Springboks and All Blacks share ‘special moment’ after final clash [VIDEOS]

'It is tough that one team has to win and another has to lose. But the respect we have for each other... we shared a prayer together,' Kolisi said. The respect the Springboks and All Blacks share has been a theme of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series from the start. From Ma’a Nonu’s solo haka for the Sharks against his former national team, to head coaches Rassie Erasmus and Dave Rennie regularly meeting for a beer, to times when the sides have knelt and prayed together after games, that respect has been clear to see. After the series decider, which South Africa won 43-28 in Baltimore to clinch a 3-1 win, the teams again took time to kneel and pray despite the emotions and hype surrounding them. ‘They… embraced our country’ Springbok captain Siya Kolisi said afterwards that the teams have the utmost respect for each other. This, despite some media and members of the public aggressively pushing a narrative around the legality of scrums and criticising the opposing team. “We just came together to thank each other for the series,” Kolisi said. “We go against each other all the time but we get along off the field. There’s no argument; we are good friends. The way they came to South Africa and embraced our country and gave themselves to people in the country… we were thanking each other for that. “It is tough that one team has to win and another has to lose. But the respect we have for each other… we shared a prayer together. We knew we were going to see each other again so that was a special moment.” Some dejected All Blacks players were also seen being lifted to their feet and consoled by Springbok players. Watch All Blacks captain Ardie Savea connect with a local family: The teams also shared a flight for the first time when they travelled to America. Erasmus said the Springboks and All Blacks generally didn’t mingle on their shared flight, which left at 2am last Sunday, and spent 19 hours in the air and another two hours refuelling in Spain in between. “The New Zealanders had their spot and we had our spot. I saw Beauden Barrett and Siya [Kolisi] having a cooldrink together and taking photos. Codie Taylor was sitting just across me. “The players and coaches don’t dislike each other. We’re just really competitive. So it was all good vibes,” Erasmus said. Kolisi and All Blacks captain Ardie Savea attended church together before the series started: