CAPE TOWN – They went at each other like two terriers, but this time around, there was a different result.
After years of misery for the Springboks against the All Blacks, scrumhalf Faf de Klerk could finally celebrate a victory over Aaron Smith with a 36-34 triumph in Wellington on Saturday.
De Klerk enjoyed an excellent performance at the Westpac Stadium, having battled with his play in the defeat to Australia in Brisbane last week.
And he was paid the ultimate compliment by his All Black rival Smith with a jersey exchange after the match.
“Always good fun playing against this man. Thanx for the swap mate. Enjoyed every moment of that game!! #springboks vs #allblacks #blessed” De Klerk said on his social media platforms.
Smith also posted: “Thank u @fafster09 for swapping jerseys, Happy to add ur jersey to my collection. Congratulations to the Springboks on the win.”
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A post shared by Aaron Smith(@aaronsmith_1112) on Sep 15, 2018 at 4:48am PDT
A few of the other Boks also captured the special occasion on Twitter and Instagram…
Special evening 🇿🇦🏉 @Springboks @LandRoverZA pic.twitter.com/0zxpI6DPGN
— Jesse Kriel (@JesseKriel15) September 17, 2018
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A post shared by Handre Pollard(@handrepollard) on Sep 16, 2018 at 8:54am PDT
Lekker om treg te wees by die huis. Thanks for the support SA #blessed #friendships #lovemyjob #lovemylife pic.twitter.com/EN7l5jiSvc
— Franco Mostert (@FrancoMostert) September 16, 2018
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A post shared by cheslin kolbe(@cheslin15) on Sep 15, 2018 at 9:28am PDT
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Building takes time, patience and effort #noexcuses #justdoit
A post shared by 🅰️🅿️hiwe Odwa Dyantyi(@aphiwe_q04) on Sep 16, 2018 at 3:04pm PDT
The Boks are next in action on Saturday, September 29 against the Wallabies in Port Elizabeth, before they take on the All Blacks in Pretoria a week later.
@ashfakmohamed