'Chasing shadows': World media reacts to All Blacks victory at Ellis Park

‘Chasing shadows’

Charles Richardson, Daily Telegraph UK

“This stunning victory was almost as comfortable as it was surprising. New Zealand outscored their hosts by five tries to one and, by the end, a 13-player Springboks outfit – both Marco van Staden and Cobus Reinach were sin-binned within a minute of each other – were left chasing shadows in an Ellis Park which had been stupefied into silence. The Springboks did not score a solitary second-half point.

“It was at the beginning of that 13-player period when New Zealand put the game to bed, with Will Jordan crossing for his second try. But the damage had already been done by a cast of Kiwi conquerors. Ardie Savea, captain and No 8, could not have delivered more for the cause; Luke Jacobson and Tupou Vaa’i on the flanks were more than deputies to Savea; the locks, until Josh Lord’s unfortunate departure just before halftime, were magnificent; and, behind them, Cam Roigard continues to look every bit the equal of those phenomenal French scrum-halves. The New Zealand midfield got the upper hand on their much vaunted counterparts, too, on the day of Damian de Allende’s 100th cap for South Africa.”

‘They’re here to dominate’

Dustin Wetdewich, Nova News

“Ellis Park was supposed to be the fortress. The altitude was meant to be the advantage. The passionate home crowd should have been the difference.

“Instead, New Zealand delivered a performance that announced their intentions for this series loud and clear: they’re here to win, they’re here to dominate, and they won’t be intimidated by history, altitude or occasion.

“The Springboks have seven days to find answers. Because if this performance repeats in Cape Town, the series could be over before it really begins.

“Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry delivered a statement opener. Unfortunately for South African fans, New Zealand wrote it in All Black ink.”

Damian de Allende, Will Jordan, Fabian Holland and Jasper Wiese. Photos / SmartFrame

‘Guts and character’

Craig Ray, Daily Maverick

“This was a win of guts and character from the All Blacks, who at one stage looked ready to implode under pressure. But they held firm through a combination of Bok errors and their own deep well of resolve.

“This might easily have been the worst performance in the Rassie Erasmus era, ending a 12-match winning streak and putting the Boks on the back foot in the four-match series. The All Blacks “won” the second half 21-3.

“The Springboks turned the ball over 23 times – mostly through knock-ons – and the All Blacks thrived on the steady feed of possession from the fumble-fingered Boks.”

‘This must go down as a disintegration’

Gerard Meagher, The Guardian

“As first courses go, this was a delicious appetiser to a series that looks set to live up to its billing. First blood goes to New Zealand, who withstood a barrage of South Africa scrum pressure and demonstrated a slickness the double world champions could not live with, clinching a first win at Ellis Park since 2022.

“It wasn’t a classic, but a statement victory by the All Blacks to which South Africa must respond in the coming weeks. By the end, South Africa had two men in the sinbin and, given their status as the world’s leading side, this must go down as a disintegration.

There will be a backlash – it is hard to remember a time when South Africa were so inaccurate with the ball in hand – but credit New Zealand for producing a masterclass at weathering the storm and taking their chances. It is 30 years since Sean Fitzpatrick led the All Blacks to a first series victory in South Africa, but the class of 2026 are off to a flying start.”

‘The spy dramas of the Cold War’

Mike Greenaway, The National

“The All Blacks were outgunned at scrum time and under pressure, yet they hung on and struck ruthlessly on the counterattack, scoring five tries to the Springboks’ one.

“The build-up to the match had been a throwback to the spy dramas of the Cold War, with media “spies” planted at Springbok and All Black press conferences to ask questions designed to give their respective coaches intelligence — much of it apparently aimed at referee MatthewCarley.

“The Springboks were accused of slowing the ball down; the All Blacks were warned about illegally hitting rucks with tucked shoulders.

“But once the talking stopped, both teams delivered a cold statement of intent.”

‘Men against boys’

Jared Wright, Planet Rugby

“Just about every facet of this game was a contest except for one: the scrum. Frankly, it was men against boys as Ox Nche, Malcolm Marx and Wilco Louw shunted Ethan de Groot, Codie Taylor and Tyrel Lomax backwards at an astonishing rate. It was a brutal obliteration for 54 minutes, during which time New Zealand boasted an atrocious 57% success rate. In the 55th minute, they finally got a penalty of their own – fortunately so – in their 22, but for the 54 minutes before then, it was a brutal demolition job not quite seen since the Boks battered Ireland’s set-piece.

“Losing De Groot before halftime didn’t help New Zealand’s cause in the scrums, nor did introducing George Bower, who replaced Lomax, who was completely out scrummaged by Nche. When the Boks made changes up front, there was somewhat of a levelling of the scrum battle, but the havoc Nche and Louw wreaked cannot be ignored.

“One thing is crystal clear: the All Blacks have to find some resemblance of scrum parity in Cape Town next week. They managed to escape a heap of trouble in the scrums, but they simply cannot afford to cough up possession and penalties in that manner for the rest of the series.”

‘Numerous errors’

Jacques van der Westhuyzen, The Citizen

“The Boks made numerous errors over the course of the match and failed to make the most of a number of 22m entries, especially in the first half. They enjoyed more territory and possession than the All Blacks, but it was the New Zealanders who took their chances and scored the tries.

“The Boks edged the set-pieces, and won the aerial battle, but coach Rassie Erasmus will be concerned with the lack of rhythm in the Boks’ game and their general error-rate and lack of composure.

“The victory by the All Blacks ensured they remain unbeaten in 2026, while the Boks’ 12-match unbeaten run has now come to an end.”