<\/p>\n
The Springboks took a 2-1 lead in the Rugby\u2019s Greatest Rivalry Test series after consecutive victories at DHL Stadium and FNB Stadium.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The result also ended SA\u2019s poor record against the All Blacks at the Soweto venue.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
An 85,976-strong crowd watched the teams enter half-time level before the Springboks scored two tries and added a Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu penalty during the second half. \u201cI thought it was epic. I think the whole series so far is epic and now they can draw it in Baltimore,\u201d Erasmus said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was epic, and it was intense, and both teams lost some vital players.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Springbok Wing Cheslin Kolbe left the field after 10 minutes, while New Zealand Captain Ardie Savea also suffered an injury. \u201cWe lost Cheslin, they lost Ardie. It was a fierce battle in all departments. I think the scoreboard at the end showed how close the game was,\u201d Erasmus said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re just happy we won and now we must try and replicate that in Baltimore.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Erasmus said New Zealand\u2019s playing style remained difficult to defend, particularly after the All Blacks entered the match with an unbeaten record.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
However, continuity in Springbok selection helped SA build momentum during the series. Erasmus said the coaching staff had previously rotated players as part of preparations for the next Rugby World Cup. \u201cOur plan was always to give a lot of guys a chance with our eye on the World Cup,\u201d Erasmus said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cBut then when we get into this rivalry series, we start to build some momentum and continuity.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The victory came at a cost, with Kolbe ruled out of the fourth Test after suffering a broken jaw.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Erasmus confirmed that Kolbe would miss the Baltimore encounter, leaving the Springbok coaching team needing to adjust the match-day squad.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The All Blacks can still level the four-match series with victory in Baltimore, while the Springboks will seek a third consecutive win to secure the series.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
–SABCSport\/ChannelAfrica–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":43542,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"news-type":[78,20],"class_list":["post-44779","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-featured","news-type-sport","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"South Africa (SA) Head Coach Rassie Erasmus described the Springboks\u2019 29-24 victory over New Zealand at FNB Stadium as epic after another close contest between the rivals.","published_date":"","news_description":"South Africa (SA) Head Coach Rassie Erasmus described the Springboks\u2019 29-24 victory over New Zealand at FNB Stadium as epic after another close contest between the rivals.","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/44779","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/44779\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44780,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/44779\/revisions\/44780"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43542"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44779"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=44779"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}