All Blacks full back Jordie Barrett converted an awesome late penalty kick from the touchline to beat the Springboks 19-17 on Saturday in Townsville, Australia.
New Zealand won a penalty in the 77th minute 10 metres inside the Springboks half at Queensland County Bank Stadium and Barrett showed incredible composure to slot the kick and seal a dramatic win.
This was the 100th Test match between the two nations and this win also secured The Rugby Championship title for the All Blacks.
New Zealand scored an early try through Will Jordan which was cancelled out almost straight away by a touchdown at the other end through speedster Sbu Nkosi and it was the newly crowned champions who took a two-point lead into half time.
The second half was a lot more tense with the kicking ability of Barrett and South Africa fly half Handrè Pollard cancelling each other out to give the All Blacks the historic win.
An excellent camera angle of Barrett’s match-winning kick highlights just how difficult it was, particularly under that much pressure, as well as the perfectly straight trajectory of the ball.
“We knew this game was going to come down to the wire, it was tit-for-tat out there,” said New Zealand number eight and captain Ardie Savea. “They put us under a lot of pressure. Just relieved really.”
Springboks captain Siya Kolisi added: “It was tough, it was an awesome contest and it was a fair contest. It’s been a tough two weeks but I’m proud of the way the boys stood up today.”
The two nations will play each other once again next weekend to conclude this year’s Rugby Championship, which the All Blacks have now won an incredible seventh time in nine years. Full match highlights are available below:
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