The greatest rivalry is finally here.

It seems like a lifetime since SA and NZ rugby chucked the baby out with the bathwater when they cancelled the Rugby Championship in favour of a return to tours between the Springboks and the All Blacks.

But the wait is finally over…

Tomorrow we will see the Stormers take on the All Blacks, with young Yaqeen Ahmed due to make his debut at number 10 and a certain Beauden Barrett expected to wear the opposite number.

Ahmed’s nickname is ‘The Chef’.

He earned the nickname during his school days at Wynberg Boys’ High School because of his ability to “cook up” plays, organise the backline and dish out skilful attacks on the rugby field.

After watching him cook for the Under-20s, I can’t help but be excited to see him run out for his Stormers debut.

As promised in last week’s edition of the Aussieboks Insiders, this week we will take a look at some of the moments that have defined the greatest rivalry.

Let’s begin…

The Springboks and All Blacks have been going at each other for more than 100 years…

And there’s been plenty of drama along the way.

The first ever Test between South Africa and New Zealand was played back in 1921, when the Springboks toured New Zealand.

That series ended all square.

Seven years later, the All Blacks finally came to South Africa for the first time…

And once again, neither side could separate themselves, with that series also ending level.

But by the 1980s, this rivalry had become about far more than just rugby.

The All Blacks hosted the Springboks in 1981 and won the series 2-1, but the entire tour was surrounded by massive protests over apartheid.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser even refused permission for the Springboks’ aircraft to refuel in Australia forcing them to fly via the United States instead.

A planned return tour to South Africa in 1985 was eventually cancelled…

And this period had a massive impact on the careers of some of South Africa’s greatest players.

Naas Botha won just 28 caps for the Springboks in a 12-year international career severely limited by South Africa’s sporting isolation.

First capped in 1980, the flyhalf went on to become the highest points-scorer in South African rugby history with 312 points, a record that stood until 2004.

Twenty of those points came in an epic performance against the All Blacks in 1981.

Then, as captain in 1986, he led the Springboks to a 3-1 series victory against the rebel New Zealand Cavaliers – an All Blacks side in all but name.

And before long, South Africa found themselves completely isolated from international rugby.

Between 1985 and 1991, the Springboks didn’t play a single official Test against the established rugby nations.

They were also excluded from both the 1987 and 1991 Rugby World Cups.

But when the Boks finally returned to international rugby in the early 90s…

Guess who was waiting for them?

The All Blacks.

On 15 August 1992, the Springboks took to the field at Ellis Park in Johannesburg to officially emerge from 11 years of rugby isolation and resume their rivalry with their greatest foe.

Led by Blue Bulls legend Naas Botha, the Boks gave a pretty good account of themselves but ultimately went down 27-24.

A past-his-prime Danie Gerber was a late call-up due to injury…

But he still managed to score two tries.

And just a few years later, this rivalry would produce one of the most famous moments in rugby history.

The 1995 Rugby World Cup final.

South Africa.

New Zealand.

Ellis Park.

The Springboks won 15-12 after extra time, with Joel Stransky’s famous drop goal sealing South Africa’s first World Cup.

Of course, because this is the Springboks and All Blacks we’re talking about, even that game came with a bit of controversy…

Enter: Suzie the waitress.

Several members of the All Blacks camp became seriously ill before the final, which eventually led to the famous conspiracy theory that a mysterious waitress called Suzie had poisoned the team.

Whether you believe that one or not…

It became another chapter in the story of this rivalry.

But the All Blacks didn’t have to wait long for a bit of revenge.

The losers of the 1995 final returned to South Africa the very next year and finally clinched their first series win in the country.

The enduring image of that 1996 tour is All Blacks skipper Sean Fitzpatrick pounding the turf in Pretoria in celebration.

Then in 1998, Nick Mallett’s side secured their first win in New Zealand over the All Blacks in 17 years with a 13-3 victory in Wellington.

They followed that with a narrow 24-23 win in Durban to clinch their first Tri Nations title, as it was called back then.

The Boks and All Blacks continued knocking lumps out of each other through the 2000s and 2010s…

And once again, the margins were tiny.

The 2015 Rugby World Cup saw the All Blacks defeat the Springboks by a measly two points, 20-18.

Such narrow margins have often separated these two sides…

And decided the course of history.

A period of turmoil followed for the Boks before the appointment of Rassie Erasmus in 2018.

Despite being under massive pressure, the new Springboks coach prevailed when the Boks beat the All Blacks in New Zealand for the first time since 2009.

The score was 36-34.

This match marks a turning point in the rivalry between these two nations.

Rassie later admitted he would have resigned if the Boks had not won that game.

Since then, Rassie Erasmus’ Springboks have had the upper hand against the All Blacks…

Notable victories include the then record-breaking 35-7 win over New Zealand before the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

Yet, almost 30 years after Ellis Park, they somehow ended up facing each other in another World Cup final.

Paris. 2023.

And once again, there was almost nothing between them.

The Springboks won 12-11 in an absolute dogfight of a final that included yellow cards, massive moments and a red card for All Blacks captain Sam Cane.

Since that night in Paris, the All Blacks have managed to beat the Springboks just once…

And more than 100 years after this rivalry started, these two teams are still fighting over the same thing.

Who gets to sit at the top of world rugby.

But there’s only one problem with that…

We have to play Argentina first.

And Rassie has been warning us and the team not to look too far forward and respect the opposition in front of us, Los Pumas.

Because the Argies have had our number in Argentina before…

And while Rassie is pragmatic enough to know we might lose this game or the next…

His biggest fear is losing that winning feeling and what it means for South Africans all around the world.

Until next time,

Rudi
Aussieboks