Saturday’s sees the first test between the Springboks and South Africa in ‘Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry’, but New Zealand and South Africa have also enjoyed a rivalry in football.
South Africa’s Springboks toured New Zealand in the apartheid era when only whites could play for the national team, and there have been two internationals between the countries since South Africa returned to international competition following apartheid-enforced sporting isolation.
More competitively, there was also an under-23 playoff between the two countries to determine a place at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.
Three months before the Games, South Africa and New Zealand had to play off for a berth in the 16-team men’s soccer tournament, with Shakes Mashaba’s side winning the first leg 3-2 in Auckland with goals from Siyabonga Nomvete, Quinton Fortune and Matthew Booth, and then wrapping up qualification a fortnight later with a 1-0 win at Vosloorus for a 4-2 aggregate triumph. Daniel Matsau’s late goal ensured Amaglugglug went to the Olympics, where they famously beat Brazil in the group stage in Brisbane but still did not make it out of the group competition.
Bafana Bafana met the All Whites for the first time in 2009 at the Confederation Cup, with South Africa following up a disappointing draw with Iraq in their opening group match of the tournament with a 2-0 win over the Kiwis, as Bernard Parker scored in either half.
Not long after taking over as coach, Gordon Igesund took a squad down under in May 2014, drawing 1-1 against Australia in Sydney before flying onto New Zealand for a goalless draw with the hosts in Auckland. Both Ronwen Williams and Themba Zwane were in that side and are still playing for South Africa 12 years later.
South Africa’s soccer Springboks, captained by Horace Smethurst, toured down under in 1947, where South Africa won three of the five ‘tests’ against Australia and then went to New Zealand where they played four more internationals, winning 6-5 in Christchurch, 6-0 in Dunedin, 8-3 in Wellington and 4-1 in Auckland.