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JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- New Zealand enhanced its credentials as the best team in the world by continually coming back against a pumped-up South Africa to win 38-27 in a sizzling finale to keep the Rugby Championship title on Saturday. The top-ranked and world champion All Blacks took their recent dominance a significant step further by winning at Ellis Park for the first time in 16 years and scoring five tries in the intimidating inner-city cauldron against a No. 2-ranked Springboks team that probably played as well as it could on attack -- and scored four tries against the All Blacks for the first time in nearly a decade. New Zealands fourth try and title-winning blow came in the 61st minute of a breathless contest when replacement flyhalf Beauden Barrett sliced through, and outstanding No. 8 Kieran Read scored the fifth two minutes later to completely shatter the Boks. "Days like today are the reason you put on the boots," All Blacks captain Richie McCaw said after his 120th test but first at Ellis. Coach Steve Hansen opened his media conference by saying he wanted to congratulate both teams on "a very special game of rugby." "Both sets of players left everything on the park and both countries should be very proud of their teams," Hansen said. But it is mighty New Zealand which holds every major title it is eligible for. The All Blacks, playing 20 minutes of the second half a man down, took everything a desperate South Africa could muster and finished a gripping match stronger for a sixth win from six in the championship. "If we sit down and analyze the game, Im sure we can find a lot of positives," Springboks skipper Jean de Villiers said of his shattered team. "But we can never be happy with this result." De Villiers scored South Africas bonus-point fourth try in the 58th and for just under three minutes with a roaring crowd behind it, the home team sensed the possibility of stealing the title with the crucial bonus point it needed. The Boks had to then just win by more than seven and shut down the All Blacks for an against-the-odds turnaround. Barrett killed that dream straight away, earning the bonus point the All Blacks needed to win the competition no matter the result as he busted through the defence and skipped clear. Read, with a rampaging break down the left flank, added another try for good measure, the hammer blow that left no doubt as to the sports current leaders. "Weve had some good performances over a few years, but this is probably right up the top," Hansen said. Most spectators would agree. Right at the start, Ben Smith cut inside a host of South African defenders off a defence-opening Read pass for the first try in the 12th minute and New Zealands first lead. It was the wingers eighth try, breaking the single-season record. Opposite number Bryan Habana replied with two scores in two minutes to become the leading try-scorer in the competitions history, the records a sideshow to the immense overall contest that South Africa suddenly led, though Habana left straight after his second try with a leg injury. Flanker Liam Messam then scored two tries for the All Blacks, the second well after the halftime hooter in a brilliant display of the cleverness and creativity of their game as they went left, right and then left again to finally break through and change the momentum completely by leading 21-15 at halftime. Winger Willie le Roux and captain De Villiers pushed the 60,000 people at a packed and breathless Ellis toward ecstasy with South Africas two second-half tries in the 47th and 58th. In two crucial stages in the second half, the All Blacks had to front up with 14 men after Messam and then prop Ben Franks were sin-binned. The All Blacks showed guts and then class as tries by Barrett and Read finished off a test that exceeded the immense hype. "It was probably one of the best games Ive ever been involved in," Springboks coach Heyneke Meyer said. But in saying that you want to win." Overall, rugbys fiercest rivals shared nine tries and the lead changed hands continually at the venue where their near 100-year-old rivalry has often played out in spine-tingling fashion and where the momentous 1995 World Cup final went the Springboks way. At a sellout on Saturday, a South African jet flew low over the stadium three times before kickoff in a recreation of that 95 final and South Africa sensed it might have that precious edge again. But New Zealand, clinical in attack and desperate and brave at times in defence, emerged to hold