Dave Rennie’s All Blacks stun Rassie’s Springboks

Dave Rennie’s All Blacks did the dirty on Rassie Erasmus’s Springboks at Ellis Park. It was brutal on so many fronts.

The All Blacks scored five tries to one and 21 unanswered points in the final quarter to win 33-16.

They also finished with two more players as the Boks lost Marco van Staden and Cobus Reinach to yellow cards for cynical infringements.

The win also restored the All Blacks as the No 1 team in the world rankings, with the Boks dropping to second place.

Springboks captain Pieter-Steph du Toit credited the All Blacks for being better.

For 55 minutes the game looked to be South Africa’s. The Boks led 16-12, were dominant in the scrums, having won two scrum penalties on the New Zealand put-in and four on their own.

But the decision to opt for a fourth successive scrum on a fourth successive penalty five metres from the All Blacks tryline and right in front proved a defining moment as the All Blacks won their first scrum penalty of the game.

The shift in momentum was palpable, from the crowd and on the field.

The Boks looked initially looked bemused and then confused as the All Blacks found an extra gear, field position and a controlled final quarter that was the making of a remarkable 33-16 win.

These two teams will play each other two more times in South Africa in the next two weeks and then one final time in Baltimore, USA.

Given the brutality of the collisions, it would be brave to make a call on who will still be standing.

The All Blacks have enjoyed success at Ellis Park since the Richie McCaw-inspired All Blacks. They have now won four of their last six Tests against the Springboks at what is considered the spiritual home of the All Blacks.

Erasmus made 13 changes to the Boks team that beat Argentina in Buenos Aires a fortnight ago and the unit, most of whom had not played together since the 40-21 win against England in the Nations Championship opening round on the 4th June.

It showed in the lack of accuracy that characterised this indifferent Boks display.

The All Blacks were very comfortable with ball in hand and played with positive intent, which didn’t mean they ran the ball for the sake of it. They kicked accurately and wisely, especially in the final quarter.

The Boks, powerful in the collisions, made massive post contact metres, but their finishing was awful. They scored just once from 12 22 metres entries.

The match mirrored so much of the Boks implosion against the Wallabies at Ellis Park last season.

The All Blacks showed the mongrel defensively that was missing the last time they played the Boks at Ellis Park – and lost in 2024.

This is more the All Blacks of old, in their refusal to go away, their passion in defence and their ability to find a way to score tries and win even when their scrum is second best.

The Boks could have had three or four tries, but Tests aren’t won on could haves. They are won on haves and the visitors finished with five tries, two in the first half and three in the last quarter. The overriding immediate reaction in and around Ellis Park was one of disbelief.

At least for South African supporters.

It makes for one hell of a week in preparation for Saturday’s second Test at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town.

How the Kiwi media called an All Blacks win and why they were confident.