Ellis Park, and a streak ended: All Blacks 33, Springboks 16

Thirty years after the last one, a New Zealand side went to Ellis Park for a Test match and won it by seventeen points.

All Blacks 33, South Africa 16. Five tries to one. The Springboks' twelve-match Test winning run, over. And the biggest win the All Blacks have ever recorded at that ground.

They were underdogs going in. They are one from one.

How it happened

Will Jordan scored inside eight minutes, and for a while it looked like it might be straightforward. It was not. Andre Esterhuizen hit back on thirteen, Cheslin Kolbe kicked his goals, and the Springboks turned around 13-12 in front. Early in the second half they led 16-12 and the crowd had settled into the evening.

Then the All Blacks took the game away from them.

Fabian Holland charged down a kick and scored from it on 47 minutes. Josh Moorby had already been over in the first half. Luke Jacobson crossed, and Jordan got his second to finish it. Ruben Love kicked four conversions.

South Africa lost two players to the bin in the last ten minutes and never got back into it.

The numbers behind it

This was not a night of All Black dominance in the usual sense. They had only 39 per cent of the territory. They spent long stretches defending, and made 132 tackles to South Africa's 86.

What they did have was the ball when it counted, 56 per cent of it, and a breakdown that hurt: 14 turnovers won to five.

The other decisive shift came from the bench. South Africa had the better of the scrum early. Fletcher Newell and Asafo Aumua came on and turned it around, and once that platform stopped going backwards the All Blacks' back three had something to work with.

Ardie Savea's night

Savea captained the side on his 110th Test, having sat out all three provincial matches to manage his workload. He also had the most nervous moment of the evening, when his tackle on Jasper Wiese went to the TMO.

Referee Matt Carley ruled no foul play, on the grounds that first contact was on the body and Wiese's head came forward into it. No card, no citing.

Dave Rennie thought it was right, and said so generously: "technically, it's the right call. When Ardie hits him, his head comes forward. So it's really good refereeing, and good to see at this level."

Savea was more honest about how it felt: "I'll be pretty biased tonight that I'm happy for the decision. But yeah, I was nervous."

What it cost

A win, but not a free one. Ethan de Groot and Josh Lord were both concussed in the same incident, a head clash in the 37th minute as the two of them tackled Wiese. Both are on a twelve-day stand-down and both are out of the second Test in Cape Town.

Rennie confirmed it plainly: "The two that came off with concussion have been ruled out immediately. Neither Ethan nor Josh will be available on Saturday."

Ofa Tu'ungafasi and Jamie Hannah were called into the squad as cover.

Where this sits

The records tell you how unusual this was:

• The All Blacks' biggest ever win at Ellis Park
• Their first win in South Africa in four years
• The end of a Springbok run of twelve consecutive Test wins, and 31 from their previous 34

South Africa had made changes, with Pieter-Steph du Toit captaining and Siya Kolisi left out as a precaution on his return. Rassie Erasmus will have plenty to work with for Cape Town.

Because that is the thing about a four-Test series: winning the first one settles nothing. It just means the second one matters more.

Second Test: Saturday 29 August, Cape Town Stadium. Sold out.