Pieter-Steph du Toit will become the 11th player in Springbok history to earn 100 Test caps when South Africa face the All Blacks in the second Test of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series in Cape Town on Saturday, with Rassie Erasmus resisting wholesale change after last weekend’s 33-16 defeat and instead handing a redemption arc to the bulk of his Ellis Park side.

Key team news:

• Pieter-Steph du Toit becomes the 11th Springbok centurion, earning his 100th cap — the second player to reach the milestone in as many weeks after Damian de Allende
• Prop Ox Nche reaches 50 Test caps
• Siya Kolisi is bracketed alongside Paul de Villiers at blindside flanker, with his involvement subject to how he comes through training this week
• Handre Pollard replaces Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu at fly-half, with Feinberg-Mngomezulu dropping to the bench
• Cobus Reinach starts at scrum-half after Grant Williams was ruled out with an ankle injury
• Ethan Hooker replaces the injured Cheslin Kolbe on the wing
• Deon Fourie, 39, returns for the first time since the 2023 Rugby World Cup final as the replacement hooker
• Six new faces on the bench including Fourie, Thomas du Toit, Lood de Jager, Cameron Hanekom, Morne van den Berg and Feinberg-Mngomezulu
• Should Kolisi start, the Springboks would field the most experienced starting XV in their history — 1,012 combined Test caps

Erasmus has made just four changes to the starting XV that came up short at Ellis Park, and three of those are injury-enforced. It is a calculated act of faith in the players who were beaten — a statement that one bad day does not define them, and that the same group can put it right.

The most unusual element of the selection is the bracketing of Kolisi and de Villiers at blindside flanker. Kolisi, who has been battling a hamstring injury since the Argentina Test, will start if he comes through training this week. If not, de Villiers will retain the jersey he wore in the first Test. Du Toit keeps the captaincy regardless.

“Cheslin and Grant suffered niggles last weekend, which ruled them out of contention for selection, while we have bracketed Siya alongside Paul to allow us time to monitor how Siya comes through training this week,” Erasmus said.

Should Kolisi make it onto the park, the starting XV would boast a combined 1,012 Test caps — the most experienced Springbok side ever fielded, with 584 among the forwards and 428 in the backline.

The definite changes are all in the backline. Pollard comes in at fly-half for Feinberg-Mngomezulu, whose inconsistency at Ellis Park was a factor in the Springboks’ inability to convert territorial dominance into points. Erasmus framed the switch as a horses-for-courses selection, pointing to the value of contrasting styles across the 80 minutes.

“Handre has delivered for us under extreme pressure, and we feel that what he and Cobus have the potential to bring at the beginning of the game, and then have Morne and Sacha come on later with their different styles of play will be good for us this weekend,” Erasmus said.

Reinach returns at scrum-half for the injured Williams, while Hooker replaces Kolbe on the wing, with Kurt-Lee Arendse switching from left to right to accommodate him. Kolbe left the field at Ellis Park with cramp but the injury has since been identified as a more significant ankle problem. Willemse and de Allende — fresh from his century cap — retain their places at fullback and inside centre.

The pack, aside from the Kolisi question, is unchanged. Nche, Louw and Marx continue in the front row, with Etzebeth — who extends his record to 144 caps — reunited with Nortje in the second row. Du Toit and Jasper Wiese complete the loose trio.

The bigger overhaul has come on the bench, where six of the eight replacements are new. The most eye-catching inclusion is Fourie, the 39-year-old Stormers flanker who has not worn the green and gold since the 2023 Rugby World Cup final against these same opponents. Should he take the field, he will become the oldest player to appear in a Springbok Test, surpassing Victor Matfield and Schalk Brits, who were both 38 in their final appearances. Fourie impressed for the Stormers against the All Blacks in the opening tour match and is listed as the replacement hooker — a role he filled with distinction in the World Cup final after Bongi Mbonambi’s injury.

