The Wallabies survived a dramatic late fightback from Japan to win 35-32 in searing heat at Hanazono Rugby Stadium, giving Les Kiss a hard-fought victory in his first Test as head coach but exposing familiar frailties that will concern the new coaching staff ahead of next year’s home World Cup.

Key moments

12 mins – TRY JAPAN: Brilliant individual effort from fly-half Ryunosuke Ito, who danced through the Australian defensive line after a McReight turnover went wrong on halfway. Takuro Matsunaga converts. (Japan 7–0 Australia)

15 mins – TRY AUSTRALIA: Harry Potter responds almost immediately, scooping up a loose ball after Hunter Paisami burst through a gap. Potter cut back inside and beat three defenders to score. Ryan Lonergan converts. (Japan 7–7 Australia)

27 mins – TRY AUSTRALIA: Superb set-piece try. Josh Canham wins a lineout steal, then claims the throw from the resulting lineout. The ball goes through hands crisply, Paisami draws the extra defender, and Tom Wright exploits the overlap to finish in the corner. Lonergan curls over a beautiful touchline conversion. (Japan 7–14 Australia)

33 mins – 20-MINUTE RED CARD AUSTRALIA: Miles Amatosero shown yellow for a high cleanout on Japan captain Warner Dearns, with shoulder contact to the head and no attempt to wrap. Upgraded to a 20-minute red card after TMO review.

34 mins – TRY JAPAN: Japan make the extra man count immediately. Jack Cornelsen powers through a non-existent ruck, and Faulua Makisi charges through a gap to score. Matsunaga converts. (Japan 14–14 Australia)

Half-time: Japan 14–14 Australia. A frantic, incident-packed opening 40 minutes played at breakneck pace in the searing Osaka heat. Japan struck first through Ito’s individual brilliance before Australia hit back with tries to Potter and Wright, only for Amatosero’s 20-minute red card to swing the momentum back to the hosts, who capitalised instantly through Makisi. The Wallabies spent too long defending in their own half, with Meredith’s exit kicking earning precious little ground.

42 mins – TRY AUSTRALIA: The Wallabies come out of the break on fire despite being down to 14 men. Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii’s footwork and offload creates the platform before Max Jorgensen muscles over from close range with a pick and go. Lonergan converts. (Japan 14–21 Australia)

45 mins – TRY JAPAN: Immediate response from Japan. Kazuma Ueda straightens and accelerates through a gap with devastating speed after finding Josh Nasser scrambling to cover. Matsunaga misses the conversion. (Japan 19–21 Australia)

49 mins – TRY AUSTRALIA: Fraser McReight powers over from close range after the Wallabies set up a 5-metre lineout from a superb long-range touch-finder by Declan Meredith. Harry Wilson crashes around the corner from the lineout before McReight finishes with a trademark pick and drive. Lonergan converts. (Japan 19–28 Australia)

53 mins – PENALTY JAPAN: Matsunaga slots a penalty from 40 metres after Australia are penalised for hands in the ruck. (Japan 22–28 Australia)

59 mins – PENALTY JAPAN: Matsunaga adds another three points from right in front after Australia fail to roll away at the breakdown. (Japan 25–28 Australia)

70 mins – TRY AUSTRALIA: Taniela Tupou crashes over under the posts from close range after sustained forward pressure with a penalty advantage. Charlie Cale and Paisami both got close before the Racing 92 prop powered through. Ben Donaldson converts. (Japan 25–35 Australia)

72 mins – DEBUT: Isaac Henry comes on to replace Tom Wright, becoming Wallaby number 999.

79 mins – TRY JAPAN: Warner Dearns powers over from a pick and go after Japan lay siege to the Australian line in the dying minutes. Matsunaga converts. (Japan 32–35 Australia)

80 mins – Japan reclaim the restart and keep the ball alive searching for a famous winner, but Michael Leitch loses possession in contact under a Tupou hit. Australia scoop it up and Jorgensen bangs the ball into touch to seal the victory.

