Rugby World Cup 2019: New Zealand down South Africa in blockbuster battle of the giants
- In a hard-fought, tight tackling game, New Zealand come out on top
- The All Blacks score two tries in the first half within a five-minute span to seal the deal before going into defensive lockdown
It was seen as the marquee pool game to watch, two heavyweights and the top two favourites at the 2019 Rugby World Cup duking it out just a day into the tournament.
While the game produced few fireworks, defending champions New Zealand burnished their credentials as favourites with a hard-fought 23-13 win against top contenders South Africa in a blockbuster match in Yokohama, Japan on Saturday.
The impressive All Blacks cut the Springboks to ribbons during a five-minute period of dominance in the first half that earned them two converted tries, and then saw off a determined second-half fightback to register the vital pool B win.
Having snatched the Rugby Championship from their arch-rivals last month, the Springboks pinned a scrappy Kiwi back for close to 20 minutes but only managed to get three points out of it. South Africa were left stunned by two gorgeous team tries from George Bridge and Scott Barrett.
A Pieter Steph du Toit score, moments after an unexpected Cheslin Kolbe break, got the South Africans back in the match after the second half resumed. Handre Pollard cut his squad’s deficit down to four points with a well-timed drop goal but penalties from Richie Mo’unga and Beauden Barrett seal the fate and handed the Springboks their first lose of the calendar year.