Springboks’ scrum power earns reluctant All Blacks approval in Soweto

South Africa’s dominance at scrum time was impossible to ignore in the third Test against the All Blacks in Soweto on Saturday, with New Zealand accepting that the Springboks had earned their rewards at the set piece.

The scrum contest had been one of the main talking points before the match, following two weeks of allegations from the All Blacks that South Africa were illegally moving around during engagements.

Those claims created tension ahead of the second Test in Cape Town. All Blacks coach Dave Rennie said he had raised the issue with World Rugby, arguing that the Springboks “walk around” in scrums.

The debate produced a cautious and largely unproductive contest at Cape Town Stadium. Australian referee Angus Gardner declined to penalise either team, while New Zealand repeatedly brought the scrum down.

The picture changed in Soweto, where Georgian referee Nika Amashukeli consistently rewarded South Africa’s superiority. The Springboks won a series of penalties and were awarded a penalty try in the second half after dismantling the All Blacks’ scrum close to their own line.

South Africa had clearly taken New Zealand’s accusations personally, and their response on the field made the scrum one of the defining features of the match.

Rennie accepted that the officials had been right to reward the Springboks when they held the upper hand.

“They got rewarded for dominance at times, so no issues with that,” Rennie said.

The All Blacks also recognised that South Africa had gained the advantage in the set piece. Luke Jacobson, who took over as stand-in captain after Ardie Savea left the field injured, said New Zealand had produced some strong scrums but admitted the Springboks had built too much momentum at key moments.

“Look, I think we laid down some good scrums there. There was obviously the one that they scored off, which dented us, but I thought it was competitive,” he said after the match.

“The Springboks probably got a little bit too much momentum there, as they did in one of those lineout mauls.”

Jacobson’s comments reflected a more measured assessment from New Zealand than the criticism that had preceded the Test. While the All Blacks had previously questioned the legality of South Africa’s scrum technique, their own players and coach conceded that the Springboks’ pressure in Soweto had been effective.

The confrontation had been building since the claims made before the second Test, but South Africa ultimately produced the most emphatic answer on the field. In the match that followed the accusations, the Springboks dominated enough to force penalties and a penalty try, leaving the All Blacks with little option but to acknowledge their opponents’ superiority.

The set-piece battle had been presented as a potential flashpoint before kick-off. By the end of the third Test, South Africa had ensured that their scrum was not only central to the discussion but also one of the clearest areas in which they had prevailed.