LIVE BLOG: New Zealand down Springboks to keep Eden Park record in tact

Welcome to the IOL Sport live blog for the Springboks' highly anticipated Rugby Championship match against the All Blacks at Eden Park.

FULLTIME: ALL BLACKS 24 SPRINGBOKS 17

"That was a thrilling end to the Rugby Championship Test, but the All Blacks hang on thanks to some good fight at the breakdown. The Boks won’t be happy with some final minute calls by the referee, however, they wasted opportunities in the first half and let in some soft tries. It was not a good enough effort to seal the win at Eden Park.

"There are plenty of things to fix ahead of next weekend in Wellington. Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus must think about his team composition, especially in the backline, at tighthead and No 8. If they want to win next weekend, they need those changes." - Leighton Koopman

"The Boks fought furious to score a try to draw the game but, perhaps fittingly, it was centurion All Black Ardie Savea that won a turnover in front of his line to seal the deal for his team." - Mike Greenaway

75th minute: TRY SPRINGBOKS! 24-17 - But the Boks refused to give up and a grand stand finish was set up six minutes from time when Cobus Reinach wriggled over.

65th minute: TRY ALL BLACKS! 24-10: But in a coach-killing act, the Boks could not handle the restart safely. Pressure on their line caused Kwagga Smith to infringe to the point that he was yellow carded. The Kiwis camped on the Bok line and eventually Quinn Tupaea breezed through under the crossbar. - Mike Greenaway

62nd minute: TRY SPRINGBOKS: 17-10 Wilco Louw! That is it. He should've been on a while ago. In his first scrum, he wins a tighthead and from the turnover the Boks take it up with Kwagga Smith and Malcolm Marx drives over for the Boks' first try. They needed that. - Leighton Koopman

49th minute: PENALTY ALL BLACKS! 17-3 - Damian McKenzie slots home from close range after Pieter-Steph du Toit is blown up for playing the scrumhalf at a ruck.

45th minute: "Much better from the Springboks at the start of the second half. But their lineout is still a massive problem. If the lineout doesn't work, it takes away their ability to launch attacks." John Goliath

HALFTIME 14-3: 

"A shocking first half in almost all facets of play by the Springboks. It looks like they still need to pitch up. They gave away penalties, turned over possession in crucial positions and looked almost clueless on attack. Senior players are not stepping up. Hooker Malcolm Marx is struggling with his throws at the lineout and missed the tackle that led to a soft try for Will Jordan. Willie le Roux had a defensive error ahead of the first All Blacks try. The Boks must find answers for their woes at lineout time, the breakdown, and on the attack in the second half." - Leighton Koopman

"It was a mostly disappointing first half for the Springboks. Two soft tries were conceded when the defence was exposed. The All Blacks had a blistering opening quarter in which they forced the Boks into conceding penalties while the visitors also battled to get continuity because of handling errors largely resulting from the difficult conditions.

"The positive was that the South African scrum was getting on top, and a third scrum penalty was won five minutes before the break. Just before half time, the Boks’ half was summed up when from a perfect attacking lineout on the All Blacks’ 22, Williams dropped the ball thrown to him off the top of the lineout. Criminally, from the same position a minute before the whistle, thanks to a brilliant 50-22 by Pollard, Malcolm Marx was penalised for balking his lineout throw." - Mike Greenaway

"The All Blacks have dominated the first half at Eden Park - both in territory and on the scoreboard. The Springboks have been guilty of both handling errors and conceding penalties at critical junctures. The visitors have only managed a Handre Pollard penalty, while the All Blacks have crossed the whitewash on two occasions already to lead 14-3 at halftime." - Zaahier Adams

21st minute: PENALTY SPRINGBOKS! Handre Pollard kicks a goal off the tee to get the Boks on the scoreboard.

18th minute: TRY ALL BLACKS! 14-0 - Barrett with a wonderful 50-22. From the resulting lineout, the All Blacks run a wonderful strike move, which sees Will Jordan cut through the Bok defence to score under the poles.

12th minute: It was 12 minutes before the Boks earned their first attacking opportunity in All Blacks territory but they were too tricky for their own good when and open play lineout maul was poorly executed and a knock on was the result. - Mike Greenaway

Second minute: TRY ALL BLACKS! 7-0 - Beauden Barrett with a pin-pint cross kick to wing Emoni Narawa, who catches the ball and ducks under the tackle of Willie le Roux before going over to score.

One minute to kick-off: The Springboks will have to watch this man! Ardie Savea is playing in his 100th Test for the All Blacks and will be fired up to mark his special milestone with a victory. - Leighton Koopman

Five minutes to kick-off: WOW! Beautiful rendition of the national anthem by the Auckland choir. GOOSE BUMPS! No Ras Dumisani nonsense today.

15 minutes to kick-off: The good news is that the rain has held off after a massive shower in the morning. Still, this game should be a tight affair with the aerial contest certain to be key. Expect some bombs from Grant Williams and Handre Pollard.

As Rassie Erasmus has said, “This game will be won by Big Match Temperament. The team that plays the big moments best will win.”

Interestingly, Schalk Burger has just predicted the All Blacks to win by less than seven. His old teammate, Jean de Villiers has countered by predicting a three-point South African win. He has been backed up by Victor Matfield. Big Vic, says Boks by two.

30 minutes to kick-off: Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus, in his pre-match interview with Sky Sports, says they are looking to build some momentum with the minimal changes he made for the Eden Park clash.

40 minutes to kickoff: THE CHAMPS ARE HERE! The Springboks arrive at Eden Park ahead of the Test.

45 minutes to kick-off: Auckland is the centre of the rugby universe this morning as the Springboks and the All Blacks square up in the most eagerly-awaited rugby match since these teams contested the World Cup final in Paris in 2023.

Kick-off is at 9.05am.

The New Zealanders have usurped the Springboks’ No 1 position in the world rankings but have not beaten the Boks in the last four matches between the fierce rivals.

The last time the Boks beat the All Blacks four matches in a row was back in 1949. On the subject of ancient history, the last time the South Africans beat the Kiwis on their revered Eden Park turf was in 1937.

The All Blacks, meanwhile, are still smarting from their 12-11 loss to Rassie Erasmus’ team in that 2023 final, and there will be a whiff of retribution swirling around the Eden Park night as the teams do epic battle.

The Springbok captain for this match, Jesse Kriel, has described this game as the “ultimate Test match” while hailing the 104-year rivalry between the countries as “unmatched in world rugby.”

New Zealand have not lost a Test at their Auckland citadel since 1994, with their unbeaten run standing at 50 matches, but conspiracy theorists have questioned why the Kiwis keep steering their home matches against the Boks away from Eden Park. The Boks last played there in 2013.

All Blacks coach Scott Robertson says he asked the New Zealand Rugby Union to bring the Boks to Eden Park because he wants to test his team against the best, and on their favourite ground.

Robertson told reporters: “They asked me last year when I took over the job, ‘These are the Tests, where can you play them?’ I said: ‘It’s been a long time since we had the Boks at Eden Park, let’s do it against the champions.’”