Player ratings: Clearly still No.1
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The All Blacks proved once again why they are the best team in the world, piping the Springboks who played one of their best games in the Championship.
The All Blacks seemed to do things just that little bit better, especially when it came to soaking up pressure in the dying stages of the 14-10 Rugby Championship match.
A try a piece from each team was punctuated by the All Blacks looking far more disciplined in their half which shut down the Boks try scoring opportunities.
An all round great performance from the New Zealanders who showed that even with key injuries, there is depth a plenty
We rate the All Blacks:
15 Israel Dagg
looked to help get the ball out wide in broken play and sparked a lot of the All Blacks' countering from the Boks deep kicking, a solid performance from the sometimes hot-and-cold fullback.
8/10
14 Ben Smith
Slipped an important tackle when Hendricks scored but a slippery customer himself when he got ball in hand making a number of great, silky runs.
8/10
13 Conrad Smith
Started slow but when he got chances to run really looked deadly, cutting through the defence and beating number of Springbok defenders.
7/10
12 Ma'a Nonu
A balanced performance from the burly centre, passing and running equally well – even throwing in a few tactical kicks.
7/10
11 Julian Savea
Powerful running as he racked up the metres out wide and looked even more deadly as he came in field to run the angles, along with Ben Smith looked impossible to bring down at times.
9/10
10 Aaron Cruden
looked to get the ball moving along with Aaron Smith, and despite his average kicking display, still looked a threat with ball in hand.
7/10
9 Aaron Smith
Energetic performance from the nippy scrumhalf, he got the backline moving effectively and kept the defence guessing on the fringes.
7/10
8 Kieran Read
Made a number of useful runs, playing the linking No.8 role perfectly with some amazing offloads and passes – a true stand-out player.
9/10
7 Richie McCaw (captain)
The captain showed a cool head and did his defensive duties well, cropping up where need to even nab a try.
8/10
6 Steven Luatua
Stood up and took his chances with some barnstorming runs but was nothing extraordinary.
5/10
5 Jeremy Thrush
Nothing flashy from the fourth choice lock, but did not let his team down, especially in disrupting a few mauls.
6/10
4 Brodie Retallick
Other than his usual excellent breakdown and line-out work, made a number of good little passes to keep the ball alive.
8/10
3 Owen Franks
Put his hand up for some ball carriers and was solid in the scrums against an impressive Bok forward pack.
6/10
2 Dane Coles
A decent number of runs and passes, but you expect more from the energetic hooker.
6/10
1 Wyatt Crockett
Made a good few runs and racked up some impressive mileage for a front row forward.
6/10
Replacements:
16 Keven Mealamu (on for Coles, 70 mins)
Not enough time to be rated.
17 Joe Moody (on for Crockett, 58 mins)
Kept up the scrum effort for Crockett but did not do much else around the park
5/10
18 Ben Franks (on for O. Franks, 58 mins)
Also had a few decent runs, like his brother, and did not let the scrum down.
6/10
19 Patrick Tuipulotu (on for Thrush, 77 mins)
Not enough time to be rated
20 Sam Cane (on for Luatua, 50 mins)
Came on and looked very spritely, known for his defence and made plenty of tackles in his short stint.
7/10
21 TJ Perenara
Not used.
22 Beauden Barrett (on for Cruden, 58 mins)
Showed his class again and that perhaps, he should get some more game time every now and again.
8/10
23 Cory Jane (on for Nonu, 40 mins)
Got a chance to run a bit more as the second half mostly belonged to the All Blacks
7/10
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