Full-time: Japan 32–35 Australia

Australia scored five tries to four and led by as many as 10 points with 10 minutes remaining, only for Japan captain Warner Dearns to crash over with barely a minute left on the clock to set up a grandstand finish. It took a Taniela Tupou hit to dislodge the ball from veteran Michael Leitch in the dying seconds to seal a win that was far closer than it should have been.

The result extended the Wallabies’ unbeaten record to eight matches against Japan and marked their first back-to-back Test wins in 12 months, but the performance was scratchy and ill-disciplined in patches, with fly-half Declan Meredith enduring a particularly difficult evening — outplayed by Japan’s brilliant 21-year-old university student Ryunosuke Ito — and lock Miles Amatosero’s 20-minute red card for a high cleanout on Dearns leaving Australia to play a quarter of the match with 14 men in 30-degree heat and 60 per cent humidity.

Lock Josh Canham was the Wallabies’ best, excelling at the lineout and across the ground, while winger Harry Potter was elusive throughout and scored an early try. But the character shown to avoid an Eddie Jones ambush — Australia remarkably scored two tries to one during the period they were a man down — was perhaps the most encouraging sign for Kiss to build upon.

The contest was played at a frantic, chaotic tempo from the opening whistle, with both sides willing to throw the ball around in conditions that turned it slippery and treacherous. Japan struck first through a moment of individual brilliance from Ito, who danced through the exhausted Australian defensive line after a turnover from a speculative Fraser McReight pass on halfway. Ito, who has still not played a professional game of club rugby, looked every inch the superstar Jones believes him to be, threatening with his running and creative passing throughout and comprehensively outshining his opposite number Meredith.

The Wallabies responded almost immediately through Potter, who scooped up a loose ball after Hunter Paisami burst through a gap and cut back inside to level the scores. A superb set-piece try to Tom Wright then gave Australia a 14-7 lead after Canham won a lineout steal deep in his own half. The ball went through hands crisply from a well-executed lineout move, Paisami drew the extra defender, and Wright exploited the overlap in the corner. Ryan Lonergan’s touchline conversion was a thing of beauty.

Potter could have extended the lead moments later when he broke clear on the outside, but the winger failed to draw and pass with support runners available. It was a missed opportunity that would prove costly.

The match swung violently on 33 minutes when Amatosero flew in to clean out Dearns at a ruck right on the Japanese goal line, making shoulder contact with the head of the Japan captain with his left arm tucked and no attempt to wrap. Referee Eoghan Cross initially showed yellow, but the TMO upgraded it to a 20-minute red card. It was a rush of blood from the imposing Waratahs lock, and it came at the worst possible time — the Wallabies had been building momentum after Wilson opted to kick for the corner rather than take three easy points, a decision that backfired spectacularly.

Japan capitalised within a minute. Jack Cornelsen powered through a non-existent ruck, gaps opened against the scrambling Australian defence, and number eight Faulua Makisi charged through to score. Meredith then kicked the restart out on the full, compounding the damage, and the sides went into the break locked at 14-14.

Whatever Kiss told his players at half-time worked. “I think the main thing was to make sure we conserve our own energy, don’t try to play wide, wide, play more direct,” he said afterwards. The Wallabies came out after the break and scored almost immediately despite still being a man down. Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii showed nice footwork and his offload set up the position before Max Jorgensen muscled over from close range with a pick and go. Lonergan’s conversion made it 21-14.

Japan hit back through the speed of Kazuma Ueda, who straightened and accelerated through a gap with devastating pace after finding hooker Josh Nasser scrambling to cover in the defensive line. Takuro Matsunaga’s missed conversion meant the Wallabies clung to a two-point lead. Fraser McReight then produced a trademark close-range finish from a lineout drive to push the advantage back out to nine, before Matsunaga chipped away with two penalties — the first from 40 metres, the second from right in front — to reduce the deficit to just three at 28-25.

The introduction of the Wallabies’ powerful bench proved the difference in the final quarter. Angus Bell, who came on at half-time for debutant starter Aidan Ross, and Tupou caused havoc at scrum time, while Tate McDermott injected his usual spark from the base. It was Tupou who delivered the crucial blow in the 70th minute, easily burrowing over under the posts from close range after sustained forward pressure to push the lead back to 10 at 35-25. Ben Donaldson, on for the struggling Meredith, knocked over the conversion.

