Baltimore belonged to the Boks.
The All Blacks arrived with pride, pedigree and plenty of fight. They left with another bloody nose and a painful entry in the history books.
South Africa hammered New Zealand 43-28 at M&T Bank Stadium to win the Castle Double Malt Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series 3-1, sending 68,137 spectators home after a breathless Test that had more twists than a Cape Town mountain road.
Six tries to four.
Three wins on the trot.
And a psychological hammer blow to the All Blacks.
The last time New Zealand suffered three consecutive defeats against South Africa was 28 years ago.
Now the black jersey has another green-and-gold scar to wear.
The Boks came out swinging from the opening whistle, refusing to retreat into their shell. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu opened the account with a penalty before Codie Taylor crashed over for New Zealand.
Damian de Allende then answered with brute force, barging through from a scrum before Morne van den Berg produced the kind of opportunistic sniping that earned him the official Player of the Match award.
Will Jordan’s 38th-minute try kept the All Blacks breathing, but South Africa returned after halftime with the rugby equivalent of a wrecking ball.
Malcolm Marx thundered over from a rolling maul.
Then Pieter-Steph du Toit finished a sensational attack sparked by Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s break from deep inside Bok territory.
New Zealand tried to claw back into the fight through Ethan Blackadder, but the Boks had too many bullets in the chamber.
Kurt-Lee Arendse then turned chaos into comedy for New Zealand, slicing through the defence and sprinting under the posts.
Cameron Hanekom delivered the knockout punch in the 76th minute after winning a turnover in the All Blacks’ red zone.
Beauden Barrett’s late try was little more than window dressing.
Even New Zealand’s final desperate assault ended in a forward pass.
Game over.
Series over.
Boks on top.
Van den Berg was the official hero, but this was a victory built on collective muscle.
De Allende was colossal, making 18 carries and winning a turnover. Arendse was electric. Marx and Jasper Wiese carried like battering rams, while Feinberg-Mngomezulu showed the composure of a veteran under the Baltimore lights.
Rassie Erasmus’ Boks have now planted another flag in the rivalry.
The All Blacks have been warned.
The old rivalry has a new pecking order.
The Boks now have a week’s break before a one-off Test against the Wallabies in Perth on Sunday, 27 September, while the All Blacks next face Australia in the Bledisloe Cup on 10 October.
SPRINGBOKS – Tries: Damian de Allende, Morné van den Berg, Malcolm Marx, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Cameron Hanekom. Conversions: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (2), Van den Berg, Manie Libbok (2). Penalty: Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
ALL BLACKS – Tries: Codie Taylor, Will Jordan, Ethan Blackadder, Beauden Barrett. Conversions: Damian McKenzie (4).
