There’s nothing wrong with basking in the glory of this most improbable victory for a good few weeks, OK?
Yesterday we covered five videos that showed just how much Saturday’s win over the All Blacks meant to Springbok rugby fans, and it certainly made Monday more bearable.
The thing about Mondays is that they’re followed by Tuesdays, and it’s still a pretty decent slog until Friday rolls around, so we could use a few more reminders of that historic win.
Firstly, this old ballie might be the best reaction video going around. You might have seen it on WhatsApp, but the best we can offer is here to embed the Reddit post.
If the video doesn’t play, click here:
They say everything dramatic sounds better with the Titanic music, as in that Celine Dion ballad that has ruined karaoke vibes around the world, and that’s certainly true for the final moments of drama in the Bok game.
Stick around until the end, because the slow-motion shots really deliver:
We did show you the full highlights yesterday, which included Aphiwe Dyantyi leaving All Black defenders in his wake time and time again, but it’s worth highlighting his defensive efforts in that final move.
It takes something special to make Damian McKenzie panic:
speaking of Aphiwe , this guy have been given freedom and confidence to do things like THIS to win a Test in New zealand.
80 minutes. Boks outnumbered, so he make a call to rush. McKenzie sidestep him… but he have presence of mind to then tip the ball out his hands as he pass pic.twitter.com/cN2q7jZeiH
— Oom Rugby (@Oom_Rugby) September 17, 2018
Our tackle stats were through the roof, but Aphiwe’s effort is up there with the most important.
The Kiwis are generally pretty humble in both defeat and victory, and the same goes for their media. Despite that, some outlets were griping about Nigel Owens’ failing to penalise the Springboks for offsides after the hooter.
Like this headline – Rugby: How referee Nigel Owens’ missed call killed the All Blacks.
Given that we won, there’s little fun in dissecting Owens’ performance, but it’s becoming clear that the All Blacks are repeatedly getting away with dangerous infringements at the ruck.
The French were very vocal about it on their recent tour, and this weekend it’s Kieran Read taking out Francois Louw that is under the spotlight.
Even Arrive Alive is tweeting about it:
If we are serious about reducing serious neck injuries in rugby our match officials should be focused on rooting out incidents such as this shoulder charge on Francois Louw at the breakdown! @Springboks @Nigelrefowens @RugbyFifteen pic.twitter.com/wcByimB6cy
— Arrive Alive (@_ArriveAlive) September 17, 2018
Given that this happened right in front of Owens, and just moments before Willie le Roux was yellow-carded, I guess both teams are entitled to a gripe.
We’ll just revel in the win for now, if that’s alright.
The Boks next play the Wallabies at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on September 29, with the All Blacks travelling to Argentina.
