Kolbe double powers Springboks to record win over All Blacks

CAPE TOWN — 17 September 2025

Cheslin Kolbe scored two tries as South Africa crushed New Zealand 43-10 in a record-breaking Rugby Championship win in Wellington last Saturday.

Damian Willemse, Kwagga Smith, RG Snyman, and Andre Esterhuizen also scored for the Springboks in the historic victory.

Kolbe now has 20 tries in 44 Tests, tying James Small for 12th place on South Africa’s all-time try-scoring list. Small retired after 47 appearances.

The winger needs one more try to match Pieter Rossouw and Kurt-Lee Arendse (21 each). Kolbe has 121 Test points through tries, conversions and penalties – ranking 24th overall.

He will likely add to his tally against Argentina on Saturday, 27 September at Durban’s Hollywoodbets Kings Park (kick-off 17:10 SA time). Head coach Rassie Erasmus named Kolbe in the 33-man squad for this fixture and the follow-up Test against the Pumas at London’s Allianz Stadium a week later.

Other scorers reached milestones: Willemse claimed his sixth try in 43 Tests, Smith his 11th in 57, Snyman his third in 44, and Esterhuizen his second in 23 appearances.

SPRINGBOKS TO HAVE SCORED AT LEAST 15 TEST TRIES

Player	Tries	Tests
Bryan Habana	67	124
Joost van der Westhuizen	38	89
Makazole Mapimpi *	33	47
Jaque Fourie	32	72
Jean de Villiers	27	109
Breyton Paulse	26	64
Percy Montgomery	25	102
JP Pietersen	24	70
Malcolm Marx *	23	82
Kurt-Lee Arendse *	21	27
Pieter Rossouw	21	43
Cheslin Kolbe *	20	44
James Small	20	47
Danie Gerber	19	24
Stefan Terblanche	19	37
Jesse Kriel *	19	83
Fourie du Preez	16	76
Schalk Burger	16	86
Cobus Reinach *	15	44
Bongi Mbonambi *	15	80
Willie le Roux *	15	101

*denotes still active