Blair says All Blacks' five-try Springboks win only scratches the surface of their potential

Mike Blair believes the All Blacks are still well short of their ceiling despite a commanding five-tries-to-one win over South Africa in the first Test of the 2026 Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series at Ellis Park, Johannesburg, on Saturday.

Dave Rennie’s side trailed at half-time in front of 60,000 fans before turning the game around with a counter-attacking display that exposed the Springboks’ blitz defence on multiple occasions. The result hands New Zealand the early advantage in the series.

“We’re really pleased with five tries,” Blair told former All Black Justin Marshall post-match. “I was just speaking to Jordie Barrett there, and I was saying to him like, there’s so much good stuff there, but the exciting bit is we’ve got so much growth in us. There’s more we can do. So we’re delighted to get five tries and get the win, but there’s plenty more out there.”

Blair, 45, joined the All Blacks coaching staff as attack coach five months ago, and Saturday’s performance suggested his new attacking blueprint is already taking shape. Rennie’s men spread the ball wide to stretch South Africa on the edges and used their counter-attacking game to put the world champions under sustained pressure.

The former Scotland halfback acknowledged that the Springboks’ rush defence made life difficult but felt the All Blacks had identified and exploited weaknesses during their preparation. “We saw some opportunities in preview during the week, and we took some of them,” he said. “The thing that a blitz defence does to you is it puts your skills under pressure. We’ve got some guys who’ve got great skills. We’ve worked hard, and we unlocked the defence at times tonight.”

Blair also pointed to the early departure of Jesse Kriel from the inside-centre position as a factor. “I think probably a shame for them that Jesse Kriel moved out to the wing quite early because he’s an exceptional defender at 13,” he said.

The aerial contest remained an area of concern. Blair conceded South Africa dominated the contestable kicks but highlighted a few crucial returns that shifted the game’s momentum. “We got a couple of crucial ones back, which just changed the flow of the game a little bit,” he said. “It’s definitely an area to keep working on, but it’s a super strength for them, so we’ve got to appreciate that and do what we can to take that out of the game.”

The second Test in the series is set to follow later this month.