Springboks move closer to Rugby Championship with storming win over All Blacks

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The Springboks pulled off a storming final spurt for the second week in a row, beating New Zealand's All Blacks 18-12 in their Rugby Championship match at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday.

Springboks captain Siya Kolisi, playing with a broken nose, scored South Africa's first try as his team overcame a 9-3 halftime deficit.

Substitute Malcolm Marx scored the only other try six minutes from time, while the All Blacks were down to 14 men after the yellow card for mainstay Tyrel Lomax.

For South Africa, it was their fourth win in as many matches in the tournament, which almost secured them the title. For New Zealand, it was their third loss, which knocked them out of the competition.

It was also South Africa's fourth consecutive win against New Zealand since 2023. They had not won four games in a row against their arch-rivals since 1949.

New Zealand deservedly led 9-3 after a close first half, with link-up Damian McKenzie scoring three penalties while his Springbok counterpart Handre Pollard scored one.

Despite receiving an early scrum penalty, the All Blacks applied pressure from the start, helped by the Springboks losing three lineouts to their own throw-ins in the first ten minutes.

McKenzie put New Zealand ahead in the 15th minute when Springbok eight Jasper Wiese conceded a penalty for tackling scrum-half Cortez Ratima without the ball and was shown a yellow card by English referee Matt Carley.

But the All Blacks also had to fight back to 14 men almost immediately after the break when right wing Sevu Reece eliminated Springbok defender Willie le Roux in an aerial battle.

The Springboks had a chance to equalise in the 22nd minute when the All Blacks were penalised on their own 22-metre line, but they opted for a kick for touch and failed to score a point from the resulting lineout.

McKenzie scored a second goal before Pollard converted a penalty from the New Zealand 10-metre line.

The All Blacks applied pressure after the half-time whistle but settled for the three points when they were awarded a penalty near the Springbok posts and McKenzie gave his side a six-point lead.

South Africa came back strongly after the break and took the lead for the first time when Kolisi scored a try after a period of sustained pressure. During this period, the Springboks opted for three consecutive lineout drives after penalties. Pollard converted.

Substitute link-up Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu increased the lead with a penalty, but McKenzie reduced the gap to one point with 21 minutes left.

McKenzie missed two penalties after Le Roux was yellow-carded for a deliberate knockdown.

But the Springboks dominated the final minutes and Marx scored a goal in the left corner after a drive from a lineout.

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