Isaac Henry came on with eight minutes remaining to replace Wright, becoming Wallaby number 999 on his Test debut, with Donaldson shifting to fullback and Suaalii moving to a wing. But the contest was far from over. Japan earned a scrum penalty deep in the Australian half, were marched a further 10 metres when Wilson threw the ball away after the call, and laid siege to the line. Dearns eventually powered over from a pick and go with barely a minute remaining, and Matsunaga’s conversion made it 32-35.

Japan reclaimed the restart and kept the ball alive desperately searching for a famous winner, but Leitch lost possession in contact under pressure from Tupou, Jorgensen scooped it up, and booted the ball into touch to spark scenes of relief among the travelling Australian contingent.

“That was tough, wasn’t it,” a relieved Kiss told Stan Sport. “Not just the conditions. You know they’re a good team, they play fast and hard, at home in their backyard, they’re a tough team to play against. Probably offered a few too many opportunities for them, you know, some kicking went astray. Overplayed a couple of times, you want to be able to be ambitious but at the same time temper that. But overall, that’s a Test win. Well done, boys.”

Wilson was equally candid. “We’re really happy with the win,” the captain said. “They’re a good team. We saw what they did against Italy, they were in it until the end against France, and we knew it’d be a tough battle in some bloody tough conditions. There’s plenty to work on — I thought we hurt ourselves way too much — but when we held on to the ball and went through them, I thought we looked good too. In these conditions, the ball is soap and we probably needed to be a bit smarter with it.”

Jones said his side were “obviously disappointed by the result” and pointed to execution as the difference. “We let ourselves down with some key fundamental errors,” he said. “And that was the difference between the two teams in the end.”

The same two sides will meet again next Saturday at Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville, where Kiss will be hoping for a more composed and disciplined display as the Wallabies continue their preparations for the Rugby Championship and beyond.

Teams

Japan: 15 Takuro Matsunaga, 14 Kazuma Ueda, 13 Dylan Riley, 12 Samisoni Tua, 11 Taira Main, 10 Ryunosuke Ito, 9 Naoto Saito, 8 Faulua Makisi, 7 Kanji Shimokawa, 6 Ben Gunter, 5 Warner Dearns (c), 4 Jack Cornelsen, 3 Shuhei Takeuchi, 2 Hayate Era, 1 Takato Okabe.
Replacements: 16 Mamoru Harada, 17 Sojiro Otsuka, 18 Keijiro Tamefusa, 19 Harry Hockings, 20 Michael Leitch, 21 Tiennan Costley, 22 Shunsuke Uenobo, 23 Yoshitaka Yazaki.

Australia: 15 Tom Wright, 14 Max Jorgensen, 13 Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, 12 Hunter Paisami, 11 Harry Potter, 10 Declan Meredith, 9 Ryan Lonergan, 8 Harry Wilson (c), 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Rob Valetini, 5 Miles Amatosero, 4 Josh Canham, 3 Allan Alaalatoa, 2 Josh Nasser, 1 Aidan Ross.
Replacements: 16 Billy Pollard, 17 Angus Bell, 18 Taniela Tupou, 19 Jeremy Williams, 20 Charlie Cale, 21 Tate McDermott, 22 Ben Donaldson, 23 Isaac Henry.

Match details

Japan 32 (Tries: Ito, Makisi, Ueda, Dearns; Conversions: Matsunaga 3/4; Penalties: Matsunaga 2/2)
Australia 35 (Tries: Potter, Wright, Jorgensen, McReight, Tupou; Conversions: Lonergan 4/4, Donaldson 1/1)
Half-time: 14–14

Venue: Hanazono Rugby Stadium, Osaka
Referee: Eoghan Cross (Ireland)

In one of the more remarkable storylines of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour, 44-year-old Ma’a Nonu has been named on the Hollywoodbets Sharks bench to face the All Blacks at Kings Park on Tuesday evening — setting up a collision between one of New Zealand’s all-time greats and the team he represented 103 times across a glittering 12-year international career.

