In the aftermath of the Springboks’ sublime 43-10 pummelling of New Zealand at Sky Stadium in Wellington, we’ve placed it in order of the back-to-back world champions’ greatest wins in the Rassie Erasmus era. Unsurprisingly, the list predominantly features clashes with the old foe.
1.Yokohama Stadium v England, 2019 Rugby World Cup final
The only one place to start is with the two respective World Cup final triumphs over England and New Zealand, which has to take the cake.
The Boks were underdogs heading into the 2019 edition after having fallen to the All Blacks in the pool stages and nearly being pipped by Wales in the last four. On the other hand, Eddie Jones’ Roses were flying high after their famous semi-final defeat of the men in black and seemed destined for a second World Cup crown. In the final at Yokohama Stadium in Tokyo however, near perfect game plan execution by the Boks left England clutching at straws, as the side’s aerial bombardments, set piece supremacy and contact point dominance saw them canter to a 32-12 win.
2. Stade de France v New Zealand, 2023 Rugby World Cup final
The second World Cup title won under Erasmus’ stewardship was a completely different box of frogs, with the game’s greatest rivalry going down to the wire in Paris. In damp and difficult conditions, an unfortunate red card to Kiwi skipper Sam Cane early on handed the defending champions the advantage, but ensuing yellow cards to Siya Kolisi and Cheslin Kolbe kept the All Blacks right in the fight. In the end, aided by arguably the greatest individual World Cup final display in history by Pieter-Steph du Toit, the men in green and gold were able to hold on for an absorbing and emotional 12-11 win.
3. Sky Stadium vs New Zealand, 2025 Rugby Championship
The Boks’ latest Rugby Championship victory over the ABs this past weekend gets third on our list for several reasons. Following the side’s first round capitulation at the hands of the Wallabies in Johannesburg playing an all-out attacking game, many were quick to call for an immediate return to the tried and true Bok formula of set piece excellence and three-pointers. Erasmus though, as he usually does, had the stones to trust his gut as he looks to the next stage of the side’s evolution. What we saw in that second-half in Wellington on Saturday was the culmination of that stick-to-itiveness: perhaps the most aesthetically pleasing Bok performance of all time – Tonyball in perfect union with the traditional grit and skillset of South African rugby. It’s scary to think where the side can go to from here if they can hone that performance.
4. Sky Stadium v New Zealand, 2018 Rugby Championship
The game that well and truly kickstarted the Erasmus era. After suffering opening Rugby Championship defeats to Australia and Argentina, Rassie and his coaching staff, in their first year at the helm, were prepared to walk away from the job if they couldn’t beat New Zealand in the fourth round. In the end, a heroic display, boosted by the individual brilliance of the likes of Willie Le Roux, Warren Whiteley and Cheslin Kolbe, propelled the tourists to what has become a legendary 36-34 win – and Erasmus’ Boks were on their way!
And who could forget the tears of Pieter-Steph du Toit at the final whistle?
5. Twickenham v New Zealand, 2023
Before the weekend, the Boks’ 35-7 win in London was their biggest over the All Blacks. At the time, and in the immediate build-up to the Rugby World Cup in France, it sent shockwaves throughout the rugby world as the reigning world champions, featuring a deadly midfield partnership of Andre Esterhuizen and Canan Moodie, walloped Ian Foster’s men. Given what was to play out at the Stade de France some weeks later, the memory and manner of that result may have played a significant part in Erasmus’ side’s ultimate World Cup final victory.
Honourable mentions:
• Stade de France v France, 2023 Rugby World Cup quarterfinal
• Cape Town Stadium v British & Irish Lions, 2021 second Test