Thomas du Toit and de Jager return to the bench after missing the first Test, restoring the traditional Bomb Squad feel. De Jager’s presence is particularly welcome — the big lock almost single-handedly shifted the momentum of the 2021 Lions series when introduced at half-time, and his ball-carrying and lineout intelligence give the Springboks an injection of quality in the second row. Hanekom, who was outstanding against Argentina, offers loose forward impact, while Esterhuizen retains his hybrid role. Van den Berg and Feinberg-Mngomezulu are the two replacement backs.

Erasmus was full of praise for du Toit and Nche ahead of their respective milestones. “Pieter-Steph and Ox have been pillars of strength for us on and off the field, and they both deserve these accolades,” he said. “It is a remarkable achievement to play 100 Test matches, and for Pieter-Steph to deliver week in and week out the way he has over the years is incredible. We are equally proud of Ox for the player and team man he has grown into, and to see him reach 50 Test caps is fantastic.”

The Springbok coach was candid about last weekend’s defeat. “One could see the hurt on everyone’s faces after Saturday’s match, and we know what we have to do to bounce back strongly this week,” he said. “There were a handful of positives and negatives last week, but the main thing that let us down was that we created so many chances, but mistakes at crucial times cost us.

“We’ll put in a lot of work this week to ensure that we are sharp in that regard this weekend because if we had used even some of those chances, the result could have been completely different.”

He was unsparing in his assessment of where the blame lay. “They played well, they deserved to win,” Erasmus said of the All Blacks. “They took us to certain areas where we couldn’t handle some stuff, and when they got their opportunities, they finished well. Most things we inflicted on ourselves. That’s frustrating. We’re irritated with each other.”

Erasmus noted that from 11 entries into the All Blacks’ 22 at Ellis Park, the Springboks collected points on just one occasion. “That’s good defence by New Zealand, great breakdown work by New Zealand and poor execution from us,” he said.

He left no doubt about the mindset heading into Cape Town. “It’s a mental shift we must make. The physicality must stay there, but we must be smarter. These are difficult solutions. They’re things we must sort out in three training sessions.”

The last time the Springboks met the All Blacks in Cape Town was in the 2024 Rugby Championship, when the hosts won 18-12. With the series at 1-0 to New Zealand and two Tests remaining in South Africa before the finale in Baltimore, Saturday’s match at DHL Stadium is as close to a must-win as Test rugby gets.

Springboks:
15. Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers, 53 caps)
14. Kurt-Lee Arendse (Mitsubishi Dynaboars, 33 caps)
13. Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles, 91 caps)
12. Damian de Allende (Wild Knights, 100 caps)
11. Ethan Hooker (Hollywoodbets Sharks, 10 caps)
10. Handre Pollard (Vodacom Bulls, 87 caps)
9. Cobus Reinach (DHL Stormers, 54 caps)
8. Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks, 46 caps)
7. Pieter-Steph du Toit (c) (Toyota Verblitz, 99 caps)
6. Siya Kolisi (DHL Stormers, 104 caps) / Paul de Villiers (DHL Stormers, 4 caps)
5. Ruan Nortje (Kubota Spears, 21 caps)
4. Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks, 143 caps)
3. Wilco Louw (DHL Stormers, 32 caps)
2. Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears, 90 caps)
1. Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks, 49 caps)

Replacements:
16. Deon Fourie (DHL Stormers, 13 caps)
17. Gerhard Steenekamp (Vodacom Bulls, 20 caps)
18. Thomas du Toit (Hollywoodbets Sharks, 34 caps)
19. Lood de Jager (Wild Knights, 74 caps)
20. Andre Esterhuizen (Hollywoodbets Sharks, 32 caps)
21. Cameron Hanekom (Vodacom Bulls, 3 caps)
22. Morne van den Berg (Lions, 7 caps)
23. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers, 21 caps)

Match details: South Africa v New Zealand, DHL Stadium, Cape Town. Saturday 30 August, 17:10 (local time). Live on SuperSport.

Richie Mo’unga will pull on the All Blacks jersey for the first time since the 2023 Rugby World Cup final when he starts at first five-eighth against the Lions at Ellis Park on Tuesday evening. The 32-year-old’s return to the black jersey, almost three years after that one-point loss to South Africa in Paris, is the headline selection in a heavily rotated side named by Dave Rennie for the final franchise fixture of the Greatest Rivalry Tour.

