All Blacks legend John Kirwan led the astonished reaction to New Zealand’s record-breaking loss to the Springboks in Wellington, saying the Boks’ 43-10 win left him “physically sick.”
Kirwan joined his Rivals podcast co-host Victor Matfield, a Boks legend, on Sportscafe Media in the aftermath of the game, which was the Kiwis’ heaviest ever international defeat.
“I feel physically sick, how do you think I feel? I want to vomit. South Africa smashed us,” Kirwan said.
“We didn’t come out at half-time, we just sent someone else out at half-time!
“The scrum dominated us, the lineout dominated us and we couldn’t catch the high ball. They played an expansive game.”
New Zealand media led the world’s reporters in struggling to sum up the enormity of the All Blacks’ capitulation.
Jamie Wall, writing on the Radio New Zealand website, asked “What the hell was that?”
“Just as the All Blacks felt they could calmly stride back into Wellington, after the last two tests there ended up as comfortable victories, the curse of the capital returned with a vengeance,” Wall wrote.
“If the successful French series followed by the loss to Argentina in Buenos Aires felt like one step forward and two steps back, then this was more one step forward only to fall off a cliff.”
Wall said the loss would “take some living down” by All Blacks coaching staff, led by Scott Robertson.
“The Springboks unintentionally exposed a glaring bit of hubris in selection and preparation, as for all of the talk of the Erasmus’s Bomb Squad strategy, the Springbok replacements effectively did what benches traditionally have over history – as injury replacements.
Ardie Savea and Wallace Sititi of New Zealand react after losing The Rugby Championship match between the New Zealand All Blacks and the South African Springboks. (Photo by Joe Allison/Getty Images)
“By contrast, their All Black opposites that were subbed on tactically didn’t really do anything other than stand behind their own posts.
“This was a failure of depth and direction, plain and simple. There were no problem solvers, only liabilities at set piece as the Springboks simply helped themselves to a misfiring lineout. Robertson and his staff have two now very short feeling weeks before the Wallabies show up at Eden Park with the Bledisloe Cup on their minds.”
Liam Napier, writing in the New Zealand Herald, wrote that the loss could expose some “deep scars” in the All Blacks camp.
“This one will hurt for many years to come,” Napier wrote.
“Scott Robertson’s All Blacks failed to scale two peaks in successive weeks as their patchy form trend reared its ugly head again with another defeat in Wellington – their fifth in their last 10 tests at Sky Stadium. It was the All Blacks’ biggest-ever loss, topping the 35-7 defeat against the South Africans at Twickenham before the World Cup in 2023.
“Coming down from the emotive high of defending fortress Eden Park and celebrating Ardie Savea’s 100th Test last week, the All Blacks’ search for consistency remains well beyond reach after the Springboks bounced back in emphatic fashion to secure a treasured win on New Zealand soil.
“After a 1-1 tour to Argentina, the All Blacks have now repeated those results at home against the Springboks to leave major frustrations and serious questions about any form of genuine progress under Robertson.
“The nature of this deflating defeat, the largest against the Springboks at home, eclipsing the 30-16 defeat in 1978, sparks serious concerns and could leave deep scars.”
On Sunday, Napier doubled down.
“The All Blacks’ darkest day shines a glaring spotlight on the cracks emerging in coach Scott Robertson’s shaky tenure,” he wrote.
“Consistently inconsistent is an inescapable truth enveloping Robertson’s All Blacks after their 43-10 defeat – the worst in their history – against the Springboks in Wellington sparked widespread concerns.
“A sixth loss from 21 tests under Robertson speaks to the All Blacks’ struggles to deliver progress.
“With 15 players on the park, it’s difficult to recall a worse half an hour than the way the hosts crumbled on Saturday night at Sky Stadium.
“Fans voted with their feet, with many leaving well before the Boks landed their final knockout blows.”
Phillip Rollo, writing for Stuff, noted “Robertson has now overseen two historic defeats in the space of three weeks, after losing to the Pumas for the first time in Argentina in round two of The Rugby Championship.”
Coach Scott Robertson of New Zealand looks on ahead of The Rugby Championship match between New Zealand All Blacks and South Africa Springboks at Sky Stadium on September 13, 2025 in Wellington, New Zealand. (Photo by Joe Allison/Getty Images)
“The Springboks dominated every aspect of game on Saturday, from the scrum to the aerial battle, to avenge their last weekend’s defeat in the sweetest way.
“They scored five tries, poured on 36 points and kept the All Blacks scoreless in a one-sided second half.
“The All Blacks missed a staggering 46 tackles across the 80 minutes and their scrum and lineout were badly exposed, leading to two Springboks tries at crucial stages early in the second half.”
The nature of the All Blacks collapse, and the stunning second-half effort by the Springboks, made headlines around the rugby world.
Charlie Morgan, writing in The Telegraph UK, wrote: “South Africa stormed back from defeat at Eden Park by pulverising the All Blacks in a dominant second half comprising 36 unanswered points.
“New Zealand reached the break leading 10-7 but were comprehensively dismantled thereafter, the Springboks marrying set-piece power with attacking accuracy to suggest that any reports of their demise have been exaggerated.
Beauden Barrett of New Zealand reacts after losing The Rugby Championship match between New Zealand All Blacks and South Africa Springboks at Sky Stadium on September 13, 2025 in Wellington, New Zealand. (Photo by Joe Allison/Getty Images)
“Cheslin Kolbe scored two of his side’s six tries, while the others were shared between Damian Willemse, Kwagga Smith, RG Snyman and Andre Esterhuizen.
“Though the hosts had forged ahead with a slick score for debutant Leroy Carter, Wellington continued to be a bogey venue for them and a chastening loss – the 33-point margin making this their heaviest-ever defeat – leaving New Zealand to limp into the Bledisloe Cup games against Australia.
“The Rugby Championship will start the fifth round with all four teams on two wins and two defeats in what has been a vintage year.
Remy Rugiero, writing in Midi Olympique, said the win was “resounding revenge” for a week earlier.
“Dominating in the conquest phases, efficient in the wings with a double from Kolbe in particular, Rassie Erasmus’s men returned to their former glory in this Rugby Championship by taking a resounding revenge,” he wrote.
“It was an exceptional match in terms of its interest, drama, and consequences.
“Between the All Blacks, who bounced back last week, fending off a good dose of pressure by winning, and the Springboks, who are currently rather shaken up and who came with a team that was new in more ways than one, the duel promised to be incredible in the race for the Rugby Championship.”
Harry Latham-Coyle, in The Independent, said “South Africa humiliated New Zealand and condemned the All Blacks to their heaviest ever defeat.”