But the Springboks are awesome when they truly believe in their game plan, as we have seen in a couple of World Cups.
The signs of growing inner confidence were there on Saturday night, particularly in the way the Boks stuck to their guns when the game appeared to be slipping away.
They looked like a powerful, buoyant and tight-knit unit under newish coach Jacques Nienaber.
Elton Jantjies of the Springboks celebrates kicking a penalty goal to seal a win against the All Blacks. Photo / Photosport, AAP
All Black pack (Losers)
Said it before, will say it again. The All Black dominoes will fall when legendary locks Brodie Retallick and Sam Whitelock run out of gas.
Retallick struggled, Whitelock wasn't there, and the All Blacks were monstered by Eben Etzebeth and co in the latest test.
The pressure is off All Blacks coach Ian Foster, to a degree, since his initial two-year contract was extended thus giving him more freedom to build a side.
But the millstone around his neck is the constant pressure on the All Blacks to be number one, to win every test.
Bottom line: The All Blacks need to give their back-up locks plenty of action in order to find and develop the next great pair, as insurance before the next World Cup. And those newcomers need to be monsters.
Or to put it another way - the All Blacks' relentless dominance over the physically softer Wallabies gives a dangerously false read.
Vincent Koch of the Springboks and teammates celebrate beating the All Blacks. Photo / Getty
Jordie Barrett (Big Winner)
He's been the obvious No 1 fullback choice all year. I used to think he was the worst Barrett. Now he's the best.
Codie Taylor (Loser)
What has happened to the brilliant hooker we saw at the beginning of the year?
Ardie Savea (Winner … but with a big but)
The stand-in captain had some great moments, but here's a key question. On that performance, would he have replaced Richie McCaw, Kieran Read or Jerome Kaino in their prime? Answer: Not a chance.
And that sums up the difference between the All Blacks then and now.
Ardie Savea celebrates scoring a try against the Springboks on the Gold Coast. Photo / Photosport, AAP
Rugby (Loser)
I know a lot of people saw this as a thrilling test, and it was gripping.
But it was just another major contest decided by penalty decisions.
Rugby at the top level has actually turned into a game of trying to win penalties, at scrums and breakdowns in particular.
Worse still, with rugby being what it is, a lot of those penalties are highly debatable.
I have looked over the final penalty to South Africa again and again, with slow motion and freeze frame, and the All Blacks don't look offside to me.
I'd hate to see a World Cup final swing on a decision like that. (One of the great things about the 2019 world tournament was the emphatic nature of England and South Africa's semifinal and final victories. Unlike a lot of big rugby games, there were no lingering doubts.)
Jack Goodhue (Winner)
If he gets back to his best, the Crusader is still the All Blacks' best big-test midfielder, especially against power-packed opponents.
Lukhanyo Am (Winner)
The Springboks centre's round-the-back pass under intense pressure, to create the first try, is the rugby highlight of the year. It is probably the best trick pass I've seen in a test match. Sheer magic.
Richie Mo'unga (Winner)
Beauden Barrett had his moments at No 10 but his best days are gone. A confident and commanding Mo'unga offers so much more as the All Blacks build-up to the 2023 World Cup.
