South Africa Stuns New Zealand with Thrilling 16-16 Draw

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Nyakundi Report

Newsroom 1 min read

Primary source Kenyan Digest archive

This archive report was first published on 27 July 2019.

South Africa's Herschel Jantjies scored a last-minute try to secure a thrilling 16-16 draw with world title-holders New Zealand in the Rugby Championship on Saturday, July 27, 2019.

The match, played in Wellington, saw the All Blacks dominate for most of the first half, but the Springboks fought back to level the scores.

Just two months before the World Cup, star All Blacks lock Brodie Retallick left the field in pain with what appeared to be a serious arm injury midway through the second half.

Despite the setback, the All Blacks managed to survive on scraps and scored a try through Jack Goodhue, converted by Beauden Barrett, to take a 7-6 lead into the break.

However, the Springboks dominated possession and territory in the second half, with Faf de Klerk's clever kicking game constantly placing the All Blacks under pressure.

Handre Pollard kicked two penalties to level the scores at 9-9, but Richie Mo'unga took over the New Zealand kicking duties and landed two further three-pointers to push the lead out to 16-9.

But in the final play of the game, Jantjies won the race for the ball over the line, securing a thrilling draw for the Springboks.

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