The Boks winning 4 in a row against the All Blacks is just another massive milestone for this current team to savour. This week as we have a bye week in the Rugby Championship, we are going to have a broader look at the greatest winning streaks in test rugby in general. Something that may cheer All Blacks fans up a little.
Currie Cup semi-finals
(all times GMT+2)
SATURDAY
Golden Lions vs Free State Cheetahs
14:30
Blue Bulls vs Natal Sharks
17:15
Win streaks are really great things for fans to follow. It means your team is running super hot, and quite literally going from strength to strength. The longer the streak, the more important the wins become too. So let’s have a look at some of the best in the history of test rugby.
When it comes to the Springboks, the Nick Mallet era produced the best winning streak. 17 consecutive wins between August 1997 and December 1998. A streak that painfully came to an end vs England at Twickenham.
Three other teams have shared this milestone win mark with them:
New Zealand (Sep 1965 - May 1970)
New Zealand (June 2013 - October 2014)
Ireland (July 2022 - October 2023)
All these runs were eclipsed though by two teams that have reached the rarified air of 18 consecutive wins:
New Zealand (August 2015 - November 2016)
England (October 2015 - March 2017)
Both of these world record streaks were ended by the Irish. Guess that’s another accolade they can claim in the absence of a World Cup trophy.
When it comes to the best unbeaten streaks, this is where the All Blacks have reigned supreme over the years:
23 Tests (May 1987 - November 1990)
22 Tests (June 2013 - October 2014)
20 Tests (September 2011 - December 2012)
Of course all of the above efforts fall in the shadow of Cyprus, who in a magical period between November 2008 to November 2014 achieved a brilliant 24 wins in a row!
The Boks are currently on a 5 test win streak. If it wasn’t for those two close losses against Ireland in the World Cup and in Durban recently, they could well have been on that title setting 19 wins. So it makes you think what this current team is capable of going forward.
Though no team ever wants to lose, you feel streak records don’t mean too much to this team. Rassie made it clear that for the next Rugby World Cup he wants a tested squad of 50. And that means experimenting with team selections and approaches to tests.
If they can do that and put together a streak to hit the magical 19 consecutive wins, then that will be all the more impressive!