Key squad news:

• Richie Mo’unga starts at first five-eighth for first time since the 2023 World Cup final
• Uncapped prop Saula Ma’u set for All Blacks debut from the bench
• Ofa Tu’ungafasi and Jamie Hannah fly in as injury cover for de Groot and Lord; named on bench
• Noah Hotham gets first All Blacks appearance of 2026 at halfback
• Patrick Tuipulotu captains the side for a fourth time on tour
• Semisi Ta’eiloa and Timoci Tavatavanawai given first All Blacks starts
• Kyle Preston becomes the only player to feature in every match on tour

None of the 15 players who started Saturday’s stunning 33-16 first Test victory over the Springboks at the same venue have been retained in the starting XV, though three bench players from the Test — Peter Lakai, Kyle Preston and Anton Lienert-Brown — back up again among the reserves. Preston’s inclusion means the Crusaders halfback becomes the only player to have featured in every match on tour.

Mo’unga, who spent three seasons with Japanese club Toshiba Brave Lupus before returning to New Zealand this year, was called into the touring squad as an injury replacement for Billy Proctor and has spent the past ten days immersing himself in Rennie’s systems. The 56-cap playmaker said he was at peace with his journey back and relishing the opportunity.

“I was sitting in Japan one night watching the Six Nations, understanding there’s no better feeling than being in the arena,” Mo’unga said. “One reason for coming back was obviously to win a World Cup but also not having any regrets of, ‘geez, I wish I gave it another crack’ or maybe there was a bit more to give.”

Rennie was effusive about what Mo’unga brings. “He’s a good student and based on training today he’s got his head around everything we’re trying to do,” the head coach said. “He contributed well and it will be nice to see him run that team around. I just think Richie’s vision and decision stuff is next level. He’s as good, if not better, than when he left.”

Mo’unga acknowledged incumbent Ruben Love’s hold on the Test jersey but made clear his competitive fire had not dimmed. “It’s still there. I’m competitive. I want to be the best. But I know there’s a process to that and at this point the process is around preparing someone else to be the best. But I get a chance Tuesday to put on the jersey, and that’s another opportunity for me to be the best.”

The other major talking point is the arrival of three new faces to the touring party. Uncapped Highlanders prop Saula Ma’u is set for his All Blacks debut from the bench, while 68-cap veteran Ofa Tu’ungafasi and lock Jamie Hannah flew in on Sunday to provide cover after first Test concussion casualties Ethan de Groot and Josh Lord were ruled out on 12-day stand-downs. Both de Groot and Lord will miss Saturday’s second Test in Cape Town, as will loose forward Anton Segner, who is still managing acute inflammatory arthritis in his ankle.

“Firstly, I want to congratulate Saula on making his All Blacks debut. It will be a special day for him and his family,” Rennie said. “With the naming of this matchday 23, everyone currently in the squad will have played on tour, which is great for creating depth and competition for places in the Test team.”

The starting XV carries a different complexion from the Test team but is far from lightweight. Beauden Barrett starts at fullback with Fehi Fineanganofo and Emoni Narawa on the wings. Rieko Ioane is at outside centre alongside Timoci Tavatavanawai, who earns his first All Blacks start, with Mo’unga and Noah Hotham — playing his first match for the All Blacks in 2026 — in the halves.

Up front, Siale Lauaki, Samisoni Taukei’aho and Pasilio Tosi form the front row, with Sam Darry and captain Patrick Tuipulotu in the second row. Their performances will be particularly scrutinised given the lock vacancy created by Lord’s absence ahead of the second Test. The loose forward trio of Wallace Sititi, Ethan Blackadder and Semisi Ta’eiloa — the latter earning his first start — provides a powerful back-row combination.

Rennie acknowledged the challenge of a three-day turnaround from the first Test. “I’ve been impressed with the way that all players in our squad have responded to the quick turnaround between games,” he said. “The Lions match comes just three days after the first Test match but everyone has been involved in preparing this team to play. We know we will have to be at our very best again to prepare for what we know will be another physical match against a Lions side that has been lying in wait.”

