Auckland — Winning in New Zealand means going against history’s grain, which is what the Boks have to do to keep their Rugby Championship chances alive. The Springboks have always been competitive against New Zealand but the Springboks have only won three Rugby Championship/Tri-Nations matches against New Zealand. Those wins were achieved when the Boks were world champions and had an excellent squad. There was the 13-3 win under Nick Mallett and Gary Teichmann’s astute stewardship in Wellington in 1998. Then there was the groundbreaking 30-28 win in Dunedin 10 years later where Ricky Januarie conjured up an unforgettable moment of magic. The 32-29 win in Hamilton the following year was routine by the high standards of the Springboks of that year. The close scoreline did not reflect the Boks’ dominance and Frans Steyn’s accuracy. Between that night in Hamilton and the British and Irish Lions triumph in the second of three Tests in Wellington two months ago, the All Blacks dominated e...
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