Key team news:

• Ma’a Nonu, 44, named at 23 on the Sharks bench for his debut against the All Blacks, the team he won two Rugby World Cups with in 2011 and 2015
• Number eight Nick Hatton captains a young Sharks side that blends emerging talent with experienced campaigners
• Two-time World Cup-winning Springbok prop Vincent Koch starts at tighthead
• Recently capped Springbok fly-half Vusi Moyo starts at 10, with 18-year-old Zekhethelo Siyaya at fullback
• 120kg loosehead prop Nemo Roelofse returns from Racing 92 in France to start in the front row
• Kick-off is at 19:10 local time at Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban

Nonu only joined the Sharks in person last week, having initially signed in late July in what was described as a high-performance mentorship role alongside head coach and former Springbok JP Pietersen. The two-time World Cup winner was presented with his Sharks jersey by midfielder Jurenzo Julius, who at 22 is exactly half Nonu’s age. That he would actually take the field against the country he served for more than a decade seemed fanciful. Now it is reality.

Rugby's Greatest Rivalry is here!

Your Hollywoodbets Sharks are ready. Here's the team to take on the mighty All Blacks at Hollywoodbets Kings Park on Tuesday evening 🦈🇳🇿#SharksRugbyClub #SRC #BlackWhiteForever #RugbysGreatestRivalry #RGR26 #SHAvNZL pic.twitter.com/MVBRb5IdEN

— Sharks Rugby Club (@SharksRugby) August 7, 2026

The fixture is the second match of New Zealand’s eight-match tour of South Africa, their first full-scale tour of the country since 1996. The All Blacks opened with a 38-21 victory over the Stormers in Cape Town on Friday night, with the scores locked at 14-14 during the second half before the tourists pulled away in the closing stages at DHL Stadium. They will arrive in Durban as heavy favourites, but Nonu’s presence alone ensures Kings Park will be crackling with anticipation.

Speaking after the Stormers match, All Blacks captain Patrick Tuipulotu, a former team-mate of Nonu’s, could not hide his amusement at the prospect. “I didn’t expect him to be named, but am certainly looking forward to it,” the veteran lock said. “A lot of the boys know him and are close to him. It’s no secret how long he’s played; his career’s been this long because he’s a true professional of the game, and he’s been blessed to keep playing.

“I think it’ll be quite a spectacle to see him come up against us. Might catch up with him midweek and give him a jab or two.”

Nonu enters his 25th season as a professional rugby player. He played 103 Tests for the All Blacks between 2003 and 2015, forming one of the most destructive midfield partnerships in the history of the game alongside Conrad Smith. Since his international retirement, he has had stints with Toulon in France and various clubs in the United States, but the pull of the game has never loosened its grip. When the Sharks signed him in June, Pietersen captured the essence of what the veteran brings. “The best players don’t just leave memories, they leave standards. That’s what Ma’a brings,” the Sharks coach said.

Nonu himself spoke warmly of the opportunity at the time. “The Sharks are one of the world’s most iconic rugby clubs and Durban has always been a special place for me to travel to,” he said. “This is a great opportunity to give back to the game. Working alongside the future stars of our sport is exciting, and I’m looking forward to doing everything I can to help the club during my time here.”

While Nonu is the headline act, Pietersen has assembled a squad that carries more substance than the novelty factor might suggest. Vincent Koch, the two-time World Cup-winning Springbok tighthead, anchors the scrum alongside hooker Eduan Swart and the imposing Nemo Roelofse, a 120kg loosehead who has returned from Racing 92 in France for the occasion. Lock Hendre Stassen, who has played with Stade Français, partners Emile van Heerden in the second row.

The loose trio features a trio of dynamic ball-carriers. Phepsi Buthelezi, the long-time Sharks stalwart, packs down at blindside flanker alongside the explosive Manu Tshituka at openside and captain Hatton at number eight. It is a back row with genuine pace and physicality, and the Tshituka family is well represented — brother Vincent is among the replacements, offering loose forward impact off the bench.

