For almost 70 minutes at a packed DHL Stadium, the DHL Stormers had the All Blacks exactly where they wanted them, Cape {town} Etc reports.
What followed was a late New Zealand surge that turned a fiercely contested encounter into a 38-21 victory for the visitors on Friday night.
The final score did not tell the full story.
With around 47 000 supporters creating a raucous atmosphere in Cape Town, the Stormers pushed New Zealand into uncomfortable territory before their lack of match fitness eventually caught up with them.
The Stormers are only three weeks into their pre-season and were also without 10 Springboks, yet they remained level at 14-14 with just 12 minutes remaining.
That was when the All Blacks finally found the extra gear they needed.
Stormers expose questions for New Zealand
New Zealand arrived with plenty of attacking intent and immediately put the Stormers under pressure.
After a sustained opening spell, the visitors eventually broke through with a maul in the sixth minute, with Beauden Barrett adding the conversion to make it 7-0.
But once the Stormers settled into the contest, the momentum began to shift.
The home side started winning collisions, challenging New Zealand’s attacking rhythm and putting pressure on their set-piece game.
The Stormers thought they had scored through Andre-Hugo Venter after another powerful maul, only for the try to be ruled out following a TMO review.
They did not have to wait long for another opportunity.
A penalty put them back into attacking position, and this time Deon Fourie finished from another driving maul to bring the hosts level.
The 39-year-old Fourie was one of the standout performers, constantly disrupting New Zealand at the breakdown and showing that experience still counts for plenty.
A Stormers side full of character
The home team continued to ask questions of the All Blacks throughout the match.
Adre Smith was a powerful presence in the second row, Evan Roos worked tirelessly from the back of the scrum and Dayimani covered enormous ground.
The Stormers also produced an encouraging debut from 20-year-old Yaqeen Ahmed, who stepped up calmly despite being thrown into a huge occasion.
Veteran scrumhalf Dewaldt Duvenage was another important figure after coming on early for the injured Imad Khan, although his own injury later left the Stormers without a specialist scrumhalf during the closing stages.
The visitors, meanwhile, were far from perfect.
New Zealand had three players sent to the sin bin and conceded 16 penalties, giving the Stormers repeated opportunities to stay in the contest.
Yet the All Blacks had one crucial advantage: they repeatedly found ways to win the big moments.
The All Blacks appeared to have regained some control with a try just before half-time, but the Stormers refused to disappear.
They came out strongly after the break and were rewarded in the 55th minute when Seabelo Senatla burst through an inside channel from an attacking lineout and raced over untouched.
Suddenly, history felt possible.
The Stormers were competing with one of the world’s leading rugby nations despite their lack of match fitness and a depleted squad.
For long periods, New Zealand simply could not create the separation they needed.
The unanswered questions around the All Blacks’ scrum, maul defence, ability to deal with aggressive line speed and their response to a contestable kicking game remained evident.
Then the Stormers began to tire.
All Blacks punish late mistakes
With 12 minutes left, New Zealand finally moved ahead after the Stormers were awarded a penalty at a scrum the home side felt had broken down.
The All Blacks used the opportunity to attack, eventually creating enough space for Rieko Ioane to score in the corner.
The momentum changed almost immediately.
A turnover after the Stormers tried to launch another attack gave New Zealand another opening, and they capitalised to extend their lead.
Then came another Stormers mistake, with a clearance kick charged down and the All Blacks pouncing once again.
The Stormers managed to respond with a penalty try, briefly bringing the contest back into focus.
But the energy was disappearing from the home side.
A scrum that had held up well for much of the evening finally buckled, allowing New Zealand to win another penalty. The All Blacks then used their maul to score again and put the result beyond doubt.
The 38-21 scoreline ultimately made the victory look more comfortable than it had been.
A promising start to a huge rivalry tour
The Stormers may not have repeated the famous 12-11 victory over New Zealand at Newlands in 1976, but they gave the Cape Town crowd plenty to celebrate.
This was a vastly different experience from the British & Irish Lions tour in 2021, when Covid restrictions meant club matches were played in empty stadiums.
On Friday, DHL Stadium was packed, loud and fully invested in the occasion.
For the All Blacks, the win provides the perfect start to their Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour, but there will also be plenty to work on before their next match against the Sharks in Durban on Tuesday.
For the Stormers, the defeat was frustrating, but their performance showed that even with a depleted squad and limited preparation, they could push the All Blacks deep into a Test-like battle.
In the end, New Zealand had enough composure to survive the Stormers’ challenge.
But for 68 minutes, Cape Town had a genuine upset on its hands, and that made for one memorable night at DHL Stadium.
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Picture: Roger Sedres / Gallo Images
