All Blacks humiliated by Springboks in record defeat in Wellington
Saturday, 13 September 2025
At Sky Stadium, Wellington: Springboks 43 (Cheslin Kolbe 25’, 43’, Damian Willemse 61’, Kwagga Smith 69’, RG Snyman 73’, André Esterhuizen 79’ tries; Manie Libbok 5 con, pen) All Blacks 10 (Leroy Carter 18’ try; Damian McKenzie con, pen) HT: 7-10.
Leroy Carter scored a try on debut but was shown up by Cheslin Kolbe’s double as the Springboks ruthlessly punished a poor All Blacks 43-10 at Sky Stadium to retain the Freedom Cup for the second year and avenge their loss at Eden Park with a record victory.
The All Blacks scored the opening try of the game through their debutant left winger Carter after 18 minutes but they failed to penetrate the Springboks defence thereafter – kept try-less for 62 minutes.
It was an error-ridden display for the All Blacks, who led 10-7 at halftime but were outscored 36-0 the second half and sliced to pieces, missing 46 tackles, to fall to their heaviest-ever test defeat.
“We’ll take it on the chin,” coach Scott Robertson said after overseeing an historic defeat. “They were clearly better in the second half, weren't they?
“The second half, they won the aerial battle and the scraps. Too many penalties around the set piece, there were some really big moments there and the game got away.”
Kolbe starred on the right wing for the Springboks, scoring two tries, one in each half, with speed and agility.
He sprinted 70 metres to score after intercepting a pass from Billy Proctor to cancel out Carter’s opening try and beat his opposite winger one-on-one with a brilliant step inside to ignite the second-half onslaught.
The night was summed up when replacement hooker Brodie McAlister threw the ball straight to the Springboks from a lineout five metres out from their own try line, putting his team under enormous pressure.
The mistake was swiftly punished by the two-time defending world champions, scoring through second five-eighth Damian Willemse to open up a 14-point lead midway through the second half.
Home supporters started heading for the exit when Kwagga Smith added to the All Blacks’ misery with a bonus point try in the 69th minute, cashing in when Pieter-Steph du Toit caught a cross-field kick from Manie Libbok.
But the Springboks weren’t done, scoring two more tries to register their biggest-ever win against the All Blacks to blow the Rugby Championship wide open after Argentina stunned the Wallabies in Sydney hours earlier.
The All Blacks were dealt an early blow, losing returning halfback Noah Hotham inside the opening 10 minutes when he took a knee to the head from Lood de Jager, which also injured the Springboks lock.
Just when it looked like right winger Will Jordan would score a consolation try in the final five minutes, he grounded the ball short and lost control.
Nothing went right for the All Blacks in a disastrous second spell.
It’s incredible to think the hosts led 10-7 at halftime after Carter strolled through to score in the 18th minute following a sweeping attack from the right, which saw the ball change hands seven times.
It was a dream start for Carter but it quickly turned into a nightmare.
The Springboks completely owned the aerial battle, dominated at set-piece time and their new-look back line ran riot against a fragile All Blacks defence.
The turning point came when the Springboks annihilated the All Blacks with the first scrum of the second half, just like they did at Eden Park seven days earlier, laying the platform for Kolbe’s second try.
“South Africa have probably been criticised for their aerial game and their kicking over the years but they put so much value and so much time into that and the way they play and they get return on it, they’re just so good on it,” Robertson added.
“We did a lot of prep on it but they just owned that area and put so much pressure on us. Well done to them, they know their DNA.”
The All Blacks’ previous biggest defeat was a 35-7 loss against the Springboks at Twickenham in the lead-up to the Rugby World Cup in 2023.
The big picture
The All Blacks blew their chance to regain the lead atop the Rugby Championship after four rounds, dropping to third on 10 points.
The Wallabies lead the way with 11 points after salvaging two bonus points despite losing 28-26 to Argentina in Sydney. The Springboks moved up to second place on 10 points and the Pumas sit fourth on nine.
Each team has two wins and two losses apiece and anyone could lift the trophy at this stage.
What’s next
The All Blacks have next weekend off before returning to Auckland to take on the Wallabies in the first Bledisloe Cup test at their Eden Park fortress on September 27.
The All Blacks have gone 51 tests without defeat at Eden Park and the Wallabies have not beaten the All Blacks in New Zealand since 2001.