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Century-old rivalry is becoming a bit lopsided

Aaron Goile

The greatest rivalry in rugby history has become embarrassingly lopsided over the past decade. So much so that should the All Blacks do the business in tonight’s milestone match against the Springboks, they will be up at their record winning rate against their most fierce opponents.

This weekend’s historic 100th test comes, so neatly, 100 years since the teams first clashed, on South Africa’s 1921 tour to New Zealand.

And not since losing that first encounter 13-5 at Carisbrook in Dunedin have the Boks been at a lower point than their current 36.36 per cent success rate against the men in black.

A century after that first-ever encounter, the All Blacks have never got their win rate against the Boks back above 60 per cent.

Their current 59 victories from 99 games makes for a 59.60 per cent record, which is comfortably their worst against any opponent.

It sits behind their 66.67 per cent against the World XV, the 69.36 per cent against Australia, the 73.17 per cent against the British and Irish Lions, the 78.57 per cent against England and the 78.69 per cent against France. Against the rest, it’s 90 per cent-plus.

However, triumphing at the rather incongruous setting of Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville would not only secure the Rugby Championship, but also put New Zealand back level with that bestever 60 per cent mark against the

Boks – a figure they had also got to following their 25-24 victory in Cape Town in 2017.

In a matchup that had been dominated by South Africa in earlier times, it has been a violent swing in the superiority stakes in

the modern era.

After finishing the debut 1921 series 1-1 (one draw), the All Blacks hadn’t been able to get back to a 50 per cent record against the Boks until their 58th clash – a 26-15 Tri Nations win at Eden Park in 2001.

In fact, New Zealand prevailed in a meagre four of the first 14 meetings (at 28.57 per cent), with

South Africa having gone on a sixgame winning run that remains their best streak in the matchup,

including a 4-0 sweep on their hosting of the 1949 tour.

Up until 1981, the All Blacks had won just 15 of 37 (40.54 per cent), but post-apartheid, the difference is stark. The men in black have triumphed in 44 of 62 (70.97 per cent) since the teams reconvened in

1992. And in more recent times, since that 3-0 sweep by the Boks in the 2009 Tri Nations, it has been a remarkable 17 wins from the past 21 for the All Blacks, at a giddy 80.95 per cent. That run has included the record 57-0 thrashing at North Harbour Stadium in 2017.

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