The Springboks threw the kitchen sink at the All Blacks in their quest to redeem themselves with a 31-29 win.
In front of a near-capacity crowd on the Gold Coast, the reigning world champions have won back at least some of the respect they lost in their recent string of losses.
Rather than opting to kick at every possible opportunity and trying to slow the game down with medical checks, the Springboks decided to actually have some fun with ball in hand and match New Zealand’s attacking intent.
The result was a far better-quality test match between the two nations.
Both teams had moments of brilliance throughout the encounter, and, after signalling their intent to run the ball more often in the opening stages of the game.
However, in the end it came down to penalty kicks as both teams traded points, until South Africa slotted in the final three-pointer in extra time, for a slim 2 point victory.
