The Springboks take on the All Blacks at Eden Park on Saturday for the first time since 2013, as they look to secure a first win at New Zealand rugby’s fortress since 1937, writes SIMON BORCHARDT.
The Boks only two victories at the Auckland ground came more than eight decades ago. A 9-5 win on their first tour to New Zealand in 1921 was followed by a famous 17-6 victory in the 1937 Test series decider, when Philip Nel’s team – later hailed as “the best side to leave New Zealand” – ran in five unanswered tries (worth three points each).
Since then, the Boks have returned to Eden Park just eight times, losing seven of those encounters.
The All Blacks sealed their first-ever series win over the Boks at the ground in 1956 in front of a still-record crowd of 61,240, and were again victorious in 1965, 1997, 2001, 2010 and 2013.
The one exception came in 1994, when the Boks scored two unanswered tries in the third Test of the series but had to settle for an 18-18 draw – a result that marked the start of New Zealand’s incredible 50-Test unbeaten streak at the venue.
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Perhaps the most infamous clash was the 1981 “Flour Bomb Test”, remembered as much for the chaos in the skies and streets as for the rugby. During the match, an anti-apartheid protester flew over Eden Park in a small Cessna, dropping bags of flour on to the field.
Bok wing Ray Mordt scored a hat-trick and All Blacks wing Stu Wilson a memorable try. After a long – controversial – period of added time from Welsh referee Clive Norling, All Blacks fullback Allan Hewson slotted a series-winning penalty.
The most recent meeting between the teams, in the 2013 Rugby Championship, ended in a 29-15 All Blacks win after Bok hooker Bismarck du Plessis was controversially sent off – his second yellow card for what was later deemed a legal hit on flyhalf Dan Carter.
The Springboks have not played at Eden Park since, with some suggesting the world champions have deliberately been scheduled at other New Zealand venues over the past five years to protect the All Blacks’ unbeaten record in Auckland.
On Saturday, though, Siya Kolisi’s men have a golden opportunity to end an 88-year drought and add another chapter to the storied history of rugby’s greatest rivals.
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All Blacks vs Springboks at Eden Park:
1921: Springboks won 9-5
1937: Springboks won 17-6
1956: All Blacks won 11-5
1965: All Blacks won 20-3
1981: All Blacks won 25-22
1994: Drawn 18-18
1997: All Blacks won 55-35
2001: All Blacks won 26-15
2010: All Blacks won 32-12
2013: All Blacks won 29-15
MORE: 10 of the best Bok wins against All Blacks
Springboks’ last five matches in New Zealand:
2016: All Blacks won 41-13 (Christchurch)
2017: All Blacks won 57-0 (Albany)
2018: Springboks won 36-34 (Wellington)
2019: Drawn 16-16 (Wellington)
2023: All Blacks won 35-20 (Mount Smart)
Photo: Kim Ludbrook/EPA
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