Town Stadium.
Captain Siya Kolisi spoke on Friday about how determined the world champions were to add the sizeable trophy to the cabinet, having last won it in 2009.
Despite having hoisted the Webb Ellis Cup in 2019 and 2023, the Boks wanted to end their All Black bogey once and for all, and did it in fine style in front of a jam-packed Cape Town crowd in a thrilling 18-12 victory.
The Rugby Championship trophy may be on its way soon too, if they can get past Argentina home and away in the coming weeks.
But on a clear and chilly Cape Town night, it was the sheer fighting spirit from the South Africans that shone through.
In many respects, it was a game that they were fortunate to win – just like at Ellis Park last weekend.
The hosts were just a yard off the pace of the fired-up All Blacks throughout. They made a number of unforced errors with ball-in-hand, Handré Pollard and Willie le Roux didn’t make much impact on attack, and the forwards were beaten to the breakdown by the visitors.
The few opportunities that the Boks did have on attack were wasted by over-eagerness in contact as they forced the pass on too many occasions, while they lost too many lineouts for their liking.
The Boks just did not engage the Kiwis’ defence, and instead of forcing them to make tackle after tackle, they gave them easy escapes through handling errors and poor decision-making.
Thrilling national anthems and All Black haka 🔥 #RSAvNZL #Springboks #AllBlacks #RugbyChampionship pic.twitter.com/fyDpiuWW3l
— Ashfak Mohamed (@ashfakmohamed) September 7, 2024
Even a first-quarter yellow card to All Black speedster Sevu Reece didn’t aid the Boks as New Zealand held a 6-0 lead through two Damian McKenzie penalties.
Rassie Erasmus’ men eventually put together a few phases around the halfway mark, and would have been quite relieved to be only 9-3 down at halftime.
All Black coach Scott Robertson would’ve been disappointed that his team didn’t put more points on the board, and McKenzie’s audacious 55-metre shot at goal early in the second half was the wrong call as a lineout inside the Bok 22 would’ve provided a proper scoring opportunity.
Pollard finally took on the All Black defence with ball-in-hand in the 45th minute, and that seemed to spark the Boks into action as they suddenly came alive.
Scrum battle has been intense #RSAvNZL #Springboks #AllBlacks #RugbyChampionship pic.twitter.com/bL1vpHmJ8L
— Ashfak Mohamed (@ashfakmohamed) September 7, 2024
Eben Etzebeth was unlucky not to be awarded a try when it looked like the ball had touched the line, but then captain Kolisi rounded off a few minutes later to put the Boks into the lead for the first time in the 50th minute.
The Bok Bomb Squad was introduced soon after that, and Malcolm Marx, Elrigh Louw and Kwagga Smith added real bite to the attack with their strong carrying and tenacious defence.
Le Roux’s yellow card for a deliberate knock-on seemed to sway the game towards the All Blacks once more, but luck was on the Boks’ side in front of a worried crowd.
McKenzie hit the upright in the 64th minute with a three-pointer, and then missed an easier penalty with eight minutes left, before tighthead prop Tyrel Lomax was yellow-carded for an off-the-ball challenge on Cheslin Kolbe.
Razor will not be happy with this kick 👀
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) September 7, 2024
📺 Stream #TRCC2024 on DStv: https://t.co/0P0NNhnwKw pic.twitter.com/w6MaIZfEyZ
Marx scored from the resultant lineout drive to make it 18-12, and then it was a case of holding on for a drama-filled victory, although Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu made a stunning line-break too.
The danger wasn’t over until the last minute as the All Blacks had a lineout on the Bok 10m line, but Pieter-Steph du Toit read the throw-in perfectly to tap it back, and Ruan Nortjé kicked the ball into touch.
There were roars of relief at the final whistle as the 55 000-strong crowd could celebrate a fourth consecutive Bok triumph over the All Blacks, which was the first time they’ve achieved that feat since 1949.
It was a far from perfect performance, and a better All Black side would’ve claimed the victory.
But the Boks and their fans got their reason to continue the party on the streets of Cape Town...
#Springboks captain Siya Kolisi after the win over the #AllBlacks #RSAvNZL #RugbyChampionship pic.twitter.com/I9oZ2eY3zd
— Ashfak Mohamed (@ashfakmohamed) September 7, 2024
Points-Scorers
Springboks 18 – Tries: Siya Kolisi, Malcolm Marx. Conversion: Handré Pollard (1). Penalties: Pollard (1), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (1).
All Blacks 12 – Penalties: Damian McKenzie (4).