{"id":577427,"date":"2026-08-23T02:16:15","date_gmt":"2026-08-23T02:16:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/577427\/"},"modified":"2026-08-23T02:16:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-23T02:16:15","slug":"rennie-hails-famous-all-blacks-victory-over-boks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/577427\/","title":{"rendered":"Rennie hails famous All Blacks’ victory over Boks"},"content":{"rendered":"

Thirty years on from the All Blacks\u2019 first Test series win in South Africa, Dave Rennie\u2019s men have taken their first step towards making their own history with a 33-16 victory over the Springboks in Johannesburg that even the so-called \u201cIncomparables\u201d would be proud of.<\/p>\n

How fitting, then, that Sean Fitzpatrick, the skipper from 1996, was standing alongside the current captain Ardie Savea as the anthems played in the high citadel of South African rugby before this famous win<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It was appropriate not only because the man universally known as Fitzy presents a direct link to that tour and all that it meant to New Zealand but also because his fellow front rowers helped the All Blacks turn the game at Ellis Park this morning.<\/p>\n

With Ethan de Groot, who started the Test despite suffering from illness and carrying a knee injury, under pressure from the Boks, the All Blacks conceded six scrum penalties before replacement George Bower helped solidify the set piece and fellow bench players Asafo Aumua and Fletcher Newell turned it into a weapon.<\/p>\n

Breaking down the All Blacks ‘impressive’ win over the Springboks – Watch on TVNZ+<\/a><\/p>\n

The scrum penalty earned by the All Blacks in the shadow of their posts in the 56th minute, after they had conceded several in succession, may be an enduring memory for the supporters of the team around the world and, who knows, may even feature in highlights clips a few decades from now.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll always debate scrums and I think every team does,\u201d coach Rennie said afterwards. \u201cYou get penalised and you question whether they are walking around \u2013 they got penalised for walking around eventually and that was a key moment in the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Fabian<\/p>\n

Fabian Holland charges down Grant Williams’ clearing kick at Ellis Park. (Source: Photosport)<\/p>\n

It was a nice line which praised his men and questioned the tactics of the opposition at the same time and delivered with a lightness of touch that has been a hallmark of Rennie\u2019s since he began.<\/p>\n

He refused to publicly consider what the victory meant for his personal CV but suffice to say it will be a highlight; although victories over the Boks in South Africa were not foreign to him during his time with the Wallabies.<\/p>\n

This was his fourth Test in charge of New Zealand. Every Test is an All Blacks\u2019 coach\u2019s \u201cbiggest\u201d but there is no diminishing the importance of this one and the resounding victory at the end of it.<\/p>\n

Five tries to one is a dominant performance in anyone\u2019s language but if Will Jordan\u2019s double and the tries by Josh Moorby, Fabian Holland and Luke Jacobson was evidence of the visitors\u2019 clinical edge, the way the All Blacks responded to the early intensity of the world champions and a scrum that was on the brink of being demolished speaks to something else.<\/p>\n

It is surely a testament to the culture of a team that, looking from the outside in, is presumably very different to how it appeared by the end of Scott Robertson\u2019s reign late last year.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re still in our infancy \u2013 we\u2019re still getting our head around exactly how we want to play,\u201d Rennie said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got some good young men coming through and it was nice to get a result tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n

What does the victory mean in the context of the four-Test series? <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s massive \u2013 you\u2019ve got a leg up, obviously,\u201d Rennie replied. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t guarantee anything and what we know is they\u2019re such a good side. <\/p>\n

\u201cNext week is going to be just as tough. It\u2019s nice to be one up. We\u2019ll enjoy a quiet beer. There are a number of guys who will have to back up on Tuesday and then again on Saturday \u2013 especially with a couple of injuries tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Prop de Groot and lock Josh Lord will miss Wednesday morning\u2019s (NZT) match against the Lions and probably the second Test in Cape Town, after clashing heads near the end of the first half.<\/p>\n

Ofa Tu\u2019ungafasi and Jamie Hannah are on their way to South Africa as cover.<\/p>\n

\"Wing<\/p>\n

Wing Josh Moorby scores for the All Blacks against the Boks. (Source: Photosport)<\/p>\n

Looking back on the match, there was a rope-a-dope feel to the way the All Blacks turned an apparent scrum weakness into a strength and denied the Boks points, and once world rugby\u2019s heavyweights started to feel the nagging pull of scoreboard pressure their skills fell apart along with their accuracy.<\/p>\n

The astute Rennie and his fellow coaches had clearly identified halfback Grant Williams\u2019 defensive frailties and they were relentlessly targeted, another win in the so-called battle of wits with rival Rassie Erasmus.<\/p>\n

Virtually everything is measurable in the game these days and South Africa\u2019s failure to convert pressure to points was pointed to by Rennie afterwards. He said the Boks score an average of 5.5 points in every visit to the opposition\u2019s 22m area. This morning they scored only 0.9, while the All Blacks scored 3.7.<\/p>\n

\u201cI reckon that\u2019s a big stat,\u201d he said. \u201cWe were able to convert when we got down there and they weren\u2019t tonight.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure it will be a massive focus for them next week.\u201d<\/p>\n

A word, too, on referee Matthew Carley, who did an admirable job after a week of pressure from both sides in the press and was talked to throughout by aggrieved Boks’ players.<\/p>\n

The Englishman twice overruled television match official Mike Adamson on tenuous foul play queries, including one against skipper Ardie Savea, and then rightly sinbinned two Boks replacements for cynical play on their own tryline.<\/p>\n

Skipper Savea, who had made high contact with bruising Boks No.8 Jasper Wiese, said he was \u201cnervous\u201d when the tackle was brought to Carley\u2019s attention.<\/p>\n

Rennie, though, was in no doubt about the law: \u201cTechnically it\u2019s the right call. When Ardie hits him, [Wiese\u2019s] head comes forward and that means his first impact is on the body\u2026 if the head goes back the first impact is straight on the head. It\u2019s really good refereeing and good to see at this level.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rennie said some of his men would have to back up against the Lions – at Ellis Park again – and again for Sunday morning’s second Test at DHL Stadium where the All Blacks received their warm welcome<\/a> three weeks ago.<\/p>\n

History is calling and there is still much work to do.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Thirty years on from the All Blacks\u2019 first Test series win in South Africa, Dave Rennie\u2019s men have…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":577428,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[789,111,43,139,69],"class_list":["post-577427","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-all-blacks","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/577427","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=577427"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/577427\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/577428"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=577427"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=577427"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=577427"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}