Sideline Sid Sports correspondent & historian www.sunlive.co.nz

Sideline Sid almost choked on his lunch last week, when he heard a television sports reporter say that the Springboks had never won a test match in Wellington.

As Sid has found out to his cost, over the years, it pays to be certain of your facts before you put your mouth in gear.

The TV evening news bulletin rephrased the story to that the Springboks had never won a test match at Westpac Stadium in Wellington.

This writer was dead sure of his facts, as an 11-year-old schoolboy he had been at Athletic Park in Wellington in 1956, when the Boks defeated the All Blacks 8-3, in the second of four tests.

War was in the air when the Springboks arrived in the country for a three month tour six decades ago, with New Zealand having never won a test series against the South African enemy.

Still fresh in the minds of many New Zealand rugby fans, was the four nil series shutout administered to the All Blacks in their 1947 tour of South Africa.

They were simply outgunned by the kicking boots of South African Okey Geffin, who had a field day with home referees dishing out a myriad of penalties against the visitors.

Such was the dominance of the Springboks kicker, that he finished the four match test whitewash, with 35 of his side's 47 points.

Perusal of the All Black verses South Africa tests played at Athletic Park in our countries capital city, reveals that the Boks won three of the seven test battles played at the park, between 1921 and 1998.

The opening stanza in 1921 was a doozy with the first meeting between the two sides finishing in a 0-0 draw.

The biggest Springbok win at Athletic Park came in the infamous 1981 tour, where open warfare broke out on the streets of New Zealand.

Throughout the tour, spectators had to run a corridor of barbwire and a heavy police presence to get to the grounds.

The Boks set up a dramatic third test decider in Auckland when they defeated the All Blacks in Wellington 24-12. The encounter was dominated by the kickers with a solitary try scored by the Boks.

Since the first All Blacks verses Springboks test at the Cake-Tin, in 2006, the All Blacks were unbeaten in Wellington (until last Saturday night) with five straight victories.

Going to test matches in the fifties and sixties, was a far cry from today where one rocks up to a pre-purchased seat with food and drink (at a high price) readily available.

At the 1956 All Blacks v Springboks encounter, we lined up in the streets around Athletic Park from early morning jostling for position, before the lines of spectators wound their way through the park gates several hours from kick-off.

Once sandwiched in position, there was little movement from the chosen spot, with food eaten in the confined space. Refreshments were kept to a minimum, with any journey to the toilet turning into a marathon, before the fight to grab back your seat on return.