New Zealand stayed firm at their Eden Park fortress to claim an attritional 24-17 win over South Africa in a heavyweight clash between the world’s top two rugby sides on Saturday.
Under pressure after conceding a first-ever defeat on Argentine soil against the Pumas two weeks ago, the All Blacks responded with a performance of grit and discipline to stretch their unbeaten run at their Auckland stronghold to 51 matches.
Two well-taken tries by Emoni Narawa and Will Jordan set up a 14-3 lead at halftime before Quinn Tupaea grabbed a third five-pointer for the hosts 13 minutes from time.
Well held for most of the night, the Springboks rallied with second-half tries to Malcolm Marx and Cobus Reinach to pull within a converted try but the All Blacks held on, with Ardie Savea making a heroic turnover in his 100th test to seal the win. (Reuters)
