What. A. Weekend.
The All Blacks have drawn first blood in the Greatest Rivalry Series, knocking over the much-vaunted Springboks in a result that has Tony desperately attempting to remain humble and gracious in victory. Unfortunately, humility has never really been his strong suit. Mark is much better at that sort of thing.
And somehow, the All Blacks actually fucking did it.
For long periods, it felt like the Boks had them under enormous pressure. The scrum was creaking, the high-ball battle was brutal, and physically South Africa seemed to have the upper hand. But instead of folding, the All Blacks did something we haven't seen nearly enough of lately: they played like an All Blacks team.
They absorbed the pressure. They stayed in the fight. And when opportunities appeared, they absolutely feasted.
Five tries to one tells part of the story, but the bigger story was efficiency. South Africa had pressure, territory and dominance in key areas, but couldn't turn enough of it into points. New Zealand, meanwhile, lived off scraps and somehow made every post a winner. Give them half a sniff and — by God — they took it.
We break down all the ins, outs, heroes, concerns and glorious moments from Test One before turning our attention to Cape Town, where a wounded Springbok side will undoubtedly be waiting with violence in their hearts.
It is going to be significantly harder.
And yet...
We're quietly starting to think the All Blacks might be able to fucking do this again.
Plus, in considerably less important but equally satisfying news, Tony's North Harbour got one over Mark's Auckland in the Battle of the Bridge.
The All Blacks win. Harbour win. Tony wins.
It's all coming up Milhouse.
Springbok fans: commiserations. We're trying not to be smug.
Grab a beer and enjoy.
