First blood.

The All Blacks have landed the first major blow of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Tour, producing a huge second-half performance to defeat the Springboks 33-16 at Ellis Park.

South Africa went into the break with a narrow 13-12 advantage after an intensely physical opening 40 minutes, with the Springbok scrum causing New Zealand plenty of problems.

The hosts looked to have gained control of the contest early in the second half, but crucial errors and missed opportunities allowed the All Blacks to stay within striking distance.

From there, New Zealand were ruthless. The visitors punished South Africa’s mistakes, while the Springboks’ discipline deteriorated as the contest wore on. Five tries ultimately told the story as the All Blacks turned a one-point half-time deficit into an emphatic 17-point victory.

It is a massive statement from Dave Rennie’s side at the beginning of the four-Test series and a particularly significant victory given South Africa had won five of the previous six meetings between the great rivals.

Attention now turns to the individual performances at Ellis Park.

Here are our full player ratings from a memorable opening test in Johannesburg.

Full All Blacks player ratings

15. Damian McKenzie – 7

Quiet initially but became increasingly dangerous after the break. His pace caused South Africa problems as New Zealand began to take control.

14. Will Jordan – 9

Finished brilliantly for New Zealand’s opening try and continued to work hard. Produced a huge second-half breakdown turnover and got a second try. Deserved Man of the Match.

13. Quinn Tupaea – 8

Excellent defensively and relentless when chasing kicks. His clever grubber for a 50:22 was another highlight of an intelligent and hugely valuable performance.

12. Jordie Barrett – 9

Outstanding. Produced several huge defensive interventions and repeatedly stopped South Africa close to the line. Finished with a remarkable 15 tackles and five turnovers.

11. Josh Moorby – 7

Beaten by Esterhuizen for South Africa’s try but responded by finishing well at the other end. Worked hard throughout despite some defensive misses.

10. Ruben Love – 7

A composed performance in a hugely demanding environment. Managed the attack well and produced some important clearing kicks when New Zealand were under pressure.

9. Cam Roigard – 8

Excellent on his first Test start in South Africa. Dangerous around the breakdown and produced a superb cut-out pass for Will Jordan’s opening try.

1. Ethan de Groot – 5

Battled through an early knee issue but struggled as the Springbok scrum took control. Penalised at the set-piece before his night ended with a head knock at half-time.

2. Codie Taylor – 5

An ill-disciplined night from the experienced hooker, conceding multiple penalties as New Zealand came under pressure. Made 12 tackles before being replaced after 54 minutes.

3. Tyrel Lomax – 6

Held firm against Ox Nche initially but increasingly struggled as South Africa turned the scrum into a major weapon. Replaced early in the second half.

4. Josh Lord – 5

Penalised at the lineout in the build-up to South Africa’s opening try but produced some useful defensive moments. Forced off following a head clash before half-time.

5. Fabian Holland – 8

Worked tirelessly and produced a huge second-half moment, charging down Grant Williams before gathering the loose ball to score. A key contribution as momentum swung New Zealand’s way.

6. Tupou Vaa’i – 7

Showed excellent handling to release Josh Moorby for his try before shifting into the second row. Adapted well and produced a busy performance.

7. Luke Jacobson – 8

Worked hard at the breakdown and became increasingly influential as the contest progressed. Powered over for a crucial second-half try to extend New Zealand’s advantage.

8. Ardie Savea – 7

Another important captain’s performance. Carried strongly, managed a struggling scrum intelligently and produced the surge that helped create Jacobson’s try.

Replacements

16. Asafo Aumua – 7

Made an immediate impact alongside Newell at scrum time and contributed physically in defence. Some issues at the lineout after his introduction.

17. George Bower – 7

Thrown into the contest earlier than expected and initially struggled at scrum time. Improved after the break and contributed well defensively.

18. Fletcher Newell – 8

Made an excellent impact from the bench and helped stabilise New Zealand’s scrum, earning an important penalty in the process.

19. Simon Parker – 6

A late addition to the squad who was required much earlier than expected. Handled the situation well after being thrown into a fiercely physical contest.

20. Peter Lakai – 7

Provided fresh energy late in the game and produced an important breakdown penalty as New Zealand closed out the victory.

21. Kyle Preston – N/A

Not enough time on the field to fairly assess.

22. Anton Lienert-Brown – N/A

Introduced too late to warrant a rating.

23. Leroy Carter – 6

Added fresh legs during the closing stages and did his job as New Zealand pulled away to seal an impressive victory.

Full Springboks player ratings

15 Damian Willemse – 7

Secure under the high ball and regularly managed to make something happen after fielding New Zealand’s kicks, either slipping the first defender or keeping the ball alive.

14 Cheslin Kolbe – 7

One of South Africa’s brighter performers. Constantly looked capable of beating a defender, worked tirelessly on the chase and was flawless when asked to kick at goal. His departure through injury around the hour mark was another blow just as the game began to swing heavily towards New Zealand.