Tuesday’s match will be a historic first encounter between the All Blacks and the Lions. The tourists played the Lions’ predecessors, Transvaal, eight times between 1928 and 1976. The locals won the very first match 6-0 — in what was also the first match ever played at Ellis Park — before the All Blacks won the next seven.

All Blacks team to play the Lions

Ellis Park, Johannesburg. Tuesday 25 August, kick-off 7pm local time (5am Wednesday 26 August NZT).

1. Siale Lauaki (0 caps), 2. Samisoni Taukei’aho (44), 3. Pasilio Tosi (17), 4. Sam Darry (10), 5. Patrick Tuipulotu (c) (57), 6. Wallace Sititi (21), 7. Ethan Blackadder (14), 8. Semisi Ta’eiloa (0), 9. Noah Hotham (3), 10. Richie Mo’unga (56), 11. Emoni Narawa (4), 12. Timoci Tavatavanawai (2), 13. Rieko Ioane (88), 14. Fehi Fineanganofo (1), 15. Beauden Barrett (144).

Reserves: 16. Bradley Slater (0), 17. Ofa Tu’ungafasi (68), 18. Saula Ma’u*, 19. Jamie Hannah (1), 20. Peter Lakai (11), 21. Kyle Preston (2), 22. Josh Jacomb (0), 23. Anton Lienert-Brown (91).

*denotes potential debut

The All Blacks produced a stunning second-half display to beat the Springboks 33-16 at Ellis Park in the first Test of the Greatest Rivalry series, surviving a ferocious scrum onslaught before running in five tries to one to take a 1-0 lead. It was New Zealand’s biggest winning margin at the famous Johannesburg ground and ended the Springboks’ 12-Test unbeaten run.

Key moments

2 mins – Roigard’s first box kick charged down by Eben Etzebeth, but the lock was offside. Love finds touch from the penalty. An early sign of the Springboks’ intent.

5 mins – PENALTY SOUTH AFRICA: Cheslin Kolbe kicks a penalty after Codie Taylor is penalised for dissent following a ruck infringement. (South Africa 3–0 All Blacks)

9 mins – TRY ALL BLACKS: Will Jordan squeezes over in the right corner after Cam Roigard fires a sharp flat pass to the short side from the base of a rolling maul. Roigard had earlier dummied before the All Blacks sent multiple forwards at the line. Love’s conversion misses from the touchline. (South Africa 3–5 All Blacks)

10 mins – Kurt-Lee Arendse forced off for HIA after a head clash with Josh Lord. Andre Esterhuizen replaces him, with Jesse Kriel moving to the wing.

14 mins – TRY SOUTH AFRICA: Andre Esterhuizen powers through Josh Moorby’s tackle to score. The replacement centre had only been on the park for minutes. Kolbe converts from the right. (South Africa 10–5 All Blacks)

23 mins – TRY ALL BLACKS: Josh Moorby scores after Tupou Vaa’i surges down the left touchline and dishes a brilliant one-handed offload inside. A set-piece move from a lineout that caught the Springboks cold. Love converts. (South Africa 10–12 All Blacks)

27 mins – PENALTY SOUTH AFRICA: Kolbe kicks a penalty after the All Blacks’ scrum is driven backwards, Ethan de Groot penalised for collapsing. The Springboks regain the lead. (South Africa 13–12 All Blacks)

35 mins – Marx denied by Barrett. The Springboks launch a rolling maul that rumbles towards the line, but Jordie Barrett gets a crucial hand in to dislodge the ball from Malcolm Marx’s grasp. Massive defensive play.

38 mins – De Groot and Lord leave the field after a sickening head-on-head collision between the two All Blacks. George Bower and Simon Parker replace them. Vaa’i shifts from blindside to lock.

Half-time: South Africa 13–12 All Blacks. The Springboks dominated territory and the scrum, driving the All Blacks backwards repeatedly and piling on the pressure. But the tourists defended heroically, conceded just one try, and struck clinically with their limited opportunities. The scrum was a major concern. Jordan and Moorby scored but the All Blacks lost two key forwards to HIA.