Behind the scrum, Pietersen has stayed true to his stated philosophy that “if he’s good enough, he’s old enough.” Vusi Moyo, a recent Springbok debutant, starts at fly-half, while 18-year-old Zekhethelo Siyaya has been entrusted with the fullback jersey. Scrum-half Bradley Davids will steer the side around the park, with Murray Koster and Julius forming the midfield combination. Litelihle Bester and Donovan Don complete the back three on the wings.

The bench, beyond Nonu, offers further intrigue. Ivan van Zyl, the experienced scrum-half, provides a calm head in reserve, while Luan Giliomee and Rambo Kubekha are among the young impact players hoping to catch the eye. Matt Romao adds loose forward depth alongside Vincent Tshituka.

With several leading players away on Springbok duty and a Carling Currie Cup campaign to negotiate around the fixture, the Sharks have been stretched for resources. But the occasion transcends the usual pre-season calculus. For a new generation of Sharks players, Tuesday night represents an opportunity to test themselves against one of the most storied teams in world rugby. For Nonu, it offers one more unforgettable chapter in a career that refuses to end.

It is rare for former All Blacks to take on their national team, though not unprecedented. Barbarians sides have regularly featured former and future New Zealand internationals, and in 2017 a tour match in London saw Julian Savea, Andy Ellis, Luke Whitelock and Steven Luatua among the Kiwis who lined up against the All Blacks’ haka. But for a 44-year-old, two-time World Cup winner to face his old team-mates in a Sharks jersey in Durban? That is something else entirely.

Codie Taylor and Beauden Barrett, both members of the All Blacks touring squad, were once team-mates of Nonu’s at international level. Whether the veteran actually takes the field for more than a cameo remains to be seen, but his mere presence on the teamsheet is enough to ensure Kings Park will be packed for what promises to be a special evening.

Hollywoodbets Sharks:
15. Zekhethelo Siyaya
14. Donovan Don
13. Jurenzo Julius
12. Murray Koster
11. Litelihle Bester
10. Vusi Moyo
9. Bradley Davids
8. Nick Hatton (c)
7. Manu Tshituka
6. Phepsi Buthelezi
5. Emile van Heerden
4. Hendre Stassen
3. Vincent Koch
2. Eduan Swart
1. Nemo Roelofse

Replacements:
16. Liam van Wyk
17. Rambo Kubekha
18. Simphiwe Ngobese
19. Vincent Tshituka
20. Matt Romao
21. Ivan van Zyl
22. Luan Giliomee
23. Ma’a Nonu

Match details: Hollywoodbets Sharks v New Zealand, Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban. Tuesday 11 August, 19:10 (local time). Referee: Matthew Carley (England).

The All Blacks were given an early reminder of the challenges of touring South Africa before a late flurry of four tries in 14 minutes rescued a 38-21 victory over the Stormers in the opening match of the Greatest Rivalry Tour at DHL Stadium in Cape Town.

Key moments

3 mins – Stormers halfback Imad Khan limps off with a knee injury. Dewaldt Duvenage replaces him. An early blow for the hosts.

6 mins – TRY ALL BLACKS: Samisoni Taukei’aho powers over from a rolling maul after the All Blacks won a lineout 5m out. Beauden Barrett converts. (Stormers 0–7 All Blacks)

13 mins – YELLOW CARD ALL BLACKS: Anton Lienert-Brown shown yellow for shoulder-to-head contact on Jonathan Roche. All Blacks down to 14 men.

15 mins – YELLOW CARD ALL BLACKS: Simon Parker sin-binned for persistent team infringements after an initial Stormers maul try to Andre-Hugo Venter is ruled out for truck-and-trailer by the TMO. All Blacks down to 13 men.

