JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, August 31 – Grant Williams’ late try rounded off a stunning South Africa comeback as they beat New Zealand in the third week of the Rugby Championship.
The Springboks trailed at the break and were 27-17 down at one point, but New Zealand prop Ofa Tu’ungafasi’s 69th-minute sin-bin helped the hosts find victory.
The All Blacks scored four tries – one more than the Springboks – but fly-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s kicking proved crucial as he provided 16 points with the boot.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu was successful with four penalties and two conversions in a high-intensity match which was a repeat of last year’s World Cup final.
New Zealand led 12-11 at half-time with Codie Taylor and Caleb Clarke scoring tries either side of Bongi Mbonambi going over for the hosts.
The visitors gained a 10-point advantage when Jordie Barrett raced away to score and then Clarke doubled his tally in the second half.
Kwagga Smith crashed over under the posts and Feinberg-Mngomezulu converted before Williams came off the bench to decide a classic.
“Obviously we do not want to be in a situation where we are trailing entering the closing stages,” said South Africa captain Siya Kolisi.
“The key thing was not to panic, and we did what we wanted to do. Not panicking was the key to our victory.”
All Blacks captain Scott Barrett said: “The Springboks showed that they are a class team and we were not quite good enough.
“It was a huge effort and I’m proud of the boys, but it was not quite enough.”