47 mins – PENALTY SOUTH AFRICA: Kolbe kicks a third penalty after yet another scrum penalty against George Bower. The Springboks extend their lead to four. (South Africa 16–12 All Blacks)

48 mins – TRY ALL BLACKS: Fabian Holland charges down Grant Williams’ clearing kick and regathers to score. A moment of individual brilliance that stunned Ellis Park and put the All Blacks back in front. Love converts. (South Africa 16–19 All Blacks)

50 mins – Fletcher Newell replaces Tyrel Lomax. The scrum begins to stabilise with the replacement front row of Bower, Aumua and Newell.

52-56 mins – Springboks lay siege. Multiple scrum penalties, a held-up try attempt from Feinberg-Mngomezulu, and relentless forward drives. The All Blacks defend desperately on their own line.

56 mins – CRUCIAL SCRUM PENALTY ALL BLACKS: Fletcher Newell gets a strong shove on the tighthead side and the All Blacks are awarded a penalty from a 5m scrum. The turning point of the match. Love finds touch outside the 22.

58 mins – McKenzie breaks clear on a surging 40m run but Damian Willemse makes a try-saving tackle, knocking the ball backwards. Roigard slips at the crucial moment trying to ground the loose ball. All Blacks awarded a 5m scrum.

59 mins – TRY ALL BLACKS: Luke Jacobson scores from the base of the scrum after Savea surges off the short side. Roigard delivers a sharp flat pass to put Jacobson through Pieter-Steph du Toit’s tackle. Love converts. (South Africa 16–26 All Blacks)

70 mins – YELLOW CARD SOUTH AFRICA: Marco van Staden sin-binned for cynically playing the halfback with the All Blacks on the verge of scoring near the line.

71 mins – YELLOW CARD SOUTH AFRICA: Cobus Reinach sin-binned for a deliberate knockdown. The Springboks are down to 13 men.

75 mins – TRY ALL BLACKS: Will Jordan scores his second in the right corner after Savea floats a sublime pass from the back of a dominant scrum. Love converts from the touchline. (South Africa 16–33 All Blacks)

Full-time: South Africa 16–33 All Blacks

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Tenacious, defiant, courageous — even those words barely do it justice. Amid a sea of green, against the vaunted back-to-back world champions at their spiritual home, the All Blacks burst the Springboks’ bubble with one of their greatest victories on South African soil. The 33-16 scoreline was New Zealand’s largest winning margin at Ellis Park, and it ended a run of 12 consecutive Springbok Test victories stretching back to September last year.

The match was fully representative of the 105-year rivalry between these two nations. For 55 minutes, South Africa’s power game dominated. The Springboks bullied the All Blacks at scrum time, won the collision battle, and pinned the tourists deep inside their own territory through a relentless aerial assault and their vaunted lineout drive. Yet for all their physical supremacy, they could not turn it into a game-winning points advantage. The All Blacks had only 41 per cent territory across the match but enjoyed 56 per cent possession while winning 14 turnovers to five. When it mattered most, New Zealand’s defence was immovable and their finishing was clinical.

“We were under the pump for a big chunk of that game,” head coach Dave Rennie said. “The amount of effort put into our defence and then our set piece, then we were really clinical. It was a tight game, a lot tighter than the score might suggest. Massive ticker and really proud.”

The much-feared Springbok scrum was devastating in the first half. Ethan de Groot and Tyrel Lomax were driven backwards repeatedly, conceding penalties that allowed the hosts to establish territorial dominance. Cheslin Kolbe opened the scoring with a fourth-minute penalty after Taylor was penalised for dissent, and the chants of “Scrum! Scrum! Scrum!” from the 60,592 crowd underlined where South Africa believed the match would be won.

But the All Blacks struck with precision when given the slightest opening. After eight minutes, they drove a lineout inside the 22 before Cam Roigard dummied at the base and fired a flat pass in front of three All Blacks for Will Jordan to dive over in the right corner. Love’s touchline conversion drifted wide, but the tourists had drawn first blood. Roigard’s composure and speed of delivery were central to the All Blacks’ attacking threat throughout.