16 mins – TRY STORMERS: Deon Fourie driven over from a rolling maul after a lineout 5m out. Yaqeen Ahmed converts. (Stormers 7–7 All Blacks)

39 mins – TRY ALL BLACKS: Simon Parker crashes over in the left corner after Fabian Holland stole a Stormers lineout and Rieko Ioane made a surging 25m break. Billy Proctor’s cutout pass found Parker, who beat two defenders. Barrett converts from the touchline. (Stormers 7–14 All Blacks)

Half-time: Stormers 7–14 All Blacks. A scrappy first half dominated by the Stormers’ set piece and the All Blacks’ poor discipline — nine penalties and two yellow cards against the tourists. Fabian Holland impressed with two lineout steals at lock, while Deon Fourie was immense for the hosts. The scoreline flattered the All Blacks after Parker’s try on the stroke of half-time.

45 mins – Billy Proctor departs with a shoulder issue. Caleb Clarke replaces him.

47 mins – Siale Lauaki comes on for Pasilio Tosi. The Hurricanes prop makes his All Blacks debut.

56 mins – TRY STORMERS: Seabelo Senatla bursts through a hole on a 25m run to score under the posts after a slick short pass from Deon Fourie off a lineout shift. Ahmed converts. (Stormers 14–14 All Blacks)

58 mins – Sam Darry and Ethan Blackadder replace Fabian Holland and Anton Segner. An excellent 58-minute shift from Holland on his comeback.

67 mins – TRY ALL BLACKS: Rieko Ioane spots a hole around the edge of a breakdown and slips through to score after sustained phase play inside the 22. Barrett converts. (Stormers 14–21 All Blacks)

68 mins – Josh Jacomb replaces Beauden Barrett. The Chiefs playmaker makes his All Blacks debut.

72 mins – TRY ALL BLACKS: Leroy Carter finishes brilliantly in the right corner after Peter Lakai made a surging break and delivered a remarkable offload. Carter stepped past one defender and slipped through another for a superb finish. Jacomb converts. (Stormers 14–28 All Blacks)

76 mins – TRY ALL BLACKS: Josh Moorby charges down a clearing kick, scoops up the loose ball with one hand and slides over in the left corner. Jacomb’s conversion misses. (Stormers 14–33 All Blacks)

78 mins – PENALTY TRY STORMERS / YELLOW CARD ALL BLACKS: Josh Moorby shown yellow for playing Warrick Gelant on the ground as the Stormers fullback was driven towards the line. Penalty try awarded. (Stormers 21–33 All Blacks)

80+1 mins – TRY ALL BLACKS: Asafo Aumua peels off the back of a maul and powers through Gelant to score on the stroke of full-time. Jacomb’s conversion misses. (Stormers 21–38 All Blacks)

Full-time: Stormers 21–38 All Blacks

The final margin flattered the All Blacks, who were locked at 14-14 midway through the second half and could not breathe easily until three tries in the closing stages finally broke the Stormers’ resistance. A capacity crowd of 47,130 at DHL Stadium had made for an electric atmosphere throughout, and for 65 minutes this contest felt every bit as significant as a tour fixture billed 30 years in the making deserved to be.

Discipline was a major concern for the tourists. They were penalised 16 times to the Stormers’ 11, received three yellow cards and conceded a penalty try. Tighthead prop Pasilio Tosi endured a particularly difficult evening, pinged four times at scrum time during his 47 minutes on the park. The Stormers also exposed the All Blacks’ vulnerability under the high ball, with 20-year-old debutant fly-half Yaqeen Ahmed and veteran replacement Dewaldt Duvenage repeatedly peppering the back field with contestable kicks that caused problems throughout.

“It was a good introduction for us to South African rugby and a proud province,” head coach Dave Rennie said. “We gave away a number of scrum penalties and they were able to piggyback their way, and then a handful of maul penalties and obviously yellow cards. So for us to give away as many penalties as we did, have a couple of yellow cards and go into halftime in front highlighted a lot of the character that the boys showed under a bit of pressure.”

The All Blacks had started brightly, immediately looking to play at tempo. Rieko Ioane and Peter Lakai made surging early carries as the tourists shifted the ball from touchline to touchline, and within six minutes hooker Samisoni Taukei’aho had powered over from a rolling maul to open the scoring. Barrett converted and the All Blacks looked ominous. It proved a false dawn. The Stormers, who had lost lively halfback Imad Khan to a serious knee injury after just three minutes, responded by exposing the tourists’ discipline problems through a succession of penalties that allowed them to repeatedly kick for the corner and bring their formidable lineout maul into play.

