"A few of those All Blacks have actually said to me since that they think in the long-term, that outcome was good for South Africa, as a nation. It brought us together," he said. "That is a very gracious thing of those men to say."
Mr Steyn is in New Zealand for TedxAuckland, to talk about his time as Nelson Mandela's chief bodyguard.
Delivering a captivating half-hour speech this afternoon, Mr Steyn's anecdotes about working with Mandela drew a standing ovation.
In a stirring start to his address, Mr Steyn recalled how he was one of a lucky bunch of people invited to stand beside the flag-emblazoned coffin of Mr Mandela to say a very personal goodbye.
"It was a tremendous privilege," Mr Steyn said. "Until this day I am grateful for that invitation."
Mr Steyn also delivered two tales about Mr Mandela, one in which the former president left almost 200 world dignitaries waiting for a lunch meeting, just so he could say thank you to a policeman, and another of a July 1996 security nightmare in Brixton, London.
Mr Mandela was making a public appearance with Prince Charles when eager crowds jumped the security barriers, forcing Mr Steyn to scramble the famous pair into the Queen's Rolls Royce - before commandeering a passer-by's tiny car to chase the motorcade down.