The Springboks replied in kind. Kurt-Lee Arendse was forced off for an HIA after a head clash with Josh Lord, bringing Andre Esterhuizen onto the field. The powerful replacement centre needed barely five minutes to make his mark, surging through Josh Moorby’s ineffective tackle to score and restore the hosts’ lead. Kolbe converted from the right for 10-5.

Moorby made amends eight minutes later with a try that captured the All Blacks at their inventive best. From a lineout on halfway, Jordie Barrett took the tackle in midfield before the ball was worked to the blindside. Barrett’s long pass found Tupou Vaa’i on the left touchline, and the big flanker surged forward before slipping a brilliant one-handed offload inside to Moorby, who escaped one tackle and ran 25 metres to score. Love’s conversion from the touchline edged the tourists ahead 12-10.

The lead lasted barely two minutes. Another scrum penalty, this time against de Groot for collapsing, presented Kolbe with a straightforward shot that he duly converted for 13-12. From there, the Springboks laid siege. Jasper Wiese, who ran for a game-high 63 metres, was a handful every time he touched the ball. Malcolm Marx looked certain to score from a lineout maul in the 35th minute, but Barrett produced the defensive play of the match, getting a crucial hand in to dislodge the ball from the hooker’s grasp on the tryline.

The All Blacks suffered a telling setback just before the break when Lord and de Groot clashed heads while attempting a tackle, forcing both from the field. George Bower and Simon Parker replaced them, with Vaa’i switching from blindside to lock. The tourists clung to a 13-12 deficit at half-time, relieved to have conceded just one try despite absorbing enormous pressure.

Kolbe extended the Springboks’ lead to 16-12 with a third penalty six minutes into the second half after another scrum penalty against Bower. Then came the moment that changed the match. From the restart, Grant Williams shaped to clear with a box kick from 15 metres out, but the towering figure of Fabian Holland got his levers up to smother the kick, regathered the ball and sidestepped Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu to score. Love converted and the All Blacks led 19-16. Ellis Park fell silent.

“That mindset was important,” Rennie said of the second-half approach. “We wanted to hang on to the ball. There were opportunities in behind them. Off our turnover pill, we were using it pretty well. Then we were clinical. The set piece was massive in the end, the scrum came good and was a big part of our success.”

Holland’s try coincided with the introduction of Fletcher Newell at tighthead and Asafo Aumua at hooker — a move that not only relieved the scrum pressure but reversed it entirely. The Springboks, sensing their advantage was slipping, piled on the pressure. They won three consecutive scrum penalties inside the All Blacks’ 22, with Feinberg-Mngomezulu held up over the line and wave after wave of forward drives repelled by desperate defence. The home crowd bayed for a penalty try, but none came.

Then, in the 56th minute, came the turning point. From a 5m scrum on their own line — at the precise moment when conceding another penalty would almost certainly have meant a yellow card — Newell got a strong shove on the tighthead side and the All Blacks were awarded a penalty. The replacement front row of Bower, Aumua and Newell had conjured the moment that saved the match.

“The reserve front row that came on, I think we probably owe them a beer,” Roigard said. “We got a lot of energy from that.”

Bower, an unlikely hero who had not been in everyone’s predicted 23, was emotional afterwards. “Once that whistle blew and it registered that we’d won the Test match here at Ellis Park, I just got down and thanked the Lord first,” he said. “It’s not an easy place to win. You’re playing at altitude and have everything against you. What I liked about tonight is the boys stayed tight as a 23.”

From the scrum penalty, the All Blacks broke free. Jordan collected a high ball while retreating, before linking with Damian McKenzie, whose fizzing feet sparked a 40-metre breakout. McKenzie’s attempted offload was knocked backwards by Damian Willemse, and Roigard slipped at the crucial moment trying to ground the loose ball. The All Blacks were denied a score but were awarded a 5m scrum, and from it Savea surged off the short side before Roigard fired a sharp flat pass to Luke Jacobson, who burst through Pieter-Steph du Toit’s tackle to score. Love converted and the All Blacks led 26-16 with 20 minutes remaining.

