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Cape Town - We all know there's only ONE statistic that really counts in any rugby match - the final score.
As it happened: Springboks v All Blacks
Springbok fans were left scratching their heads as to how their team managed to blow a 30-13 lead against the All Blacks with just 18 minutes remaining in their Rugby Championship clash at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
The Boks looked well on course for their first back-to-back set of victories over their bitter rivals since 2009, only to see the All Blacks dig deep and score the final 19 points of the match to break the hearts of the vast majority of the sold-out nearly 50 000-strong stadium - and the millions watching at home.
The 32-30 final score, coupled with the Boks' 36-34 victory margin in Wellington earlier in the tournament, saw the sides 'draw' 66-all in this year's tournament, indicating there is very little to separate the two sides less than 12 months away from the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.
In much the same way as the All Blacks dominated the official SANZAAR stats in that Wellington Test, but still lost, the Boks did likewise at Loftus, but were left to rue a couple of crucial moments of ill-discipline and a lack of composure.
ON ATTACK
METRES CARRIED
South Africa - 384
New Zealand - 219
CARRIES
South Africa - 115
New Zealand - 68
DEFENDERS BEATEN
South Africa - 25
New Zealand - 14
CLEAN BREAKS
South Africa - 7
New Zealand - 4
PASSES
South Africa - 133
New Zealand - 73
OFFLOADS
South Africa - 7
New Zealand - 2
POSSESSION
South Africa - 58.6%
New Zealand - 41.4%
ON DEFENCE
TACKLES
South Africa - 70
New Zealand - 115
MISSED TACKLES
South Africa - 14
New Zealand - 25
BREAKDOWN
RUCKS WON
South Africa - 84
New Zealand - 49
FINAL SCORE?
South Africa - 30
New Zealand - 32
