Welcome to the IOL Sport live blog for the Springboks’ highly anticipated Rugby Championship match against the All Blacks at Eden Park.
30 minutes to kick-off: Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus, in his pre-match interview with Sky Sports, says they are looking to build some momentum with the minimal changes he made for the Eden Park clash.
40 minutes to kickoff: THE CHAMPS ARE HERE! The Springboks arrive at Eden Park ahead of the Test.
45 minutes to kick-off: Auckland is the centre of the rugby universe this morning as the Springboks and the All Blacks square up in the most eagerly-awaited rugby match since these teams contested the World Cup final in Paris in 2023.
Kick-off is at 9.05am.
The New Zealanders have usurped the Springboks’ No 1 position in the world rankings but have not beaten the Boks in the last four matches between the fierce rivals.
The last time the Boks beat the All Blacks four matches in a row was back in 1949. On the subject of ancient history, the last time the South Africans beat the Kiwis on their revered Eden Park turf was in 1937.
The All Blacks, meanwhile, are still smarting from their 12-11 loss to Rassie Erasmus’ team in that 2023 final, and there will be a whiff of retribution swirling around the Eden Park night as the teams do epic battle.
The Springbok captain for this match, Jesse Kriel, has described this game as the “ultimate Test match” while hailing the 104-year rivalry between the countries as “unmatched in world rugby.”
New Zealand have not lost a Test at their Auckland citadel since 1994, with their unbeaten run standing at 50 matches, but conspiracy theorists have questioned why the Kiwis keep steering their home matches against the Boks away from Eden Park. The Boks last played there in 2013.
All Blacks coach Scott Robertson says he asked the New Zealand Rugby Union to bring the Boks to Eden Park because he wants to test his team against the best, and on their favourite ground.
Robertson told reporters: “They asked me last year when I took over the job, ‘These are the Tests, where can you play them?’ I said: ‘It’s been a long time since we had the Boks at Eden Park, let’s do it against the champions.’”
