All Blacks stun Springboks 33-16 at Ellis Park to take series lead

New Zealand secured a statement 33-16 victory over South Africa at Ellis Park on Saturday, taking a 1-0 lead in the four-test series billed as 'Rugby's Greatest Rivalry'. The All Blacks outscored the Springboks five tries to one, with the win marking their biggest ever at the Johannesburg venue and stripping South Africa of their No. 1 test ranking.

The result ended the Springboks' 12-test winning streak, their longest under coach Rassie Erasmus. It also gave New Zealand their first win in South Africa in four years and their largest victory ever at Ellis Park.

The match was tightly contested in the first half, with South Africa leading 13-12 at halftime despite dominating possession and territory. The Springboks failed to convert numerous scoring chances, a factor Erasmus later highlighted as costly.

The turning point came near the hour mark. With New Zealand leading 19-16, South Africa had a scrum in front of the All Blacks' posts but conceded a penalty on their own feed. From there, the All Blacks scored 21 unanswered points to seal the win.

Coaches' reactions

New Zealand coach Dave Rennie described the win as "special" and "a massive effort," but was quick to temper expectations for the rest of the series.

"We were under the pump and the boys barred up," Rennie said. "We defended and defended, and then we were clinical when we got our opportunities. So, yeah, I'm proud, a massive effort. It's a great result for us, but we're wary of the response we'll get next week."

Rennie noted that going 1-0 up "doesn't guarantee anything" and that "next week is going to be just as tough."

South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus did not shy away from the disappointment, calling the loss a "slap across the chops" and a "good hiding."

"We have to find a way to get back, we got a good hiding from a good New Zealand side," Erasmus told the post-match news conference. "We'll lay low and not read the papers and work very hard. We have no excuses because we could have won the game."

Erasmus said his team would "keep our mouth closed" and focus on the next test in Cape Town on Saturday.

Erasmus cites past comebacks

Despite the setback, Erasmus refused to call the defeat catastrophic, pointing to previous examples of South Africa recovering from early series or tournament losses.

"We've been in many catastrophic situations before. We lost the first test against British and Irish Lions," he said, referring to the 2021 series where South Africa came back to win 2-1. He also noted they lost their opening game of the 2019 World Cup to New Zealand and went on to win the tournament.

"So we've been in a lot of catastrophic situations in our lives. Obviously, we're now in a position that if we want to win a series, we have to win three games on the trot," Erasmus said.

"Without doubt, it puts them (New Zealand) in a very good position, which they thoroughly deserve," he added. "Now we have to go to Cape Town and try and win there, then it's all level."

Erasmus acknowledged New Zealand's superiority on the day, saying they were "thoroughly beaten by a team that is now No. 1 in the world."

"They (New Zealand) were more dominant in most parts of the game," he said. "I'm not going to butter it up with that cliché and say we're going to learn from this and get better. We didn't need to learn from this; we knew what we had to do on the day — we didn't do it."

He also downplayed the significance of the scrum penalty that proved pivotal, saying that even if they had kicked the goal and won, they still made "a hell of a lot of errors."

Key moments and player performances

The Springboks' early dominance in the scrums was neutralised after halftime when New Zealand's front-row replacements — George Bower, Asafo Aumua and Fletcher Newell — turned the tide. Rennie had brought on Bower early after loosehead prop Ethan de Groot was forced off in the 38th minute following a head collision with lock Josh Lord. De Groot had been ill on Friday and had left the captain's run early.

Rennie said he did not anticipate concussion protocols allowing either de Groot or Lord to be available for the second test.

"The scrum came good — it was a big part of our success tonight," Rennie said.

Ardie Savea, the All Blacks captain, said the scrum penalty near the hour mark was decisive. "You talk about being composed in tight moments, and you could just see the..." he said, with the quote continuing later in the report.

Will Jordan scored two tries, bringing his international tally to 53 in 58 tests. Josh Moorby, Fabian Holland and Luke Jacobson also scored for New Zealand. Holland's try came from a charge-down of a Grant Williams box kick, a play that showcased the All Blacks' relentless pressure.

Jordie Barrett was instrumental in defence, twice forcing the ball loose in tackles, one of which prevented Malcolm Marx from scoring.

The Springboks finished the match with 13 players after Marco van Staden and Cobus Reinach were both sin-binned within a minute of each other late in the game.

Cheslin Kolbe left the field with suspected cramp, while Kurt-Lee Arendse failed a head check and was subject to a mandatory concussion stand-down. Kolbe had been perfect off the tee with four conversions from four attempts, with Erasmus explaining he was goalkicking because "he's our most accurate kicker."

Looking ahead

The second test takes place in Cape Town next Saturday. Rennie is wary of the Springboks' response, while Erasmus is counting on his team's ability to bounce back.

The series continues after a midweek match for New Zealand against the Lions, where Rennie has named an entirely new starting XV, with Richie Mo'unga making his first appearance in nearly three years.