• Bridge and Barrett tries give All Blacks winning lead
New Zealand’s proud record of never having lost a Rugby World Cup pool game is still intact after a thrilling victory over South Africa. In one of the great World Cup pool matches, the All Blacks’s counterattacking brilliance narrowly cancelled out the Boks’ more direct and physical tactics to secure a 23-13 win their opening fixture in Japan.
From 17-3 up at half-time Steve Hansen’s team had to weather a determined South African fightback but held their nerve in a breathless final quarter. The result increases the chances of England facing the All Blacks in the semi-finals should Eddie Jones’s squad finish top of Pool C and win their subsequent quarter-final.
Written by Robert Kitson at the International Stadium Yokohama
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/sep/21/new-zealand-south-africa-rugby-world-cup-match-report under the title “New Zealand stand firm against South Africa in heavyweight thriller”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
