Planet Rugby's five-point breakdown of the Soweto Test makes a compelling case that the 29-24 scoreline flatters New Zealand — this was a commanding Springbok performance that sealed the home series 2-1. The central argument is that the bomb squad, quietly criticised for underperforming in the first two Tests, finally delivered when it mattered: Jesse Kriel's solo counter ignited a 17-point burst after the Boks trailed 17-12, and the freshly introduced forwards then dominated the scrum and maul to put the game to bed through Malcolm Marx. That sequence — scrum penalty, lineout, maul try — was the kind of set-piece muscle that announces a World Cup contender.
The piece also forensically picks apart the All Blacks' one lineout error (Aumua's stolen throw leading directly to Arendse's try), questions referee Amashukeli's second-half 'walking around' scrum call that could have swung momentum, and notes that while the Boks still couldn't win the try count, their improved management of yellow cards was a genuine step forward from the first two Tests. Worth the full read for the granular breakdown of how the set-piece battle shifted across the 80 minutes.