Majestic Table Mountain the guardian of Newlands

The All Blacks were the initial test rugby foes for the Springboks in 1992 when South Africa returned from its international sporting quarantine.

Amid all sorts of controversy, the traditional rivals squared off at Ellis Park, the most famous ground in the republic.

It was not until four years later on their ground-breaking 1996 tour that the All Blacks met the Springboks at Newlands, the arena with an addictive atmosphere in the leafy suburbs of Cape Town.

The absorbing test lived up to its pre-match hype and drama as the All Blacks battled to a 29-18 win on the trail of their first series victory in South Africa.

Much of the drooling anticipation was set up at the same ground a year before when the All Blacks played their solitary World Cup test at Newlands.

It was the day when Jonah cemented the Lomumania that had engulfed South Africa but had yet to really be understood in New Zealand.

England captain Will Carling marvelled at the balletic power of the wing, a week after Scottish captain Gavin Hastings had been similarly afflicted.

The black and coloured spectators loved Lomu, they cheered for the All Blacks in 1995 and repeated that support a year later even though the wing did not play at Newlands or in any of the four tests.

This Sunday will be just the third test between the All Blacks and Springboks at Newlands since the end of the apartheid era in 1992.

In 2001, the All Blacks added a 12-3 victory to their 1996 triumph.

Sunday's test has been sold out for the last six weeks. The All Blacks are the biggest drawcard in the seaside city guarded by the extraordinary Table Mountain.

Many of the 52,000 attending the match will wend their way through the shaded pathways to the gates, past the ubiquitous stalls, food vendors, musicians and general raucous entertainment.

The atmosphere both inside and round Newlands is hospitable rather than hostile. The All Blacks will not be intimidated by the crowd.

With the increased black and coloured numbers in the Springboks, locals have shifted their allegiance to the home side - though they will change their support if South Africa falter.

They seem a more impartial crowd than those who infest Durban, Johannesburg or Pretoria.

The ground has remained largely unaltered, but there are plans to renovate next season.

The turf has improved after problems in 1999 and the drainage is fine, though the surface will still be much softer than that of the high veld.

The grandstands are built close to the ground. One has such a gradient it seems to hover over the pitch to create an even better connection to the game unfolding below.

The last time the All Blacks visited in 2001, the weather was murky for much of the week, with the test played in poor conditions as Tony Brown's four penalties beat one from the Boks.

Captain Tana Umaga is the only current All Black who started in that international, although Leon MacDonald came on as fullback at halftime when Jeff Wilson was injured.

Victory that day began an erratic Tri-Nations campaign, with a subsequent defeat at Carisbrook to the Wallabies, a second win against the Boks at Eden Park, but then a final loss to the Wallabies at Sydney.

That defeat was the last for Wayne Smith and Tony Gilbert as All Black coaches.

This group of All Blacks, with Smith back in an assistant role, is looking to Newlands as a springboard for improvement.

The record

Past encounters at Newlands, Cape Town:

All Blacks v Springboks.-

* September 1, 1928: All Blacks won 13-5

* July 16, 1949: Lost 11-15

* July 23, 1960: Won 11-3

* August 8, 1970: Won 9-8

* September 4, 1976: Lost 10-15

* August 18, 1996: Won 29-18

* July 21, 2001: Won 12-3