South Africa have stolen a 31-29 victory over the All Blacks in a classic test match encounter to close out the Rugby Championship on the Gold Coast on Saturday.
In a frenetic final 10 minutes, the team traded penalty kicks and the lead, with Jordie Barrett seemingly having repeated his heroics from last week with a shot to edge the All Blacks in front with two minutes to play.
But - despite winning a scrum from a misguided restart - the All Blacks were unable to kill off the match, giving the Springboks one final opportunity to launch from a 22m lineout, which resulted in an offside penalty right in front of the posts, allowing Elton Jantjes to have the final say with time expired.
The defeat snaps the All Blacks undefeated streak in 2021, while also breaking the Springboks' three-game losing skid.
The Springboks showed much more adventure than they had in their previous three matches in Australia and scored tries through Damian de Allende and Makazole Mapimpi, battling back to overhaul a 20-14 halftime deficit.
Sevu Reece, Ardie Savea and Brad Weber scored tries in the first half for New Zealand but three Jordie Barrett penalties in the second half were not enough to maintain their winning run.
Poor discipline and setpiece execution again proved costly for the All Blacks, as the Springboks dictated territory and possession for the majority of the contest.
The All Blacks were already assured of the championship title after their victory over the Springboks last weekend, but the world champions will now move back above their age-old rivals to the top the world rankings.
Barrett continued to put his stamp on the No. 15 jersey with another superb performance, while stand-in skipper Ardie Savea put on a genuine captain's knock.
Lock Eben Etzebth was outstanding for South Africa, combining with No. 8 Duane Vermeulen to terrorise the All Blacks at set piece and the breakdown.
The All Blacks will now travel to Chicago to take on USA on October 24 to begin the next stage of their mammoth tour.
Springboks 31 (Damian de Allende, Makazole Mapimpi; Handre Pollard 4 pen, Elton Jantjies 2 pen, drop goal) All Blacks 29 (Sevu Reece, Ardie Savea, Brad Weber tries; Jordie Barrett con, 4 pen) HT: 14-20
