Aaron Smith (L) and Sam Cane. Photo / Getty Images.
Aaron Smith (L) and Sam Cane. Photo / Getty Images.
Gregor Paul in South Africa
For the All Blacks players, it was clear they lost the game in Mbombela on the back of the same old failings that have seen them lose five of their last six tests.
The area where South Africa really owned the All Blacks was thebreakdown, and their ability to snaffle turnovers and slow possession was the problem for which the All Blacks couldn't find a solution.
The All Blacks wanted to run through their phases at pace and stress and stretch the Springboks defence - but they just couldn't retain the ball for long enough.
It was a game where they failed to build any continuity. None. They simply didn't have the patience or organisation.
Malcolm Marx owned them at the breakdown and New Zealand were muscled off the ball and denied any chance to get their wing weaponry into space.
"What went wrong was our ability to build pressure with the ball," reflected Aaron Smith.
"We were missing our cleanouts, they were just too good on the ball and then we had a couple of opportunities to break them and we couldn't get it done.
"Their ability to soak the tackle and get on the ball really quickly was what they were really good at, at certain times. And then just our discipline to build pressure…we would win a moment and then make a mistake and in their half, we would turn the ball over, or ill-discipline or a simple knock on."
There was one other significant problem – one that was also the case in the last two tests against Ireland and probably even the first as well – which is that the All Blacks were passive from the start and spent the first half hour camped in their own half, scrambling to stay in the game.
For the fourth consecutive test, they conceded a try within the first five minutes and barely managed to get out of their own half.
It wasn't until the 52nd minute that they made it into South Africa's 22 and it would be rare, almost unprecedented, for the All Blacks to have posed so little threat on attack.
Dejected All Black players after losing the match during the New Zealand All Blacks v South Africa Springboks rugby union match at Mbombela Stadium. Photo / Photosport.co.nz
"The first 30 they got a try off a spilled ball and they were in our half a lot," says Smith.
"It's not ultra-frustrating, it is an 80-minute game, but it's definitely not ideal to start that way. It would be nice to be the team that scores first for once."
The question now facing this team is whether they can pick themselves up to throw some kind of performance together at Ellis Park.
Having now lost five of their last six tests, the All Blacks are in one of the worst spots they have been in the professional age.
When they lost five in a row in 1998, they were at least competitive – in with a shout of victory in that disastrous run. But this team hasn't come remotely close to a victory since they won at Eden Park in their first test of the year. This team hasn't fired anything or shown any obvious sense of improvement.
But Smith says the team remain hopeful, spirited and determined to fix things.
"I wouldn't call it down in confidence," he said. "We are working really hard as a group. There is no doubt the group wants to be better and that it is trying. We made a lot of strides this weekend against a quality team.
"There are things we can fix and control around the breakdown. We have got to respect the ball and we can't let teams dictate to us around the breakdown. As a halfback it is pretty noticeable when we get really quick ball and we miss one cleanout and it is done.
Eben Etzebeth of South Africa and Beauden Barrett of New Zealand during the New Zealand All Blacks v South Africa Springboks rugby union match. Photo / Photosport.co.nz
"We knew what was coming. They are big men. I thought our forwards were outstanding. Our ability to stop their maul. The scrum could be better, but you give the ref a scrum toss at the scrum and anything can happen.
"But our ability to defuse their bombs is something we need to fix. Their tactics there are a little bit borderline. You see Beaudy Barrett do a full flip is pretty scary. That part of the game that needs to be looked at.
"We have got to do a bit better to protect our jumpers as we saw that when we stopped them on our 30-metre line, they just put a bomb up. That works for them."
