Erasmus downplays history as Boks prepare for epic Eden Park challenge against All Blacks

In 1937, the Hindenburg disaster ended the era of airship flights when the giant hydrogen-filled zeppelin ignited into a huge fireball while mooring in Lakehurst, New Jersey, killing 36 people.

A little further north in Chicago, Dr Bernard Fantus established the first blood bank, which changed medicine by making blood transfusions safer.

Down in San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge officially opened on 27 May of 1937, while in September the first edition of JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit went into print.

Across the Atlantic there was an ominous rise of fascism in Germany and Italy, while German car manufacturer Volkswagen was also established in 1937.

And on the sporting field that year, Don Bradman led Australia to an Ashes victory and the Springboks beat the All Blacks 2-1 in a storied three-Test series in New Zealand.

That clash culminated with the Boks winning the decisive third Test 17-6 at Eden Park in Auckland, scoring five tries along the way.

Little did they, or anyone realise it at the time, but it would remain the second (the first was in 1921), and last time the Boks won at Eden Park.

In 1994, Nelson Mandela was only a few months into his presidency as South Africa’s first democratically elected leader when the Boks drew with the All Blacks at Eden Park.

Again, no one knew at the time, or could have envisaged, that it was the first of a 50-Test unbeaten run at Eden Park for the All Blacks, which is now in its 31st year.

The streak

Which brings us to this moment. In the 88 years since Philip Nel’s men completed their series victory (which remains’ the Boks’ only series win in New Zealand), the Boks have lost seven of the eight subsequent Tests at Eden Park. The 1994 match, which ended 18-18, is the closest they have come.

Only a handful of the current Bok squad were born in 1994 or earlier. There are no longer any survivors of the 1937 tour, either. Louis Babrow, who played inside centre on that epic adventure, died aged 88 in 2004. 

He was the last of that great squad to go.

It’s no wonder then that Bok coach Rassie Erasmus has publicly been playing down history as a motivating factor in Auckland this week.

The All Blacks have gone 50 Tests without defeat at their citadel — 48 wins, two draws. Not much more needs to be said. It’s a tough assignment.

“We know the record at Eden Park, and I really don’t think that can motivate us more,” Erasmus said from Auckland this week.

“For us to play New Zealand in New Zealand, number one and two in the world currently, there isn’t really anything else that can motivate you more.”

It was an intelligent piece of deflection by Erasmus. He simultaneously played down the Eden Park factor while acknowledging that for the Boks the All Blacks remain the biggest scalp in rugby.

He later mentioned the Wallabies’ excellent performances in South Africa and spoke about Ireland’s strong recent record against the Boks, pointing out that there were many other challenges for this team.

That’s all true, of course, but no one is fully buying it.

History and legacy

John Smit, the great former Bok skipper, said it best when he described having two debuts as a Springbok — the first time you play for your country and the first time you play against the All Blacks.

There have been times such as the late 1990s and early 2000s when England and Australia were the best sides in the world. Even then, the Boks prized beating the All Blacks over putting those other teams in their place.

Erasmus is a master motivator and despite his attempts to downplay the significance of the Eden Park contest, he values legacy.

The reason he stayed on as Bok coach is because being the first coach to be part of a team winning three World Cups drives him. That’s the long-term challenge he put on himself and the squad soon after winning Rugby World Cup 2023.

Yet, when the 2025 fixtures were confirmed, it became clear that Eden Park was the centrepiece of this four-year cycle.

New Zealand Rugby (NZR) don’t bring the Boks to Eden Park often — the last time was in 2013 — possibly because they’re trying to protect the All Blacks’ record in Auckland.

That’s one theory, although South Africa’s post-isolation record in New Zealand is poor. The Boks have won only four times in 31 years since 1994, which includes three losses and a draw in four post-isolation visits to Eden Park.

But NZR are not used to the All Blacks under-performing against one nation. The All Blacks are on a four-match losing streak against the Boks. A fifth consecutive win for Erasmus would make it the All Blacks' worst losing streak against a single country in the professional era.

Cue a return to Eden Park which, given the 50-match unbeaten run, is as close as you can have to guaranteeing success.

Which is why, despite public utterings to the contrary, Erasmus will motivate his players with history and legacy.

This Bok team has scaled all its mountains in the past seven years. There have been some small stumbles along the way, such as losing to the Wallabies at Ellis Park three weeks ago.

But their overall performance graph has gone up, as the piling up of silverware indicates.

It comes down to finding new challenges within the wider framework of winning RWC 2027 that must motivate a team filled with multiple World Cup-winners.

Bok wing Cheslin Kolbe, for one, is relishing the challenge.

“Every opportunity I receive to play against the All Blacks, especially with all the history behind matches between the sides, is massive, and that is a sentiment we all share,” Kolbe said.

“We are facing the No 1-ranked team in the world currently, and as a player you want to measure yourself against them individually and as a team to see where you are and if you are still on par, so I’m excited.

“I have also never played at Eden Park before, but I’ve heard many great things about it, so I’ll be thrilled to play this weekend.”

Despite the All Blacks’ recent defeat in Argentina, Erasmus is not buying the opinion of pundits that the Kiwis are a spent force.

“For us, they’re the All Blacks, and they’ve lost one game this year; they have won eight out of their last 10 matches, and they’re number one in the world,” Erasmus rightly pointed out.

“They’ve lost to Argentina in New Zealand before, and it feels almost like people are making out that this away loss is worse than what happened in New Zealand.

“Rugby is the main sport here, and people are taking it very personally. But we have to stay in our reality that it’s a New Zealand team that’s only lost once this year and has won eight out of its last 10. We know they are right up there.”

Mind games

Erasmus will delay naming his team until Thursday, which is unusual, although not unprecedented.

He has also called up veteran scrumhalf Faf de Klerk after initially leaving him out of the touring party. Apparently Morne van den Berg is struggling with an ankle niggle, but the reality is that De Klerk offers big match experience and the type of “mongrel” the Boks need to win at Eden Park.

It wouldn’t be a surprise if De Klerk were in the squad for the Eden Park showdown, although this is a two-pronged tour, with a second Test in round four of the Rugby Championship to follow in Wellington. DM