Best Boks v New Zealand: Senior Players Freedom Fighters Extraordinaire

Senior players stood up as the Springboks beat the All Blacks 18-12 in a cracking clash in Cape Town on Saturday to put one hand on the Rugby Championship trophy and clinch the Freedom Cup for the first time since 2009, writes Quintin van Jaarsveld.

The men in green and gold would’ve been content to trail 9-3 at halftime after the visitors had dominated the first 40.

The hosts were sloppy with ball in hand, shot themselves in the foot with unnecessary offloads, and were out of sync with their rush defence, missing 26 tackles. They were also beaten to the breakdown time and time again – losing possession on 10 occasions – and their lineout misfired majorly. Thus, they would’ve taken being just six points down.

They cleaned up their act in the second half and played more direct to outscore the All Blacks by two tries to none. Courageous captain Siya Kolisi and Malcolm Marx, who brought stability to the lineouts, were the men who dotted down as the Boks made history by securing four wins in the row over their arch-rivals for the first time in the professional era.

Our top three Springbok standouts were:

Damian de Allende

Often overlooked and under-appreciated, De Allende is one of the pillars the Boks’ success is built on and he got his flowers as he was named Man of the Match after a phenomenal performance in which his work rate was off the charts.

Unrivalled when it comes to crashing the ball over the gain line in midfield, he fulfilled that primary role with aplomb (leading the Boks in carries and metres with 11 and 56 respectively) and then some. The work he did outside of his channel was extraordinary and a case study for young inside centres who wish to one day breathe the rarefied air that fills De Allende’s lungs.

Going the extra mile is what makes the Boks who and what they are, the world’s number one team, and De Allende epitomised that never-stop-working mentality. Defensively, he was colossal, not just in shutting down his channel but also in putting out fires elsewhere and competing at the breakdown. In this facet, where the Boks were beaten all game long, “Doogz” delivered a crucial turnover.

He’s the best No. 12 in the world and he proved that at his old stomping ground.

Eben Etzebeth

One Test shy of equalling Victor Matfield’s all-time record of 127 Bok appearances, Etzebeth played with the hunger and energy of a rookie hoping to nail down a place in the team.

A harbinger of pain in the heat of the battle, he climbed into the All Blacks from the word go and remained in their faces for the full 80 minutes. It was a monstrous marathon effort that highlighted what a one-of-a-kind enforcer he is. Yes, he’s physical and yes, he’s abrasive but over and above that, he is a tireless terminator South Africa can depend on to keep on keeping on with controlled aggression.

He made the most carries (9) and metres (27) by a Bok forward, almost scored a try and put Willie le Roux into a hole with a sophisticated soft ball, while on the other side of things, he was second only to Ruan Nortje (16) when it came to tackles (14), put tons of pressure on Cortez Ratima at the base of the ruck and chased box kicks all nights.

Siya Kolisi

Kolisi spoke passionately in the week about how determined he and his teammates were and what it would mean to them to win the Freedom Cup. To capture the one trophy that had eluded the current golden class of Boks was so important that Kolisi suited up with a broken nose, delaying surgery in favour of a historic date with the arch enemy. 

Absolutely heroic, he jumped straight into the fire and inspired his troops by knocking the ball out of Mark Tele’a’s hands in his first bit of contact. Never once favouring his injury, he carried strongly and was even more commanding on defence, putting his country before himself.

He made a key piece of cover defence on Will Jordan after Le Roux’s crosskick had backfired, ran a hard line to punch through and score the opening try, which Handre Pollard converted to put the Boks in the lead for the first time and smashed Jordie Barrett in another inspired play five minutes later.

His passionate 56-minute performance is the stuff legends are made of, as if the double World Cup-winning Bok captain wasn’t one already.

Quintin van Jaarsveld

Quintin Van Jaarsveld is a former MDDA-Sanlam SA Local Sports Journalist of the Year and a former three-time Vodacom KwaZulu-Natal Sports Journalist of the Year. Formerly the sports editor and Outstanding Journalist of the Year award winner at The Fever Media Group, deputy editor at eHowzit, editor at SARugby.com and senior staff writer at Rugby365.com, he boasts over 15 years’ experience and is currently a freelance sports writer.