The huge Springboks vs All Blacks series omen hanging over Saturday’s opener
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First blood.
The Springboks and All Blacks will renew their rivalry at Ellis Park on Saturday, and history suggests the opening Test could carry considerably more significance than simply taking a 1-0 lead.
Across the previous Test series contested between South Africa and New Zealand, only once has a team recovered from losing the opening Test to go on and win the series.
That comeback belongs to the legendary Springbok tourists of 1937.
South Africa began the three-Test series with a 13-7 defeat at Athletic Park in Wellington, leaving New Zealand one victory away from securing the series.
The Springboks responded emphatically.
They levelled matters with a 13-6 victory at Lancaster Park in Christchurch, overcoming a 6-0 half-time deficit as their forwards took control after the break.
That set up a deciding third Test at Eden Park, where South Africa produced a famous 17-6 victory to complete the turnaround and secure the series 2-1. Contemporary reports described the result as a new page in rugby history, with the Springboks scoring five tries in the decider.
Now, 89 years later, Rassie Erasmus and Dave Rennie’s sides begin a four-Test battle of their own.
Both coaches have played down the idea that Saturday will determine the series. Erasmus has pointed to South Africa’s experience of recovering from an opening defeat against the British and Irish Lions in 2021, while Rennie acknowledged that both teams will nevertheless be desperate to “draw first blood.”
History, however, makes clear just how difficult recovering from an opening defeat in a Springboks-All Blacks series has traditionally been.
This year’s Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry is the 13th Test series between the All Blacks and Springboks. The ledger is tied at five each, with the first two series drawn (1921 and 1928).
The Springboks then won five of the next seven to 1976. New Zealand had won only at home, in 1956 and 1965, having lost at home in 1937. New Zealand has won the last three series, 1981 and 1994 at home, and 1996 in South Africa, the famous first away victory.
