"After an emphatic Series win over the British & Irish Lions, this game was the perfect topping.
"So much for 'unfit, unskilled, unnerved'. This Springbok performance screamed 'world champions!'."
Silenced the criticism
By Mike Greenaway, iol.co.za
"There was heartbreak no more for the Springboks when they scrapped their way to an epic 31-29 victory over the All Blacks on Australia's Gold Coast to end a three-match losing streak and to reinforce the fact that they are very much a champion side.
"The Boks return home to South Africa now with their heads held high and with so many critics the world over silenced for the unrelenting criticism that the Boks are a boring side."
Replaced whole front row
By SA Rugby Mag
"Coach Jacques Nienaber has admitted his unorthodox use of substitutes made the difference between victory and defeat in the Springboks' thrilling Test against the All Blacks in Gold Coast on Saturday.
"Replacements Elton Jantjies, Frans Steyn as well as front rowers Malcolm Marx, Steven Kitshoff and Vincent Koch were all influential from the moment they were introduced off the bench.
"Nienaber replaced the whole front row after 38 minutes and started the second half with Steyn at fullback, while Jantjies was also given a longer run at flyhalf than usual.
"Today they [the starting front row] emptied their tanks after 38 minutes and I replaced them when they did their job," said coach Jacques Nienbar. "After last week, I decided we should make use of our subs. We must never keep a substitution on the bench, they are there to fulfil a role."
"When you play against quality teams the margins are so small, we were 20 seconds away from winning the Test against Australia, two or three minutes away from beating New Zealand last week. And this week I think we got the last call of the game. The margins are so small – it's the bounce of the ball here or a misread there."
World in awe
By Jon Doel, Wales Online
"South Africa have beaten the All Blacks to regain their world number one status after a dramatic game for the ages.
"It was a match that left viewers in awe as the lead changed hand four times in the final five remarkable minutes.
"It was certainly the rugby Test match of the year, with Wales legend Jonathan Davies saying it had restored his faith in the game after the awful summer Lions series.
"Both teams played at a sublime level, with fans blown away by the skill, pace and intensity of what they witnessed."
All Blacks coach Ian Foster's reaction
"We are bitterly disappointed," Foster said. "It's frustrating when you've got control of it but it was a massive arm-wrestle. The South Africans played superbly. They came with a lot of attitude; they carried hard, they moved us around and challenged us in many ways. They had a really strong third quarter and got us a bit flustered.
"I loved the way we hung in there. We took some great opportunities early in the game and got ourselves back into a winning position but then lacked a little bit of discipline in that last two minutes. That's what big tests are about.
"It just shows we've got a little bit of learning to do but I'm intensely proud of a campaign that we've taken one big step forward but we've got a few more to take."
