South Africa v New Zealand, Tri-Nations, Johannesburg, August 21
Old rivals set for new battle ground
Scrum.com
August 17, 2010
The All Blacks v Springboks rivalry will break new ground at Soweto's FNB Stadium this weekend
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The intense rugby rivalry between South Africa and New Zealand will break new ground this weekend when the two old foes go head-to-head at the 90,000 capacity FNB Stadium in Johannesburg. The Soweto-based stadium, previously known as Soccer City, was the centrepiece of the recent FIFA World Cup staged in South Africa and most notably played host to Spain's victory over Holland in the tournament finale. Saturday's match between the Springboks and the All Blacks will not only be the first clash between the two sides at the stadium but also the first rugby union match staged at the venue. The two teams have played each other 80 times with New Zealand holding a significant all-time advantage with a total of 44 victories including a 13-5 win in the first meeting of the sides in Dunedin in 1921. South Africa have recorded 33 wins including perhaps their most famous success - a 15-12 success in the 1995 Rugby World Cup Final staged at Ellis Park. The two sides have met in Johannesburg on 11 occasions and although the hosts lost the first encounter 7-6, they can boast a total a total of eight victories - most recently hammering the All Blacks 40-26 in 2004. However, New Zealand have dominated the most recent meetings of the two southern hemisphere giants - sweeping South Africa aside 32-12 in Auckland last month before heaping woe on their rivals with a 31-17 victory in Wellington the following week. All-time record: New Zealand won 44, South Africa won 33, drawn 3 Biggest winning margin: SA: 17, 17-0 at Durban, 1928; NZ: 36, 52-16 at Pretoria, 2003 Highest score: SA: 46 (46-40) at Johannesburg, 2000; NZ: 55 (55-35) at Auckland, 1997 Most tries: SA: 6 (46-40) at Johannesburg, 2000; NZ: 7 (55-35) at Auckland, 1997 Longest winning sequence: SA: 6 (1937-1949); NZ: 7 (2001-2004) Most points (individual): SA: Percy Montgomery 106; NZ: Andrew Mehrtens 209 Most tries (individual): SA: 6 Joost van der Westhuizen; NZ: 10 Christian Cullen Most points in a Test: SA: 31 Morne Steyn at Durban, 2009; NZ: 25 Carlos Spencer at Auckland, 1997 Click Here for South Africa's Test record courtesy of Statsguru Click Here for New Zealand's Test record courtesy of Statsguru Click Here for a record of all South Africa v New Zealand matches courtesy of Statsguru © Scrum.com
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