A general warning from referee Karl Dickson preceded the first yellow card for Anton Lienert-Brown, penalised for shoulder-to-head contact. The TMO then intervened to disallow what appeared to be a legitimate Stormers maul try to hooker Andre-Hugo Venter, identifying a truck-and-trailer infringement from prop Neethling Fouche in the build-up. The review also revealed an infringement from flanker Simon Parker, who joined Lienert-Brown in the sin bin. The All Blacks were down to 13 men after just 15 minutes.

Another Stormers lineout drive produced their first legitimate try moments later, with the tireless 39-year-old Deon Fourie forcing his way over. Fourie, the former Springbok who came off the bench in the 2023 World Cup final, was magnificent throughout — a constant menace at the breakdown and the driving force behind everything the Stormers did well. Ahmed’s conversion levelled the scores.

Despite their numerical advantage, the Stormers were unable to fully capitalise. Ahmed twice opted for high kicks when there appeared to be opportunities to move the ball through the hands, and the All Blacks, to their credit, defended with tremendous resilience during the period with 13 men. But the tourists could not find any attacking rhythm either, with Tosi’s scrum struggles and a succession of handling errors in the dewy conditions stalling their progress. One promising opportunity evaporated when centre Billy Proctor was unable to hold a pass from Josh Moorby with the line open.

The decisive moment of the first half arrived in the 38th minute. Lock Fabian Holland, outstanding on his comeback from the shoulder injury that had ruled him out for the entire Super Rugby Pacific season, stole a Stormers lineout and set the platform for Ioane to charge through the midfield on a 25m break. When the Stormers conceded a penalty, halfback Cortez Ratima reacted quickly with a tap. A long pass found Holland wide on the flank and the lock released Parker, atoning for his yellow card, to crash over in the corner. Barrett converted from the touchline to give the All Blacks a 14-7 half-time lead they scarcely deserved.

The Stormers drew level in the 56th minute with a superbly executed lineout move. Fourie, who had won the turnover that created the opportunity, picked up from the lineout and darted towards the All Blacks’ midfield defence before slipping an inch-perfect short pass to winger Seabelo Senatla. The speedster burst through the hole on a 25m run to score untouched under the posts. Ahmed converted and at 14-14, the contest was on a knife edge.

The Stormers came agonisingly close to taking the lead moments later when replacement lock Sam Darry was forced to scramble back and dive on a dangerous kick through that threatened the All Blacks’ in-goal area. But the home side’s growing injury crisis began to bite. Captain Ruhan Nel had not returned for the second half, Duvenage departed with a broken arm, and with both specialist scrumhalves gone, Senatla was forced to play at nine while flanker Hacjivah Dayimani moved onto the wing. Their 6-2 bench split, which had provided forward power, now left them desperately short of backline options.

“It was a remarkable effort and we did a great occasion justice,” Stormers coach John Dobson said. “For 65 minutes we went toe to toe with them. We trained for just three weeks and that first contact was the first bit of contact since Dublin. There is enormous pride in the change room, but there was an opportunity out there that was missed.”

The dam broke in the 67th minute. Ratima took a quick tap penalty and the All Blacks repeatedly attacked the blindside, with captain Patrick Tuipulotu prominent in carrying through the phases. When the ball was shifted wider, Ioane — who had moved from wing to centre after Proctor’s departure with a shoulder injury — used his power to force his way over. Barrett converted and the All Blacks could sense the Stormers flagging.

Debutant Josh Jacomb, on for Barrett, then kicked intelligently into space. Dayimani, now operating out of position on the wing, attempted to clear but his kick was charged down by Moorby, who regathered brilliantly with one hand to slide over in the corner. Between those two scores, Peter Lakai produced the moment of the match — a surging break through midfield followed by a remarkable backhand offload to Leroy Carter, who still had three defenders to beat inside the 22 and did so with devastating footwork to score in the right corner.

