South Africa vs. New Zealand: Score, Report from 2014 Rugby Championship Clash
South Africa beat New Zealand 27-25 in a marvellous clash at Ellis Park in the Rugby Championship. The result was confirmed here by the Springbok's official Twitter account:
Pat Lambie slotted a last-gasp penalty to win this one, but the star of the show was South Africa's young fly-half Handre Pollard, who produced a magnificent multi-faceted display for the Springboks. He scored two tries, notched two conversions and penalty for good measure. Francois Hougaard scored the first try of the day for the hosts.
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Tries from Malakai Fekitoa, Ben Smith and Dan Coles were ultimately in vain for the visitors, who will have been distraught to see what would have been a fine victory slip.
New Zealand had already wrapped up the Rugby Championship after their excellent win against Argentina last time out, and you can bet they will have been delighted to rock up to Ellis Park—a notoriously difficult venue—with the title secured.
Nonetheless, ahead of the clash, South Africa coach Heyneke Meyer spoke about the formidable physical challenge his team would face against the All Blacks, per Mike Cleary of the Telegraph:
"We will not be able to beat the All Blacks by thinking that we can bully them into submission. Gone are the days when South African teams can physically overpower the opposition. The other countries have caught up with us.
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New Zealand have been in sensational form throughout this competition, with Julian Savea emerging as one of the best players on the planet. And New Zealand coach Steve Hansen was in no mood to quell the hype regarding his star man ahead of this one, insisting he is probably better than the iconic Jonah Lomu, per the Mail Online:
"Jonah was a great player, but I think Julian has got more to his game to be honest and that's saying something. I genuinely believe that.
He's very good going back, under the high ball, with the ball on the ground, as well as being a greater carrier so I think he's right up there.
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Despite little to play for in terms of tangible gains, the South African public had turned out in huge numbers to see their men tackle the finest side on the planet at the moment, per the South Africa Rugby Twitter account:
Having already wrapped up the title, there will have been some concerns about New Zealand taking their foot off the gas for this one, and although Beauden Barrett opened the scoring with a penalty, it was the Springboks who looked sharper in the breakdown and more incisive in their passing.
Their glittering early play was rewarded when Hougaard went over, and the try was converted to put the Boks 7-3 up. And roared on by the Ellis Park crowd, South Africa continued to put massive pressure on the champions. Indeed, the All Blacks official Twitter account paid tribute to their opponents early aggression:
They were a little over zealous on occasions early on though, and conceded another penalty which Barrett slotted to put the visitors to within one point at 7-6. But South Africa they quickly extended their lead with a eye-catching try.
Brian Habana surged forward with his patented blistering speed, creating the space for Pollard to notch South Africa's second try of the day. The Springbok No. 10 dusted himself down to slot the extra points and push his side into a 14-6 lead.
But such is the indisputable calibre of this New Zealand side, a response was always going to come, and just six minutes after establishing an eight-point lead, it was cut back down to one. It was than man Savea who was crucial once again, who made a wonderful break before putting one on a plate for Fekitoa.
New Zealand looked to be building momentum going into the break, but the topsy turvy nature of the clash continued, as South Africa snatched the impetus just before the interval. And once again, it was Pollard causing major problems for the All Blacks, as he conjured another try before forensically slotting the conversion kick.
The All Blacks Twitter account were immeasurably impressed by the performance of the 20-year-old:
The second half saw Pollard continue to take the fight to New Zealand, and he extended their lead with an early penalty. But even with an 11-point advantage on the scoreboard, it's never wise to rest on your laurels against such a formidable New Zealand team; a narrative that was soon to be proven valid
The All Blacks suddenly found their rhythm and came flying forward with remarkable incision. Smith—who had enjoyed an excellent game—got New Zealand back into the match with a converted try and suddenly the impetus was with the tourists as the latter stages approached.
South Africa looked a little weary after their extremely intense start and the All Blacks seemed to sense blood as they wrestled control of proceedings. Suddenly it was the men in the iconic black strip that seemed to have that extra yard and just four minutes after Smith's score, Coles went over after excellent work from Kieran Read to put New Zealand 25-24 up.
They couldn't add the extra points though and that would prove to be critical.
Having fallen behind for the first time in a while, the Springboks suddenly went back on the offensive. But with the clock ticking down, the All Blacks seemed to have done enough to notch yet another memorable victory.
Then, with just shy of two minutes remaining, South Africa won a penalty. And while it was a long distance attempt under enormous pressure, Lambie stepped up and insouciantly knocked it over. Naturally, Ellis Park erupted and the Springboks hung on to take what was a well deserved win on the overall balance of play.
Here's the winning moment:
While their campaign ended in disappointment, there are few that would argue with the notion that New Zealand side have been serene and sensational in this Rugby Championship. They've showcased a magnificent array of qualities throughout this competition and while they let one slip here, the All Blacks are looking increasingly likely to defend their world crown at next year's World Cup.
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