All Blacks Edge Lions 41-35; Boks Set for Cape Town Clash

All Blacks Survive Ellis Park Scare to Complete SA Club Sweep

JOHANNESBURG — The ghosts of 1928 came calling at Ellis Park on Tuesday night, and for a glorious hour, the Lions had the All Blacks right where they wanted them. But in the end, the New Zealanders' class told, as they ground out a thrilling 41-35 victory to complete a clean sweep of South Africa's URC clubs on the 'Rugby's Greatest Rivalry' tour.

It was a heartbreaking loss for the Lions, who were hoping to beat New Zealand 98 years after achieving the feat for the only time when the team was known as Transvaal. They led 21-17 at half-time and stretched that advantage to 35-17 early in the second half, but the All Blacks — unbeaten on this historic tour — found another gear when it mattered most.

The win sets up a mouth-watering second Test at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday, 29 August (kick-off 17:10), where the Springboks — smarting from last weekend's 33-16 defeat at the same venue — will look to hit back with Siya Kolisi returning as captain and Pieter-Steph du Toit winning his 100th cap.

Lions Roar Early, But All Blacks' Depth Tells

The Lions came out with fire in their bellies, and inside five minutes, scrumhalf Nico Steyn had sold a dummy off a solid scrum to score under the poles. Chris Smith converted for 7-0. Two minutes later, flanker and Man of the Match Siba Mahashe punished a sloppy Noah Hotham pass off the lineout, racing clear for a converted touchdown — 14-0 and Ellis Park was rocking.

The All Blacks hit back through Hotham, who finished a slick Emoni Narawa break down the blind side, with Beauden Barrett's boot narrowing it to 14-7. Narawa struck again on 25 minutes, finishing a length-of-field move for 14-12, before Kelly Mpeku restored the hosts' cushion with an aerial finish in the corner. Smith converted for 21-12, and although Ethan Blackadder crossed from deep to make it 21-17 at the break, the Lions had shown they were not here to make up the numbers.

No 11 Erich Cronje capped off a searing Mahashe run down the left that gave the Lions the perfect restart, and skipper and No 8 Francke Horn muscled over from a 5m scrum to stretch it to 35-17. But then Rieko Ioane hit back twice in six minutes to claw the deficit back, and the All Blacks ground out the last 30 minutes to finish 41-35 in front.

Rennie: 'We Were Under a Bit of Heat'

All Blacks coach Dave Rennie was full of praise for the Lions' performance, admitting his side were made to sweat in the Johannesburg heat. "The Lions got off to a flyer at the start of both halves. Our boys showed a lot of character to fight our way back into it," Rennie said.

"We created so many opportunities. If you look at the numbers, we dominated defenders beaten, linebreaks, offloads and so on, but we just didn't do the obvious thing enough. At times we threw a miss-pass when just going through the hands, sitting defenders down and picking them off would have done it. You've got to give credit to the Lions. They came to play tonight; they got off to a good start, got the crowd into the game and at 35-17 we were under a bit of heat. So I was pleased with the composure and our ability to grind out that last 30 minutes or so to finish in front."

Rennie also acknowledged his side's tendency to overplay at times. "At times we tried to play too much. There was a lot of space to kick that would have put them under plenty of pressure... They certainly kicked a lot more than us and benefited from that."

Erasmus Takes Responsibility for 'Being Too Clever'

Meanwhile, Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has shouldered the blame for last Saturday's defeat, admitting he may have overcomplicated things in the build-up. "Sometimes, when we win, players and coaches take a lot of the credit but when we lose, the players often shoulder the blame," Erasmus said speaking Tuesday alongside Cobus Reinach.

"[Last Saturday's] game was very much about decisions I made during the week – trying to change things up, maybe being too clever, making substitutions at the wrong time and perhaps over-analysing our plans. It came down to the plans we made as a coaching team."

He highlighted the early injury to Kurt-Lee Arendse as a factor that unsettled the Bok backline, with Jesse Kriel shifting to wing and Damian de Allende to outside centre, before wing cover Grant Williams also went down injured. "That is not on the players and maybe down to bad planning."

Asked what is different in camp given the Boks lost their No 1 world ranking to New Zealand, Erasmus was typically direct: "They're definitely sleeping less! We're proud South Africans. When we went out onto the field, we could see the fans and what it means to people, so we are desperate to win this game. We are playing a very good side, the No 1 team in the world on Saturday. It comes down to executing the plan, staying aligned and bringing intensity to training sessions."

Kolisi Returns, PSDT's Century Looms Large

The big news for Springbok fans is the return of Siya Kolisi, who has been cleared to start in the loose trio after coming through training without any discomfort. Kolisi has only briefly featured in one Test in the 2026 season — a one-off Test against Argentina earlier this month — before pulling up with a second hamstring injury early on.

Kolisi will resume captaincy duties, with Pieter-Steph du Toit allowed to focus on his 100th Test cap this Saturday. Paul de Villiers falls out of the matchday 23. Du Toit becomes the 11th Springbok to reach 100 Tests, debuting against Wales in 2013, and is the second player in as many weeks to achieve the milestone after Damian de Allende's 100th last weekend.

There are other milestones to savour too: Ox Nche wins his 50th cap, Eben Etzebeth extends his record to 144 caps, and Deon Fourie — on the bench — would become the oldest Bok Test player at 39, in his first game back since the Rugby World Cup final in France, where the Boks won 12-11.

Reinach: All Blacks Targeted Breakdown, Not Nines

Cobus Reinach dismissed the idea that he and Grant Williams were singled out by the All Blacks at Ellis Park. "I don't think they targeted us as individuals at nine. I think they went after the breakdown quite hard, trying to slow the ball down with their legs and things like that. All we can do is feel the pressure and find ways to get the ball out."

The squad has been working specifically on breaking that pattern in training. "When we get to the field we'll find ways to do it. The guys in training have been trying to emulate that, working on how we can improve."

On the yellow cards in the first Test, Reinach was philosophical: "It's never good. But credit must go to New Zealand, they put us under pressure and made us do things that led to the yellow cards. They did a good job there. Now it's on us to look at how we can defend those situations better or make a different plan."

On PSDT's 100th cap, Reinach was glowing: "Playing 100 caps is a huge milestone, and it shows what type of player and person he is. He's probably not the most vocal guy, but he talks with the way he plays and leads with the way he plays. I'd rather play with him than against him."

Cape Town Showdown Awaits

The last time the Boks met the All Blacks in Cape Town, it was the Rugby Championship 2024, with the Boks winning 18-12. The Springboks have won five of the last seven between the teams since August 2024, but they know Saturday's clash is about more than just records — it's about pride, redemption, and proving they are still the world's best.

The 'Rugby's Greatest Rivalry' series marks the first traditional All Blacks tour to South Africa since 1996, and it has already delivered drama, passion, and world-class rugby. The Lions may have fallen short on Tuesday, but they reminded everyone why South African rugby is special. Now, all eyes turn to Cape Town Stadium for what promises to be an epic showdown.

Tags: All Blacks, Lions, Springboks, Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Rassie Erasmus, Dave Rennie, Rugby's Greatest Rivalry, Cape Town Stadium, Ellis Park, URC, Richie Mo'unga, Francke Horn, Cobus Reinach, Eben Etzebeth

This article was produced with AI-assisted research and editorial support. Sources: The South African, SARugbyMag.

By Dante Williams, Staff Writer