Fast-forward to the last minutes of the match and there was old-school rugged defence as the All Blacks clung to their victory margin.
The Auckland winter provided buckets of rain, but both sides rose above the conditions.
By way of contrast, in steamy Townsville in Queensland, it was so blisteringly hot for the Australia-Argentina game that there were official three-minute cooling-off periods for the sweat-soaked players to grab a drink.
Once again, the Wallabies showed they have become the kings of the second-half comeback, clawing back from 21-7 down at halftime to beat the Pumas six minutes into injury time, winning 28-24.
The current Rugby Championship table has the All Blacks on top by a point from Australia, with the Pumas and the Springboks sharing fourth and last place. The reality is there are no lame-duck teams this year and every game therefore has the promise of intense competition.
Time to be happy?
It’s one of the quirks of New Zealand rugby fans that we are rarely satisfied with a close All Blacks win. In fact, their victory at Eden Park had a touch of everything. The All Blacks came out of the blocks like Olympic sprinters with two excellent tries, but just as impressive was the way they grimly stuck to their defensive work as the Springboks smashed at the line near the end.
It wasn’t just the fearlessness of the head-on tackling either. As has been well noted this year, there have been too many times when ill-discipline has cost New Zealand. Not at Eden Park. No yellow cards and no intrusions from a television match official. This time, our defenders got it right.
What will be fascinating as we head towards another Springboks test, this time in Wellington, will be if some of the off-field pressure eases on coach Scott Robertson.
For such a genial man, he’s had more than his share of criticism since taking over the All Blacks. Some, you have to feel, has basically been little more than barely concealed envy over the extraordinary run of success he’s had with the Crusaders.
This year in particular you could hardly accuse Robertson of being one-eyed, looking to pick his favourites from Christchurch. After the Rob Penney-coached Crusaders beat the Chiefs in this year’s final, two of the outstanding Crusaders, David Havili and Ethan Blackadder, did not make the All Blacks squad.
Man of the match
There were plenty of contenders in the All Blacks ranks, most notably Tupou Vaa’i, who returned to his usual position of lock from blindside flanker.
But really, how could you possibly go past Ardie Savea playing his 100th test with the vigour of a man making his debut? It’s clear that Savea is one of those players who teammates respond to, and are inspired by, at whatever level the rugby is being played. It was basically the perfect touch that Savea would turn the ball over in the dying moments at Eden Park to make it 100% certain that the All Blacks’ remarkable record there of a 31-year streak without losing a test would continue.
Ardie Savea wins a penalty for the All Blacks in the dying minutes of their test against the Springboks at Eden Park. Photo / Photosport
Try of the game
So much could have gone wrong in the opening try of the game from winger Narawa. But thanks to remarkable skill levels, his try was one for the ages.
When Beauden Barrett decided on a kick-pass to his right wing, so much was loaded against the kick being successful. Rain had just bucketed down, so kicking the ball accurately was about as tricky as juggling wet soap. But Barrett’s kick landed so perfectly for Narawa that it was as if somehow radar had been involved.
It still wasn’t going to be easy for the Fijian-born winger. But he took the ball as if it was a bright, dry, sunny afternoon and even had the presence of mind to throw an outrageous dummy before he scored.
Cometh the hour
At the start of this year, Kyle Preston was a 25-year-old who had just finished his apprenticeship as a roofer, when he signed with the Crusaders after playing in NPC rugby for Wellington.
In his wildest rugby dreams, he would probably not have pictured himself being called on to close out a test for the All Blacks against South Africa.
But that was exactly what happened on Saturday night and Preston proved himself more than capable of doing the job. He found himself in the national jersey after a string of injuries to halfbacks that had echoes of the curse of the first fives that struck the All Blacks during the 2011 World Cup.
Many will remember, quite rightly, the heroic role played by Stephen Donald and the winning penalty goal he kicked to win that year’s final. On Saturday night against the Boks, Preston was the fifth-choice All Blacks halfback.
When Donald nervelessly lined up his 2011 kick at goal, he was there as the number four All Blacks pick after injury mowed down Dan Carter, Colin Slade and Aaron Cruden. It’s a tribute to Preston that he looked as much at home on Saturday night as Donald did 14 years ago.
The feast goes on
The return match with South Africa on Saturday night in Wellington is definitely not the end of must-see local test matches this season. If playing South Africa comes with an amazing and lengthy history, then playing Australia in the professional era since 1996 has its own special qualities too.
In three weeks’ time, the Wallabies will face the All Blacks at Eden Park in a game that may well decide who wins the Rugby Championship.
Joseph‑Aukuso Sua’ali’i scores a try for the Wallabies during the Rugby Championship match against the Pumas. Photo / Getty Images
Phil Gifford is a Contributing Sports Writer for NZME. He is one of the most-respected voices in New Zealand sports journalism.