He was close to tears.
With a vigorous fist pump Andy Leslie unleashed years of frustration.
“I’ve waited a long time to see that happen,” he said to me in the wake of the All Blacks 52-16 thrashing of the Springboks at Pretoria’s Loftus Versfeld fortress.
Leslie had captained the All Blacks to a 3-1 series defeat in South Africa in 1976 and grown up at a time when the Springboks were the All Blacks arch rival with wins on African soil few and far between.
Six times from 1921 through to 1976 the All Blacks made the trek to South Africa and each time they came home having lost the test series – twice without winning a test.
Those tours were the stuff of legend at a time when rugby fans listened in the early hours to crackly radio commentary, then read in awe about the giants who had pulverised their All Blacks into submission – often aided by dodgy home referees.
The All Blacks won only 14 of their 38 tests against the Springboks from 1921 to 1981, with series success only in New Zealand and four-nil defeats in South Africa in 1970 and 1949. Generations of Kiwis saw their men in black humbled.
It’s little wonder Leslie was emotional.
Sid Going against the Springboks in 1976 (Photosport)
All Blacks players Bruce Robertson, Ian Kirkpatrick, Sid Going, Bryan Williams and Tane Norton (Photosport)
All Blacks players celebrate their 1976 Test win in Pretoria (Photosport)
Today there are South Africans who know how he feels, so dominant have the All Blacks been since the switch to professionalism starting with the historic series win by Sean Fitzpatrick’s men in 1996.
The All Blacks won 12 of their 17 tests against South Africa during the 1990s – a return of 70 per cent.
That’s leapt to 78 per cent since the turn of the century with the All Blacks having won 28 of the 38 tests. They’ve lost to them just once in the nine tests under coach Steve Hansen.
The reasons for the sea change are well documented. South Africa’s weak rand means players are easily wooed by rich French clubs in particular leaving the Springboks from picking through the leftovers.
I was told recently that there are 300 South Africans plying their trade in Europe who have, or could, play Super rugby.
The game is also riven with politics and the accompanying instability has seen Springboks coaches changed regularly (as it’s been for the Wallabies too) while for the All Blacks consistency is king.
Two men have been the All Blacks head coach since 2004 and Hansen, as you’ll know, was Sir Graham Henry’s assistant coach from 2004 to 2011.
His All Blacks have lost just one of their nine tests against South Africa and that dominance is unlikely to change in Durban this Sunday.
The Springboks, once a mighty beast, are on their knees and there will be once proud South African men close to tears again this Sunday.
Newshub.