13 Jesse Kriel – 5

Forced into an early reshuffle following Kurt-Lee Arendse’s departure and subsequently spent much of the game on the wing. New Zealand largely succeeded in keeping him out of proceedings, with very few opportunities to make an impact with ball in hand.

12 Damian de Allende – 6

His 100th Test became an unusual one after an early move to outside centre. The extra room occasionally allowed him to show his footwork, while he remained typically powerful carrying through traffic. Solid without producing a defining moment.

11 Kurt-Lee Arendse – N/A

His evening was cut short inside the opening quarter after suffering a head injury.

10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu – 5

There were flashes of his attacking quality through his running and offloading, but also too many moments where possession was cheaply surrendered. The later switch to full-back failed to improve matters, and there were some concerning defensive moments.

9 Grant Williams – 5

Generally controlled things well while South Africa were on top during the opening half, but his night unravelled after the restart. Fabian Holland’s charge-down proved particularly costly, directly opening the door for an All Blacks try and a change in momentum. Eventually moved out to the wing as Rassie Erasmus shuffled his backline.

1 Ox Nche – 7

Another formidable scrummaging display. Alongside Wilco Louw, Nche put enormous pressure on the New Zealand front row and helped turn the set-piece into South Africa’s most potent weapon. Added his usual physicality elsewhere before making way shortly after half-time.

2 Malcolm Marx – 7

Immediately made his presence felt at the breakdown and remained a threat whenever New Zealand carried into contact. Reliable with his throwing and typically abrasive around the park, but his failure to finish from close range late in the first half proved costly.

3 Wilco Louw – 8

Absolutely destructive at scrum time. After an early penalty went against him away from the set-piece, Louw responded by repeatedly putting his opposite number under severe pressure. South Africa’s scrum dominance was extraordinary during his time on the pitch, and he was central to virtually all of it.

4 Eben Etzebeth – 7

An eventful start saw an apparent charge-down wiped out for offside before another penalty followed for a high tackle. Settled as the contest progressed and became increasingly influential, including an important lineout steal towards the end of the opening half.

5 Ruan Nortje – 6

A performance built around the less glamorous work. Busy defensively, dependable at lineout time and put in plenty of effort in the tight exchanges without producing many eye-catching moments.

6 Paul de Villiers – 7

Relentless defensively during South Africa’s strongest periods and constantly involved around the breakdown, finishing his shift with 12 tackles. His influence faded somewhat before he departed around the hour mark, but another encouraging performance from the 23-year-old.

7 Pieter-Steph du Toit – 6

Typically relentless without reaching his very highest standards. Covered huge ground defensively and continually attempted to disrupt New Zealand’s attack, although there were moments when the All Blacks managed to get the better of him, including Luke Jacobson’s second-half score.

8 Jasper Wiese – 8

Among South Africa’s best despite the result. Made an early impact over the ball and consistently provided powerful carries through the middle. His second-half break deep into New Zealand territory should have provided the platform for points, but the opportunity went begging. A constant source of go-forward.

Replacements

16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels – 5

Returned to loosehead following Gerhard Steenekamp’s departure but was unable to reproduce the same level of dominance South Africa had enjoyed at the scrum earlier in the contest.

17 Gerhard Steenekamp – 6

Picked up where Nche left off by immediately causing New Zealand problems at scrum time. South Africa repeatedly backed their set-piece close to the All Blacks line, only for a crucial scrum penalty to eventually go against Steenekamp. Strong impact overall before departing after 66 minutes.

18 Zachary Porthen – 5

Had a difficult task replacing the outstanding Louw and couldn’t provide the same destructive presence at tighthead. South Africa badly needed their scrum to remain dominant as New Zealand took control, but that advantage began to disappear.

19 Cobus Wiese – N/A

Introduced too late to fairly assess.

20 Andre Esterhuizen – 7

Called into action far earlier than expected following Arendse’s injury and quickly made an impression, powering through Josh Moorby to score South Africa’s opening try. Carried with authority and showed some lovely touches with both his passing and kicking before being withdrawn during the final quarter.

21 Marco van Staden – 3

Introduced at a stage when South Africa desperately needed an impact from their bench, but instead spent a significant portion of his cameo in the sin-bin. His breakdown infringement close to the Springbok line proved particularly damaging.

22 Cobus Reinach – 2

A costly cameo from an experienced player. Sent to the sin-bin for an intentional knock-on following an All Blacks scrum, leaving South Africa temporarily down to 13 men at precisely the point they needed composure.

23 Manie Libbok – 4

Asked to inject some creativity as South Africa chased the game, but entered a contest that was rapidly moving away from the hosts. Had little opportunity to change its direction before New Zealand closed out the victory.