on to the southern hemisphere title and beat the Boks at Ellis for the first time since 1997. At the end, the All Blacks, rather than celebrating wildly, slumped over in exhaustion. "When youve won a game that you know youve really had to work hard for, its gratifying and satisfying," Hansen said. "First a sense of relief and then that feeling of joy. We came here and we got told history was against us." ------ New Zealand 38 (Liam Messam 2, Ben Smith, Beauden Barrett, Kieran Read tries; Aaron Cruden 3 conversions, Barrett 2 conversions, penalty), South Africa 27 (Bryan Habana 2, Willie le Roux, Jean de Villiers tries; Morne Steyn 2 conversions, penalty). HT: 21-15. Discount NBA Jerseys . -- Pinch-runner Rajai Daviss decision to steal third base just as Oakland catcher Derek Norris was throwing the ball back to the pitcher caught most everyone by surprise -- including several of his Detroit teammates. Cheap NBA Jerseys .com) - James Harden had 32 points, including a tying layup late in regulation, and the Houston Rockets scored eight of their 13 points in overtime at the foul line to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 117-111 on Friday night. https://www.nbachinajerseys.us/. -- During a players meeting following the All-Star break, Jermaine ONeal promised his teammates to play the rest of the regular season like he would never play again -- because he very well might not. Cheap Nike Basketball Jerseys . Although Olivetti, a qualifier, had 13 aces, he failed to force a single break-point chance on Gasquets serve and lost his own three times. Gasquet next plays third-seeded Jerzy Janowicz of Poland, who won had 18 aces in a 6-2, 6-4 win against seventh-seeded Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France. NBA Jerseys Store . -- Canadas Justin Shin shot an 8-under 64 on Thursday on PGA Wests Nicklaus Tournament Course to take the first-round lead in the Web.CHICAGO -- Gordon Beckham homered, Conor Gillaspie singled home another run and the Chicago White Sox outlasted the Cleveland Indians 2-1 despite the departure of ace Chris Sale after just three innings in a game twice delayed by rain Tuesday night. Beckham finished 2 for 4, adding a double in the first inning. Chicago has won eight of 12 to get back to .500 (27-27). The White Sox are 6-3 against Cleveland this season after losing 17 of 19 to their American League Central rival in 2013. Mike Aviles went 1 for 2 with a walk and drove in Clevelands run. Scott Carroll (2-3) worked three scoreless innings in relief to get the win. Ronald Belisario worked a perfect ninth for his third save in five chances. The anticipated matchup between Sale and Justin Masterson was cut short. The game began 41 minutes late because of rain and then was stopped again after the third inning. That delay lasted 1:58 and neither starter was able to continue. Sale, in his second start following a month on the disabled list with a flexor strain, seemed headed for another special outing after allowing just one hit in six scoreless innings last week against the Yankees. He was nearly perfect in his three innings, with the only blemish a one-out walk to Aviles in the third inning. The ace left-hander needed just 40 pitches record nine outs..dddddddddddd His potential pitch count was a topic of conversation in the pregame media session when manager Robin Ventura was asked for a number. "Somewhere between 127 and where he was at last time," Ventura joked. Sale threw 127 pitches April 17 in his last start before going on the DL. He threw 86 pitches against the Yankees last week. Masterson (2-4) was able to get out of a bases-loaded jam in the first. The White Sox then touched him up for a run in the third inning when Gillaspie drove in Adam Eaton with a single to centre. Beckham made it 2-0 after the rain delay when he cranked solo homer leading off the fifth. Cleveland got on the board in the seventh when Aviles hit into a fielders choice to score Lonnie Chisenhall. NOTES: INF Jason Kipnis (strained right oblique) ended his rehab assignment Monday and rejoined the Indians before Tuesdays game. He could have played, but the decision was made not to activate him until Wednesday. . White Sox RHP Felipe Paulino, who has been on the DL since April 19, was pulled off from his rehab assignment at Class AAA Charlotte because of shoulder soreness. . Indians OF Michael Brantley singled in the fourth to extend his hitting streak to 13 games . Clevelands T.J. House (0-1) takes on Hector Noesi (0-4) in the series finale Wednesday. ' ' '
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