Three conversions, four penalties, no try: the wing did a third of the work with his boot.
South Africa beat New Zealand 33-26 at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town, a week after losing 33-16 at Ellis Park. The four-Test series is level, with two matches still to play.
How it unfolded
| Minute | Event | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1′ | Try Jesse Kriel, conversion Kolbe | 7-0 |
| 15′ | Try Cameron Roigard, conversion Love | 7-7 |
| 18′ | Penalty Kolbe | 10-7 |
| 21′ | Try Damian de Allende, conversion Kolbe | 17-7 |
| 29′ | Try Damian McKenzie, conversion Love | 17-14 |
| 37′ | Try Siya Kolisi, conversion Kolbe | 24-14 |
| 48′ | Penalty Kolbe | 27-14 |
| 50′ | Penalty Kolbe | 30-14 |
| 65′ | Try Leroy Carter | 30-19 |
| 71′ | Penalty Kolbe | 33-19 |
| 76′ | Try Ardie Savea, conversion Love | 33-26 |
Half-time 24-14. Yellow card for Lodewyk de Jager in the 79th minute.
A goal-kicking wing, and a personal best
Cheslin Kolbe handled all of South Africa’s goal-kicking: three conversions and four penalties, 18 of his team’s 33 points, without scoring a try.
It is his best tally in a Test for the Springboks. In his 23 Tests with points to his name, he had never gone beyond the 15 points he scored against England on 4 July, and in only seven of those 23 Tests had he landed kicks at goal.
| Match | Date | Conversions | Penalties | Tries | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | 29/08/2026 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 18 |
| England | 04/07/2026 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 15 |
| Italy | 19/11/2022 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 13 |
| New Zealand | 22/08/2026 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 11 |
The context gives those 18 points extra meaning. Four days before the match, Kolbe had been ruled out of the matchday 23 for Cape Town, with the injury he picked up at Ellis Park described as more serious than expected. He was eventually recalled on the eve of the game, replacing Kurt-Lee Arendse.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu starts, without the tee
The other late change came at fly-half. Handre Pollard, originally selected, injured his calf in training on Wednesday. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, made a scapegoat by some fans after the Ellis Park defeat, started in his place but did not take the kicks at goal. Manie Libbok came on at half-time for Damian Willemse.
Kolisi scores, then comes off
Siya Kolisi, whose return to full fitness had earned him his place back in the starting XV, scored South Africa’s third try in the 37th minute before making way for Adriaan Esterhuizen as early as the 42nd.
For New Zealand, Ruben Love kicked the three conversions, while Cameron Roigard, Damian McKenzie, Leroy Carter and Ardie Savea scored the four tries. The All Blacks closed to within seven points in the last four minutes but could not get back on terms.
What remains
The series continues on 5 and 12 September. With a win apiece, neither side can be out of it before the final Test.
The week had been marked by complaints lodged by both sides with World Rugby, New Zealand over the South African scrum and South Africa over so-called “seatbelt” tackles.
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