Five things we learned: Holders show ability to raise game and maintain composure, while Bryan Habana has afternoon to forget

© Provided by The Telegraph South Africa vs New Zealand: Five things we learned

Are you watching the northern hemisphere?

The handling skills from both sides was such that even in the face of ferociously aggressive defending - the All Blacks finished the first half with a 100 per cent tackle completion - we had to wait 25 minutes for the first scrum. The absence of errors was helped in part by the benign conditions - the heavy rain did not fall until the second half - but the ability of both sets of players to retain their accuracy despite the intensity of the pressure was a stark reminder to the northern hemisphere sides of the skill set required to be regarded as serious contenders.

Where was the All Blacks' discipline?

New Zealand's discipline was surprisingly poor, conceding six penalties in the first quarter alone, three of which were converted by Handre Pollard to give the Springboks an early 9-7 lead despite waves of pressure from the All Blacks. 

The high concession was in part due to the excellence of Francois Louw and Schalk Burger at the breakdown but it was also self-inflicted. One kickable penalty was reversed when Joe Moody spotted illegally clearing out Duane Vermeulen with a neck roll. Then just before half-time, Kano was shown a yellow card for kicking the ball in an offside position from a lazy run and Pollard kicked his fourth penalty for a five-point lead at the break, with New Zealand conceding nine penalties in the first half alone, normally the par figure for the whole match.

Le Roux comes through the rough and tumble

South Africa's aerial game was more effective than their opponents. Springboks full-back Willie Le Roux had been braced for a high-ball barrage and it duly came, with Aaron Smith and Dan Carter targeting him. But the 26-year-old was simply superb in the contest for the ball in the air. In contrast it was South Africa who profited more from the tactic, with Bryan Habana twice claiming high balls from Nehe Milner-Skudder. The Springboks, however, were undone at times by poor execution of their exit strategy, with le Roux guilty of some misplaced clearance kicks which allowed the All Blacks to run the ball back to maintain the pressure even though the South African forwards were able to effect at least four turn-overs at the breakdown.

All Blacks step up to plate when it matters most

New Zealand once again showed their ability to raise their game and maintain their composure just when their opponents should have been able to go in for the kill by actually reducing their deficit while Kano was in the sin bin. In fact it was the All Blacks who dominated those 10 minutes, with Dan Carter landing a sweetly-struck dropped goal to cut the deficit to two points. The psychological edge it gave the All Blacks inflicted serious damage to the Springboks, and it was little surprise that New Zealand were able to take the lead moments after Kano's return when Beauden Barrett crossed for a try. Dan Carter's conversion ensured there had been a critical 10-point swing in a contest of such small margins.