Kieran Read and Bryan Habana remember one of the best Test matches of their careers when the Springboks and All Blacks played in a 65-point thriller in Johannesburg.

Former All Blacks No 8 Read faced the Springboks 22 times between 2009 and 2019 in his 127-Test career, winning 16 of those clashes.

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Five of the Tests that Read played in South Africa came at Ellis Park, so he is well aware of the challenge facing the All Blacks as they seek to turn around a bad run of form during which they have lost four of their past five matches.

Speaking to the All Blacks official website, Read recalled one of the toughest Tests he played in when New Zealand faced the Springboks in a Rugby Championship decider in Johannesburg in 2013.

“You never go to South Africa and win an easy game there, but probably the hardest game I played there was in 2013 at Ellis Park. It was just one of those epic Test matches where both teams wanted to play with the ball, so you’re doing lots of running and lots of tackling.” Read said.

“And then you chuck the crowd of Ellis Park on top of that … maniacs they are … in terms of their support and the altitude. It just drains you. You can’t really prepare for it, unless you spend time at altitude. It’s all a mental game when you hit the field.”

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The Springboks went into the final fixture of the 2013 tournament needing a bonus-point victory, while also denying New Zealand any points, in order to claim the Rugby Championship title.

Bok captain Jean de Villiers gave the home side hope when he flattened Beauden Barrett on his way to the tryline for the bonus point, but the All Blacks would go on to seal a 38-27 victory, with Read named Man of the Match.

“There is an awesome image, at the end of the game, where the ball is kicked out or there’s a knock-on, and the ref signals the game’s done,” Read said.

“Everyone in shot is on the ground, South Africans and us, either on the knee or on their backs. Fully exhausted. It is just one of those games that epitomises the whole rivalry in Test matches and how tough they are.”

Habana scored a brace of tries in the first half, but limped off just before half time with a hamstring injury. Still, the former Springbok wing agrees with Read that it was one of the highlights of his career.

“It will definitely go down as one of the best I’ve ever played. I think with so much on the line for both teams at a stadium that has become renowned for uplifting Springbok performances, going back to 1995, and that Rugby World Cup final, over the course of the 20-odd years readmission,” Habana told SuperSport.

“I would have loved to contribute a little bit more against the No 1 team in the world. So, for the next 40 minutes I was like every other Springbok supporter, not only in the stadium and around the world, sitting on the edge of my seat hoping to see the Springboks do something incredible.”

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Photo: David Rogers/Getty Images