The Springboks’ discipline collapsed in the final quarter. Marco van Staden was sin-binned in the 70th minute for cynically playing the halfback with the All Blacks metres from the line. Moments later, Cobus Reinach was yellow-carded for a deliberate knockdown, reducing the hosts to 13 men. With the numerical advantage, the All Blacks called for a scrum — a delicious irony given the first-half dynamics — and Savea floated a sublime pass from the base to send Jordan over in the right corner for his second. Love converted from the touchline and the match was sealed at 33-16.

“It means everything,” Jordan said after being named man of the match. “Ellis Park, what an arena. A serious shift of 80 minutes. I loved the way our boys dug deep. Some guys playing the Springboks for the first time got a taste of what it’s like. We should be proud of our whole group. It’s just one of four, but an awesome start to the series.”

Captain Ardie Savea, playing his first match of the tour after two weeks’ rest in New Zealand, was emotional as he acknowledged the All Blacks supporters dotted around the ground. “I’m really proud of my boys’ efforts,” Savea said. “It was a boxing match out there. It came down to crucial moments and we loved it in there when it was tight.”

Beaten captain Pieter-Steph du Toit was characteristically direct. “They were better than us,” du Toit said. “We made some mistakes and weren’t able to convert those opportunities we had. We shot ourselves in the foot. In a game like this, small errors count.”

Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus did not mince his words, acknowledging the result was “ugly” but framing it in the context of previous Springbok setbacks. “We have been in many catastrophic situations in our lives,” Erasmus said. “We lost the first Test against the British and Irish Lions and everyone said it was a catastrophe. We lost the first pool game against New Zealand in the World Cup and everyone said that was catastrophic. We’re now in a position where if we want to win the series we have to win three games on the trot. I wouldn’t say it’s catastrophic because there is a way out, and that’s winning three matches on the trot.”

Erasmus pointed to the 56th-minute scrum penalty as the key moment but was clear-eyed about the broader failures. “We didn’t play well. Against a class team like New Zealand, if you don’t convert, they give you a proper hiding. There were a lot of things we didn’t convert; I think there were two or three big moments when we let the game go away from us.”

Rennie, for his part, was wary of the response coming in Cape Town. “Nothing in that game was easy, and while the scoreline may sound convincing it was an absolute arm wrestle that could have gone any way,” he said. “The boys defended and defended and when we got our opportunities, we were clinical. It was a great result for us, but we are wary of the response we are going to get next week.”

There are injury concerns for both sides heading into the second Test. De Groot and Lord are almost certain to miss with their head knocks, while the Springboks lost Arendse to a failed HIA and Kolbe limped off before the final quarter. The All Blacks face the Lions at Ellis Park on Tuesday before the second Test in Cape Town next Saturday. One win does not define a series, but with this display of resilience and clinical finishing, the All Blacks — now the world’s number one ranked side — have sent a message that will reverberate across the remaining three Tests.

Teams

South Africa: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Grant Williams, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit (c), 6 Paul de Villiers, 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nche.
Replacements: 16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Zachary Porthen, 19 Cobus Wiese, 20 Andre Esterhuizen, 21 Marco van Staden, 22 Cobus Reinach, 23 Manie Libbok.

All Blacks: 15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Will Jordan, 13 Quinn Tupaea, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Josh Moorby, 10 Ruben Love, 9 Cam Roigard, 8 Ardie Savea (c), 7 Luke Jacobson, 6 Tupou Vaa’i, 5 Fabian Holland, 4 Josh Lord, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Ethan de Groot.
Replacements: 16 Asafo Aumua, 17 George Bower, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Simon Parker, 20 Peter Lakai, 21 Kyle Preston, 22 Anton Lienert-Brown, 23 Leroy Carter.

Match details

South Africa 16 (Try: Esterhuizen; Conversion: Kolbe 1/1; Penalties: Kolbe 3/3)
All Blacks 33 (Tries: Jordan 2, Moorby, Holland, Jacobson; Conversions: Love 4/5)
Half-time: 13–12 (South Africa)

Venue: Ellis Park, Johannesburg
Attendance: 60,592
Referee: Matthew Carley (England)
Man of the match: Will Jordan (All Blacks)