WELLINGTON, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- South Africa managed to give one of the biggest upsets in the history of the Rugby Championship on Saturday, beating New Zealand 36-34.
Given almost no chance of winning after losing their last two championship matches and 11 of their last 12 tests against the All Blacks, including the last six in succession, the Springboks found new spirit in attack and defense to win in New Zealand for the first time since 2009.
South Africa trailed 12-0 after only 16 minutes as the match unfolded as fans on both sides had expected, with the All Blacks entirely dominant.
But the Springboks rallied to lead 24-17 at halftime and 29-17 only a minute into the second half. The All Blacks had never previously conceded 24 points in the first half of a test at home.
