MATCH REPORT: The All Blacks recorded their first win over the Springboks in two years with a 24-17 result at Eden Park in Round Three of the Rugby Championship on Saturday.

Scott Robertson’s side outscored the visitors by three tries to two in what was another titanic encounter between the old foes.

The win has also extended New Zealand’s unbeaten run at Eden Park to 51 matches, and it also means that the Boks are still without a victory at the venue since 1937.

The All Blacks dominated the first half, and they were 14-3 in front at half-time. They were also helped by the Springboks’ high error rate, especially at line-out time.

Rassie Erasmus’ side also lacked cohesion with ball in hand, and they were bullied at ruck time on several occasions. Ardie Savea, who was playing in his 100th Test, played a big role in that ruck area.

It was a sensational start for the All Blacks with wing Emoni Narawa slipping under a tackle by Willie le Roux after a cross-kick before racing away for a five-pointer in the second minute.

However, Narawa’s outing was short-lived as he left the field in the seventh minute with an injury.

After nailing the earlier conversion, Jordie Barrett had an opportunity to extend his team’s lead in the eighth minute, but he was off target with the long-range penalty.

After weathering the Boks’ mauling plays, the All Blacks punished them with a simple strike play in the 17th minute.

Wallace Sititi collected the ball from a long line-out throw-in before feeding it to his inside to Will Jordan, who crashed through some poor defence to race away for a try.

The Springboks eventually got their first points on the board in the 23rd minute via a Handre Pollard penalty goal. The playmaker could’ve made it an eight-point ball game in the 26th minute, but he pushed his second penalty attempt wide.

Despite getting into good positions in the early stages of the second half, the Boks’ line-out woes continued as the All Blacks went in search of a killer blow.

The home side extended their lead to 14 points in the 50th minute with a Damian McKenzie penalty goal.

There was a ray of hope for the Springboks in the 63rd minute after they won the ball against the head with a powerful scrum, and after some big carries, it was Malcolm Marx who powered over for a try. After Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s conversion, there were only seven points between the two sides.

However, the visitors were reduced to 14 men in the 65th minute after Kwagga Smith received a yellow card for cynical play on the ground.

After sustained pressure with ball in hand in South Africa’s 22, the All Blacks made the man advantage count when replacement back Quinn Tupaea weaved his way through the defence to score his team’s third try.

With less than seven minutes left on the clock, Cobus Reinach kept the Boks in it when he slid over for a five-pointer, which Mngomezulu converted.

It was a tense last few minutes for the home side and their fans with the Boks trying to find a way through to get another score, but New Zealand’s defence held firm in the end.

Man of the match: The All Blacks’ forwards stood up to the challenge brilliantly. Prop Ethan de Groot was stable on his side of the scrum, and he was excellent on defence. There were a few question marks over Simon Parker’s inclusion in the starting team, but he was a force in the physical exchanges. However, the award goes to Ardie Savea, who delivered another performance to remember in what was his 100th Test. He played like a man possessed on defence, and he won most of the collisions he was in. He was also a big presence in the rucks, and the Boks couldn’t give room when he had the ball in his hands.

Moment of the match: Quinn Tupaea’s try was a big moment. However, Ardie Savea’s turnover late in the game with the Boks on attack was crucial.

The scorers:

For New Zealand:
Tries: Narawa, Jordan, Tupaea
Cons: J Barrett, McKenzie 2
Pen: McKenzie

For South Africa:
Tries: Marx, Reinach
Cons: Feinberg-Mnogomezulu 2
Pen: Pollard

Yellow card: Kwagga Smith (South Africa, 65′ – cynical play, killing the ball on the ground)

Teams:

New Zealand: 15 Will Jordan, 14 Emoni Narawa, 13 Billy Proctor, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Rieko Ioane, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Finlay Christie, 8 Wallace Sititi, 7 Ardie Savea, 6 Simon Parker, 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 4 Scott Barrett (captain), 3 Fletcher Newell, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Ethan de Groot.
Replacements: 16 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 17 Tamaiti Williams, 18 Tyrel Lomax, 19 Fabian Holland, 20 Du’Plessis Kirifi, 21 Kyle Preston, 22 Quinn Tupaea, 23 Damian McKenzie.

South Africa: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel (captain), 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Canan Moodie, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Grant Williams, 8 Siya Kolisi, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Marco van Stated, 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Thomas du Toit, Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nche.
Replacement: 16 Jan Hendrik Wessels, 17 Boan Venter, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 Lood de Jager, 20 Kwagga Smith, 21 Cobus Reinach, 22 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 23 Ethan Hooker.

Referee: Karl Dickson (England)
Assistant referees: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia), Jordan Way (Australia)
TMO: Brett Cronan (Australia)

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