Moorby’s fortunes changed swiftly when he was sin-binned for preventing Warrick Gelant from grounding the ball, resulting in a penalty try. But the All Blacks had the final say in injury time when a scrum penalty gave them a lineout opportunity and, from the resulting maul, replacement hooker Asafo Aumua powered through Gelant to score the sixth and final try.

Among the individual performers, Holland’s 58-minute display was arguably the most significant. The World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year pinched two crucial lineout steals and looked every inch a player ready for the first Test, despite Rennie having previously suggested the 23-year-old probably would not feature at Ellis Park. That thinking may now change. Ioane, too, enhanced his prospects with a sharp display that grew in influence as the match progressed, while Lakai’s dynamism at number eight marked him as one of the standout forwards on the park.

On the injury front, Rennie flagged a concern over Proctor. “He was trying to jackle for a ball and got cleaned out,” the coach said. “It looks like it may be a shoulder injury. I’m not sure yet. There’s a few bumps and bruises.” For the Stormers, the toll was heavier: Dobson confirmed Khan sustained a “reasonably serious knee injury” while Duvenage suffered a broken arm in what was his final professional appearance before moving into a coaching role.

Rennie acknowledged the All Blacks must improve markedly before the first Test against the Springboks at Ellis Park on 23 August. “We knew they’d come at us with their set-piece, so we’ve got to be better in those areas,” he said. “We expected a lot of aerial attacks and we probably didn’t deal with that as well as we wanted. But just a heap of character, and we’re very well conditioned. We felt if we could hang onto the ball, we could eventually find space and hurt them, and we were very clinical late in the game.”

Tuipulotu, captaining the side for the second time, echoed his coach’s respect for the hosts. “We knew full well the Stormers would come into this game and be very physical and throw everything at us,” the lock said. “They tested us and made us defend quite a bit. In the end we managed to hold the ball, not give away as many penalties and try to tire them out. There’s a lot to learn there in terms of resilience.”

The All Blacks now head to Durban to face the Sharks on Tuesday evening, where former All Blacks midfield great Ma’a Nonu, now 44, has been named on the bench in what promises to be another stirring chapter of the tour. On the evidence of Cape Town, the Sharks will have watched with interest and smell blood in the water.

Teams

Stormers: 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Seabelo Senatla, 13 Ruhan Nel (c), 12 Jonathan Roche, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Yaqeen Ahmed, 9 Imad Khan, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Hacjivah Dayimani, 6 Deon Fourie, 5 Connor Evans, 4 Adre Smith, 3 Neethling Fouche, 2 Andre-Hugo Venter, 1 Vernon Matongo.
Replacements: 16 JJ Kotze, 17 Ntuthuko Mchunu, 18 Herman Lubbe, 19 Ruan Ackermann, 20 Keke Morabe, 21 Wandile Mlaba, 22 Dewaldt Duvenage, 23 Wandisile Simelane.

All Blacks: 15 Josh Moorby, 14 Leroy Carter, 13 Billy Proctor, 12 Anton Lienert-Brown, 11 Rieko Ioane, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Cortez Ratima, 8 Peter Lakai, 7 Anton Segner, 6 Simon Parker, 5 Patrick Tuipulotu (c), 4 Fabian Holland, 3 Pasilio Tosi, 2 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 1 George Bower.
Replacements: 16 Asafo Aumua, 17 Ollie Norris, 18 Siale Lauaki, 19 Sam Darry, 20 Ethan Blackadder, 21 Kyle Preston, 22 Josh Jacomb, 23 Caleb Clarke.

Match details

Stormers 21 (Tries: Fourie, Senatla, penalty try; Conversions: Ahmed 2/2)
All Blacks 38 (Tries: Taukei’aho, Parker, Ioane, Carter, Moorby, Aumua; Conversions: Barrett 3/3, Jacomb 1/3)
Half-time: 7–14

Venue: DHL Stadium, Cape Town
Referee: Karl Dickson (England)
Attendance: 47,130