The Springboks beat New Zealand 33-26 at DHL Newlands on Saturday to level the Castle Double Malt Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series at one-all, avenging last weekend's defeat in Johannesburg in front of 56,589 fans.
The Boks led 24-14 at halftime and, despite a New Zealand fightback, held on for a seven-point victory — a winning margin that matched the total number of tries in the match and the jersey number of Pieter-Steph du Toit, who played the full 80 minutes on his 100th cap.
Cheslin Kolbe was named man of the match after a flawless kicking display, converting all three Springbok tries and landing four penalty goals for a perfect seven from seven and 18 points in total. Ox Nche also marked his 50th cap with a winning performance.
Jesse Kriel opened the scoring inside two minutes, finishing off a driving maul and flowing backline move near the posts. New Zealand drew level when Cam Roigard ran a sharp support line off Will Jordan's powerful run down the right touchline, with Ruben Love converting. Kolbe quickly restored the Boks' lead with a penalty after a fluffed All Blacks restart.
Damian de Allende then extended the advantage, scoring his 12th Test try in his 101st cap after a kick to the corner sparked a sustained Bok maul that stretched the defence before the ball went wide. Kolbe's conversion made it 17-7.
Damian McKenzie pulled three points back for New Zealand before halftime, finishing off a well-worked lineout move in which the All Blacks exploited a defensive lapse with slick hands. A Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu kick to the corner and a subsequent power scrum — Erasmus bringing Nche and Malcolm Marx on specifically for the set-piece — earned the Boks a penalty and further momentum before the break.
The result returns South Africa to the top of the world rankings, with New Zealand moving to second.