Ever since the two sides first clashed - in Dunedin, at Carisbrook in 1921 - encounters between the All Blacks and Springboks have always been dogged and uncompromising.
It has been no quarter given, and no quarter asked.
Throw in the never-ending controversies, from accusations of corrupt refereeing to dodgy waitresses, and it has been a match-up which has always had plenty of feeling to it.
Another chapter will be written tomorrow night when the sides battle at Forsyth Barr Stadium.
It will be the All Blacks' debut in the state-of-the-art stadium and, whatever your take on the $200 million-plus facility, it will be a magical place to be tomorrow night.
The All Blacks and Springboks have shared the spoils in recent years.
In the past 10 games between the sides, honours are even - five wins each.
The teams had a win each last year - the All Blacks won in Wellington and the Springboks were victorious the last time the teams met.
There has been plenty of water flow under the bridge since then: the World Cup, new coaches, new players.
But the most recent test between the teams, at Port Elizabeth last year, will be something both sides could use to find the right result tomorrow night.
The Springboks can use it as a blueprint to how to chalk up a victory in Dunedin, while the All Blacks could use it as exactly what not to do in a test.
The Africans were strong at the breakdown and ran the ball up with explosive power that day in Nelson Mandela Stadium. They made sure their kicks went over and used some very impressive scrambling defence to get out of tight situations.
The All Blacks, on the other hand, can look back on that game and remember the mistakes which they simply can not repeat tomorrow night.
They threw away countless chances and also made some poor options on defence. Their line kicking was average, as was their chase.
But there is one big difference between what the All Blacks will try to do tomorrow night and that average day in Port Elizabeth just over a year ago.
Kieran Read and Richie McCaw are back, and they have home advantage.
McCaw, with more than a century of test caps, has hit the ground running in the black jersey yet again this season and does not seem to know how to stop.
Read is almost becoming as important to the black jersey as McCaw. If he has a good game, chances are the All Blacks will finish in front.
The Springboks may have lost a raft of players to retirement and then injury in the past year but they can still put together a decent outfit. They lost to the Australians in Perth last week but will lift for this game.
There has never been a less than 100% committed Springbok team, and that will certainly be the case tomorrow night.
May the best men win.
Live coverage
Don't panic if you have not managed to get a ticket to tomorrow night's big test at Forsyth Barr Stadium.
ODT Online will be carrying a live blog from an hour before the test until the final whistle.
Live scoring and on-the-fly analysis will be provided by Otago Daily Times sports editor Hayden Meikle, and readers/viewers are encouraged to add their thoughts and questions.
Head to www.odt.co.nz tomorrow night and join the action.
