Springboks captain Siya Kolisi. Photo: Imago

South Africa captain Siya Kolisi has expressed his delight after watching his team inflict a painful defeat on bitter rivals New Zealand.

In a stunning turn of events during Round 4 of the Rugby Championship, New Zealand suffered their most crushing defeat in national team history. The “All Blacks” were routed 43-10 by South Africa, a team they had beaten just a week prior.

On Saturday, September 6th, in a match held at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand had secured a 24-17 victory against South Africa, handing the reigning world champions their second loss in three matches.

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However, a week later, in the rematch between these two global rugby powerhouses, the South African nation delivered a spectacular comeback, inflicting New Zealand’s most severe defeat ever.

In a game played at Wellington’s Regional Stadium, the “All Blacks” were actually the first to score, with Leroy Carter touching down for a try in the 17th minute. South Africa equalized seven minutes later and gradually seized control of the match.

In the second half, the visitors completely dominated New Zealand, stifling their offense and allowing the scoreline to balloon. Ultimately, South Africa triumphed 43-10, thanks to tries from Cheslin Kolbe (2), Damian Willemse, Kwagga Smith, RG Snyman, and Andre Esterhuizen, along with conversions from Manie Libbok.

“I give credit to my boys – we didn’t give up. And to the coach as well. We played fearlessly. We didn’t want to hold back. We knew what we had to do and we believed in ourselves – that was the most important thing,” stated Siya Kolisi, South Africa’s captain, as quoted by BBC Sport.

“This result is tough to swallow. The opposition certainly showed up and displayed real improvement from last week, and we didn’t adapt. There are many areas where we can be better,” commented Scott Barrett, New Zealand’s captain.

Following this result, with two rounds remaining in the Rugby Championship, all four teams now share an identical record: two wins and two losses.