Du Toit says South Africa must ‘go back to the drawing board’ after All Blacks defeat

Springbok captain Pieter-Steph du Toit says South Africa must “go back to the drawing board” after their 33-16 defeat by the All Blacks at Ellis Park on Saturday.

The result left the Boks reflecting on a performance in which they repeatedly lost possession in the red zone, while New Zealand made better use of the opportunities that came their way.

South Africa struggled to turn attacking positions into points and were punished when they failed to protect the ball in crucial areas of the field. The All Blacks, by contrast, were able to capitalise on their chances and secure a convincing victory in Johannesburg.

Du Toit said the Springboks had ultimately contributed to their own problems, describing the errors that cost them as particularly damaging in a match decided by small margins.

“We made some mistakes,” a disappointed Du Toit said post-match.

The captain said South Africa had been unable to finish off the opportunities they created, leaving them to regret mistakes that proved decisive against the All Blacks.

“We weren’t able to convert those opportunities we had. So, unfortunately, we shot ourselves in the foot. And in a game like this, it’s those small errors and small opportunities you get that will count.”

The defeat means South Africa must quickly regroup before the second Test against New Zealand in Cape Town next Saturday. Du Toit accepts that the Boks will need to examine their performance closely and identify how they can improve before that match.

The focus will be on correcting the repeated turnovers and improving their ability to convert promising attacking situations into points. Against the All Blacks, those failures left South Africa unable to make the most of their opportunities and allowed New Zealand to take control of the contest.

Du Toit said the squad would now review what went wrong in Johannesburg as it begins preparations for the next Test.

“We’ll definitely have to go back to the drawing board and see what we did wrong, and maybe we can get better.”

The loss also highlighted the difference between the two sides’ execution on the night. Although South Africa had opportunities in the red zone, they could not convert them, while the All Blacks were more clinical when chances presented themselves.

For the Springboks, the immediate task is to respond in Cape Town. Their captain’s assessment was clear: they must eliminate the errors that undermined their performance at Ellis Park and find a way to make their attacking opportunities count in the second Test.