‘Any win over SA is special’
NEW Zealand coach Ian Foster said it was another step forward as his side held off the second-half fightback to seal victory.
“There were a lot of swings and roundabouts in the game, but the way we came through the challenges was something to be proud of,” Foster said.
“We stung them at the start with the tempo we played at. I thought our desire to play on top of them early was there and we got good reward for it.
“But they came back. We've spoken before about defending leads and they had a lot of experience on their bench in that third quarter. But I thought we rowed through that, so it's a good step for us.”
Foster added: “Any win over South Africa is special, particularly this South African team and to deal with the best they had off the bench and the way we did it was encouraging.
“I guess the thing that gives us the most confidence is they had a lot of momentum in the second half where they were on top and rather than losing our way for too long, we managed to find a way back.”
Springboks coach Jacques Nienaber said: “You can't start like that. You can't start with that many penalties and errors.
“I think some of them were unforced from our side and some from pressure that the All Blacks exerted on us. If you're going to play catch-up rugby in the World Cup, it will be tough to get a foothold.”
