Rennie warns All Blacks still 'in their infancy' despite 33-16 demolition of Springboks

Dave Rennie refused to get carried away after the All Blacks defeated the Springboks 33-16 at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, taking a 1-0 lead in Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Test series. New Zealand trailed by a point at half-time before a dominant second-half display, capped by Will Jordan’s late try, sealed a five-tries-to-one victory over the back-to-back World Cup champions.

“There was nothing in that game,” Rennie told reporters at Ellis Park. “I know the score might sound convincing, but it was an absolute arm wrestle. At 19-16, we were under the pump, and the boys barred up. We defended and defended, and then we were clinical when we got our opportunities.”

Rennie identified a key turning point when South Africa were penalised at scrum time by English referee Matthew Carley for walking around. “They got penalised for walking around eventually, and that was probably a key moment in the game,” he said. “We got great impact off the bench.”

Despite the convincing final margin, the All Blacks head coach was measured in his assessment of where his squad stands. “We’re still in our infancy. We’re still getting our head around exactly how we want to play, and we’re growing. We’ve got some good young men coming through.”

Rennie acknowledged the significance of winning the opening Test but was quick to temper any complacency ahead of next weekend’s second fixture. “It’s massive — you’ve got a leg up. But what we know is they’re such a good side. Next week’s going to be just as tough. It’s nice to be one up, and we’ll enjoy a quiet beer.”

The victory came at a cost, with Highlanders loosehead prop Ethan de Groot forced off after a head clash with teammate Josh Lord. Rennie revealed de Groot had already been unwell heading into the match. “Ethan de Groot was crook overnight, but yeah, we’re really happy with the effort up front, and the scrum was really solid in that last 30,” he said. “Obviously, it was a head clash, which is problematic long term.” Neither de Groot nor Lord will be available for the midweek fixture against the Lions, adding to New Zealand’s injury concerns as they navigate a congested schedule.