All Blacks made to sweat in Cape Town
Fourteen-all with a quarter of an hour left. That was not the script for New Zealand’s grand return to South Africa. The All Blacks eventually pulled clear to win 38-21 at DHL Stadium on Friday, but the Stormers made them earn every metre before the scoreboard finally ran away in the closing stages.
This was the opening act of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry, the tour marking New Zealand’s first full-scale visit to South African soil in three decades. For an hour, the occasion belonged to the hosts as much as the visitors.
The Stormers hit first through Deon Fourie, added a Seabelo Senatla try and forced a penalty try to stay level deep into the second half. Cape Town sensed an ambush.
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Four late tries settle it
Then the dam broke. Samisoni Taukei’aho, Simon Parker, Rieko Ioane, Leroy Carter, Josh Moorby and Asafo Aumua all crossed for New Zealand, the bulk of the damage arriving in a frantic final quarter once the Stormers’ resistance cracked.
The manner of it will not please the coaching staff. New Zealand were ill-disciplined, coughed up territory and let a club side hang around far longer than expected. The bonus-point margin flatters a performance that was scratchy for long spells.
Road wins in South Africa still carry real weight, and the tourists found their ruthless streak at the moment it mattered most.
What it means for the tour
The result sets the tone for a series South African rugby has waited 30 years to stage in full. Next comes a meeting with the Sharks in Durban, another franchise primed to test a New Zealand side still searching for cohesion.
The All Blacks got the job done. The performance told them plenty of work remains.
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