Taylor got pinged in a couple of early scrums for having his foot in the wrong place and there were lineout wobbles during his 48-minute stint.
3. Fletcher Newell – 5
Seemed to deal with Ox Nche pretty well as the All Blacks papered over their scrum worries. Newell was useful around the park and did a good job of moving big bodies.
4. Patrick Tuipulotu – 5
Hasn’t had the same impact on this tour that he managed in the home tests, where the Blues skipper was a brute runner on the ball. Against the Boks, he carried the ball plenty, but the green wall was unyielding. Tuipulotu piled into the breakdowns in Baltimore, cleaning ruck ball for Cam Roigard.
5. Sam Darry – 4
Beaten by Eben Etzebeth in an early lineout and then found wanting by halfback Morne van den Berg’s little dart to the line. The Boks seemed intent on challenging him at lineout time throughout his 57-minute run, but he was mostly up to the task.
6. Tupou Vaa’i – 3
A troubling night on defence for the man wearing the jersey that once hung on Jerome Kaino’s shoulders. Conceded a second-minute penalty for a high tackle that led to the Boks’ opening three-pointer. Terribly beaten from a 51st-minute scrum that led to Pieter-Steph du Toit’s try and was flat-footed later when Kurt-Lee Arendse scored the decisive try.
There were useful moments on the other side of the ball, including a key breakdown penalty in the 27th minute. But Vaa’i gifted a daft penalty for scragging a bloke at the back of a ruck when his side were hot on attack in the final quarter.
Tupou Vaa’i on the charge against the Springboks in Baltimore. Photo / Photosport
7. Ethan Blackadder – 8
The opensider had an early session of handbags with Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, which seemed to unsettle the Springboks playmaker. Blackadder was bustling and busy, his engine still revving after 80 minutes. He topped the tackle count with 21 and carted the ball with intent, though other than his clever dab for a try, he never looked like splitting the Boks’ defence.
Blackadder, backing up from his impressive showing against the Lions, will have again silenced critics who doubted he could meet the standard required for this sort of encounter. Raw-boned like a Bok, he proved a great fit, clearing green jerseys from breakdowns and toiling hard.
His 73rd-minute spilling of the ball summed up the night for the All Blacks, but was uncharacteristic against the rest of his performance.
8. Peter Lakai – 7
The most dangerous ball-runner in either pack, Lakai’s speed and skills make him a crucial asset for Dave Rennie. Expect to see Lakai in match-day squads for any big games. The Hurricanes man would probably have liked a wider field, but he found space to move among the wingers and nearer the pack.
Was able to recharge his batteries with a 12-minute HIA early in the match. Didn’t miss a beat when he got back out there.
9. Cam Roigard – 6
Tapped an early penalty when a shot for a three-pointer might have been a better option. Roigard pinged a lovely pass to put his skipper over the line for the opening try and was slick in delivery throughout his 65-minute run.
He got isolated and lost possession a couple of times, but Roigard’s constant sniping threat has proven to be a great asset for the All Blacks.
10. Richie Mo’unga – 5
Missed touch from a defensive penalty when his teammates really needed a break from relentless Springboks pressure, and was beaten in the air soon after. Other kicks were more accurate, including a gem from a later that drilled the Boks into their corner. Chose his options smartly and seemed happy to play right on the line against big, brutal Bokke defenders.
Richie Mo’unga gets the ball away against the Springboks in Baltimore. Photo / Photosport
11. Josh Moorby – 5
Moorby was a bit unlucky not to have the ref call for an early tackle on him, right before Arendse dashed away to score. Found few opportunities out wide.
12. Jordie Barrett – 6
Another massive shift on defence for the only All Black to play every minute of all four tests in the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series. Barrett went hard and fast for off-his-line tackles in the first half, most of which didn’t quite stick but they did seem to disrupt the Boks’ flow. Massive boot proved useful in a game where territory really mattered.
13. Anton Lienert-Brown – 5
Solid defence forced a 10th-minute knock-on and he should have held a clever kick-pass a minute later. ALB put his body on the line against the Boks’ midfield musclemen and was largely effective at containing them.
14. Will Jordan – 7
A busy match for the All Blacks’ all-time record tryscorer, who turned on the gas and straightened things up to strike at the end of a monster 32-phase passage of play. There were plenty of other telling contributions on attack, where he played a key role linking and dashing on either side of the field. The narrow width of Baltimore’s NFL pitch probably hampered Jordan’s opportunities to find space. He popped up on defence a heap too and cleared the ball nicely off his boot.
All Blacks winger Will Jordan runs with the ball against South Africa, in Baltimore. Photo / SmartFrame
15. Damian McKenzie – 6
Superb work in build-up to Codie Taylor’s opening strike. Spilt the ball in 16th minute to set up a Boks scrum that led – inevitably – to a shot at goal. Was influential on attack in the middle stages of the match when the All Blacks were building useful momentum. Was accurate with the exception of one dud knock on right on the halfway line. Lost the ball when he got monstered by Pieter-Steph du Toit, but later got one back over the big fella, despite the 30kg weight difference between the pair.
Bench
16. Asafo Aumua – 6
Has done his status plenty of good over the past month and is surely now the first-choice No 2. Brick outhouse on defence, brutal short-ball runner and accurate in the set pieces.
17. Xavier Numia – 5
Another who has impressed in the opportunities he’s had on tour. Numia is a punchy ball-carrier and the scrum seems fine when he’s out there.
18. Tyrel Lomax – 5
Big unit came on to bolster the pack and the scrum got stronger.
19. Josh Lord – 5
Came on and promptly beat Eben Etzebeth in a lineout – no mean feat.
20. Wallace Sititi – 6
Threw an offload intercept that has been a familiar sight for the All Blacks in this series as the speedy Springboks defenders have been right up in their line. Was otherwise handy on attack
21. Kyle Preston – 5
Provided snappy service after coming on for Roigard in the final 15 minutes. The Crusaders second-choice halfback seems to now be the All Blacks’ preferred bench man.
22. Rieko Ioane – 5
Looked decent at centre in a shift dominated by defence after coming on in the final moments of the first half.
23. Beauden Barrett – 4
Threw a loose pass in desperate circumstances that led to Cameron Hanekom’s salt-in-the-wound try. Barrett gave us a reminder of the good old days when he ghosted through a generous gap to score in the 79th minute after the Boks had clocked off for the night.