Rennie jokes Savea must win the toss to cure All Blacks' slow-start problem

Dave Rennie acknowledged the All Blacks’ recurring slow-start problem after South Africa levelled their Test series 1-1 with a dominant display at DHL Stadium in Cape Town, but the head coach found a moment of levity when addressing reporters post-match.

Turning to his captain Ardie Savea, Rennie joked that the solution might be straightforward. “We might get him to win a toss so we can kick off,” he said, drawing a laugh before getting to the substance of what went wrong.

The Springboks set the tone from the opening exchanges. Jordie Barrett claimed the first kick-off and returned it into touch just past the 22-metre line, gifting South Africa a lineout in a dangerous position. Rassie Erasmus’ side recycled through phases and opened the scoring through Jesse Kriel, establishing a pattern of field position and forward dominance that defined the first half.

“They got field position, and they got a lineout early. They mauled off that and then got them behind us, and then a lot of big men playing on top — we just have got to do a better job,” Rennie said.

Despite the pressure, Rennie was keen to credit his players for staying in the contest. The All Blacks came close to snatching a draw late on, and the coach pointed to moments of defensive resilience as a reason for encouragement.

“I was really proud of our boys tonight. We were under pump at various times and showed a lot of character and fight to stay in that game,” he told reporters. “We left a couple of opportunities out in the park in the first half, and they spent a lot of time down our end of the field.”

Rennie identified South Africa’s ability to slow All Blacks ball and win the aerial contest as key factors that disrupted New Zealand’s preferred style. “They were able to slow a bit of our ball down, so we didn’t quite get the sort of continuity that we needed at times, but we created a lot tonight,” he said. “There are these little elements that will need to be better, but we’ll bounce back next week.”

With the series level heading into the deciding third Test, the All Blacks will need to find a sharper edge from the first whistle if they are to avoid handing the Springboks the initiative once again.