Ranked: Five greatest Springbok games of all time
Trying to settle on the greatest Springbok games of all time is an almost impossible task, with four World Cup titles having been won over the last three decades alone.
Nevertheless, we have attempted to rank the five games that truly stand out.
1995 Rugby World Cup final
With sporting isolation a thing of the past, the Springboks came into the 1995 World Cup with very few expectations, but a courageous team of warriors managed to progress through to the final.
Entering the title decider, it was still the mighty All Blacks who were overwhelming favourites despite South Africa's home ground advantage.
The virtually unstoppable Jonah Lomu was expected to lead New Zealand to triumph, but instead the home side delivered one of the most iconic team efforts to keep him and his teammates at bay, while the match-winning drop goal from Joel Stransky will forever be etched in Springbok history.
2009 British & Irish Lions, second Test
Coming into this series as world champions, the Springboks claimed an impressive victory in the first Test at Kings Park, but no one could have predicted what a fierce backlash it would spark.
In one of the most physical and bloody battles in modern Test history, the two teams went toe to toe as Jaque Fourie scored one of the greatest tries of all time.
However, it still required a sensational 50m last-minute penalty kick from Morne Steyn to ensure the Springboks came away with one of their most iconic victories of all time (28-25).
2018 Wellington win
After a period of struggling performances, the Springboks claimed their first-ever victory over the All Blacks at Wellington's Wespac Stadium in Rassie Erasmus' first year in charge.
It was widely credited as the game that gave the team belief that World Cup glory could be possible a year later, and what an epic it was as Aphiwe Dyantyi scored two tries and made a game-defining last-minute intervention to help secure a 36-34 win.
Among the records that tumbled, no All Blacks team had previously conceded 36 points against any team on home soil since their first Test match in 1903. It was also their first loss against the Springboks in seven matches at the Westpac Stadium, while the five tries conceded was also a record against South Africa at that venue.
2019 World Cup final
After battling Wales in the semi-finals, the Springboks came into the 2019 final needing to produce a vastly-improved performance against a highly fancied England team that had just knocked out the All Blacks.
What transpired was one of the most clinical and classy performances in a knockout game of such magnitude, with the Springboks dominating on defence and at scrum time before pulling away to claim a 32-12 victory.
And of course, who could ever forget the epic tries scored by Makazole Mapimpi and Cheslin Kolbe in a victory for the ages.
2023 World Cup quarter-final
There were so many games in the 2023 World Cup that were absolute thrillers, including the title decider against arch-rivals New Zealand, which the Springboks won by a solitary point.
However, it's impossible to overlook the quarter-final win against hosts France in a match that undoubtedly had one of the most electric atmospheres in the history of world rugby.
After just managing to stay in the game after a frightfully fast start from France, the Springboks scored some stunning tries through Eben Etzebeth, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Damian de Allende and Cheslin Kolbe, who also completed one of the most iconic charge-downs.
Eventually triumphing 29-28, it was undoubtedly one of the most iconic matches of all time.
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