Bok fans must savour every glorious moment as nothing lasts forever

WHEN the Springboks lost 57-0 to the All Blacks in Auckland in 2017, backing up the 57-15 thrashing they had received the year before in Durban, I remember discussing with my old colleague Gavin Rich the possibility that we would never again see the Boks beat their old rivals.

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SPRINGBOK captain Siya Kolisi and his charges have dominated the All Blacks over the last few years. I AFP

(AFP)

Today, that sounds a touch dramatic, but back then it seemed distinctly possible. The scoreline across the two consecutive matches was 114-15; the Kiwis were on a six-match unbeaten run against South Africa, and even without the retired Richie McCaw and Dan Carter, they were getting stronger at the same rate that the Boks were getting weaker.

Also, in the professional era, Springbok victories over the All Blacks were rare. From 2000 to 2017, in 40 matches played between the teams, the Boks had won just nine.