Most South African fans would have been hoping for a much-improved performance from the Boks after seeing the exciting team selected for the second Test, but few could have guessed just how incredibly the Boks' plans would come together in Wellington on Saturday night as they beat the ABs 43-10 in their own backyard.
It's a simply astonishing result, made all the more astonishing by the fact that the All Blacks didn't play that badly but were simply blown off the park in the second half by a Springbok side who made every opportunity count, and flummoxed their opponents time and time again through smart footwork, skillful handling and fantastic support play.
For any Springbok fan who had dreamed of what this team could achieve - and quietly suspected that such brilliance was always there waiting - Saturday's result confirmed all that and more.
The Springboks are starting to unlock their final frontier
Although the Boks have enjoyed significant success in recent years and pulled off some remarkable feats, many fans have long felt that one area still lags behind their rivals: clinical execution and precision with ball in hand.
Maybe it's because every Springbok plays with their heart on their sleeve, giving everything for the cause, that they sometimes lack the patience and precision needed to make their attacking moves fully click.
That was certainly the case against the All Blacks in Auckland a week ago - and it looked like it was going to be the case again for much of the first half in Wellington... but then, something amazing happened.
The Springbok coaches continued to back their gameplan, determined to give this exciting backline they picked a chance to show what they can do - and eventually, that faith started to pay off.
What seemed like an Everest they couldn't quite climb suddenly started to come together - silky running and stepping, delayed passes, strong interplay between backs and forwards, and smart offloads in the tackle to keep the ball alive. All the skills these players had always possessed finally had the time and space to shine.
And what a joy it was to watch.
In the end, what we witnessed in Wellington wasn't just a victory - it was a statement. The Boks have shown that when patience, skill, and faith in their system align, they can reach levels of execution and brilliance few teams can match.
Several players had their best-ever game in a Bok jersey
It goes without saying when you beat the All Blacks 43-10 in New Zealand, but several players seriously put their hand up on Saturday.
None more so than the electric Damian Willemse, overlooked by some after getting off to a bit of a slow start following his lengthy injury absence from the game. How quickly some fans forgot just what a vital player he was for the Boks at the World Cup in France, and when given another chance to show what he could do in the midfield, the 27-year-old answered the call and then some, putting in one of the greatest displays by a Springbok centre in recent memory - despite not having much experience in the position of late.
It wasn't only Willemse who stepped up, however. Manie Libbok - pilloried after his performance at Ellis Park - put in an amazing performance after coming on following an early injury to Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, his clever passes and deceptive running gradually getting the better of the All Blacks, while a trademark crossfield kick also set up one of the Boks' tries.
Cheslin Kolbe scored two tries before he was forced to leave the field for an HIA, looking at his brilliant best. It was his intercept try that ultimately sparked the Boks into life when nothing was going their way in the first half.
The likes of Grant Williams and Andre Esterhuizen had superb impacts off the bench, while Cobus Reinach more than justified his selection at scrumhalf as did the exciting young Ethan Hooker on the wing, who had a memorable 50-metre run down the field to set up one of the Boks' tries.
The forwards certainly came to the party as well, the front row rumbling as it always does and Malcolm Marx looking much improved, while players like Siya Kolisi, RG Snyman and Pieter-Steph du Toit also shone, as did the returning Jasper Wiese.
It was a thoroughly complete performance - one the entire team can rightfully take immense pride and satisfaction in.
Defeats like that simply don't happen to the All Blacks
No doubt pundits will be rushing to put his victory in some context, but the simple fact is that the All Blacks got pumped by a whopping 33 points on Saturday - their biggest ever defeat.
This isn't a victory that just upsets the record books - it obliterates them.
What this means for the world rugby landscape will be debated in the days and weeks to come, but it seems undeniable now that the All Blacks have lost at least some of the special aura that made results like the one we saw at Wellington today appear seemingly impossible. To see an All Black side so completely and thoroughly outplayed would have been a shock to anyone's system - even for Bok fans cheering their team on.
The home side definitely didn't do themselves any favours as they continued to try and play a high-risk brand of running rugby as the game was drifting away from them, which only succeeded in creating more opportunities for the Boks to counter-attack.
By the same token, only a very special and dangerous team could inflict such a defeat on the men in black in their own backyard, and fears that this Bok team might be running out of gas have proven to be totally unfounded.
In short, the Boks are stronger than we imagined, while the All Blacks, unfortunately, may be in deeper trouble than we realised.
Final thoughts
The Springboks and their fans have every right to be in dreamland after that incredible performance, and the focus will now be on ensuring this incredible momentum doesn't go to waste.
The Boks have shown just how devastating they can be when they stick to their strengths while marrying it with genuine attacking intent and a desire to back their talented backline - and the combination should leave every Springbok fan hugely excited about what lies ahead.
Performances like this don't come along every day, but Bok fans have every right to feel this could be the start of something special.
All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson pinpointed his side's inability to win the aerial and set-piece battles as the key factors for their record-breaking loss in Wellington.
Springbok captain Siya Kolisi paid tribute to Rassie Erasmus and his coaching team after the Boks' historic demolition job of the All Blacks in Wellington.
The Springboks produced one of the greatest performances in their long and proud history, thumping the All Blacks 43-10 in Wellington in a result that will reverberate across the rugby world.
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