2025’s Best Bok Tests #1: v New Zealand
by KickOff Rugby · KickOffKickOff Rugby wraps up its retrospective series with the undisputed performance of the year from the Springboks as they recorded a record win by any team against New Zealand in Wellington.
SA v New Zealand
Result: New Zealand 10-43 South Africa (Rugby Championship)
Date: 13 September 2025
Venue: Sky Stadium, Wellington
South Africa Captain: Siya Kolisi
Head Coach: Rassie Erasmus
Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia)
Sometimes, the scoreboard tells the whole story.
A week after the frustration of a 24-17 loss at Eden Park, where the All Blacks’ 31-year unbeaten streak at the venue remained painfully intact, the Springboks arrived in Wellington needing a response. They delivered the heaviest defeat New Zealand has ever suffered in Test rugby.
Rassie Erasmus had promised changes after the Auckland defeat, and he held true to his word. He shuffled his deck, handing a first Test start to Sharks winger Ethan Hooker and tweaking the pack that had been outmuscled at the breakdown the week before.
The game of two halves
For forty minutes, it looked like another nail-biter. The All Blacks led 10-7 at the break, thanks to a try from debutant winger Leroy Carter. The Boks had struggled to convert territory into points, with their only response coming from a Cheslin Kolbe try that kept them in the hunt.
Then came the second half and a 36-point blitz that will be replayed for decades.
The turning point was arguably the introduction of Manie Libbok. Replacing Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who left for an HIA, Libbok took control of the game with a tactical masterclass. His orchestration of the Springbok attack as he kicked for space, finding runners and manipulating the All Black defence with surgical precision.
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Running riot in the Cake Tin
The floodgates opened when Siya Kolisi, playing like a man possessed, burst through the midfield to set up Kolbe for his second. From there, the Boks were unstoppable.
Damian Willemse danced through for a try, followed quickly by Kwagga Smith, who finished a move sparked by a brilliant break from rookie Ethan Hooker.
RG Snyman and Andre Esterhuizen added the final blows, powering over to push the score to 43-10. It surpassed the 35-7 record win at Twickenham in 2023, setting a new benchmark for South African dominance over their greatest rivals.
"The scoreline is nice, but it is more about what we are trying to achieve," Erasmus said afterwards, typically underplaying the magnitude of inflicting the All Blacks' biggest-ever loss on home soil.
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The win secured the Freedom Cup and kept their Rugby Championship title defence alive in the most emphatic way possible.
What was your standout moment from the Wellington demolition? Share your thoughts in the comments.