Dave Rennie rues missed chances as Springboks seize momentum to take 2-1 series lead

The All Blacks were left to rue missed opportunities and the loss of inspirational captain Ardie Savea as they went down 29-24 to the Springboks at FNB Stadium in Soweto on Saturday evening.

Savea was forced from the field with a serious shoulder injury after a ruck and is set to miss the fourth Test in Baltimore this coming Saturday. Head coach Dave Rennie confirmed his captain will be sidelined as New Zealand look to salvage a result from the series.

The Springboks took an unassailable 2-1 lead in Johannesburg and will be the happier side on the plane heading to the United States for the fourth and final Test of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry.

For Rennie, the defeat was particularly frustrating given the momentum the All Blacks had built early in the contest. New Zealand played with pace and stretched the Springboks, but a series of errors allowed the hosts to slow the game down and wrestle back control.

“The Springboks got a fair bit of momentum mid-second half, but we were able to play high-tempo in the first half and saw a lot of their big men struggling, and we were keen to make that count in the second,” he said.

“However, we made a few errors that slowed the game down to a scrum, often yielding a penalty and field position for them. Right after we took the lead, they had a period where they dominated us at the set piece, won all the scraps, and gathered all the momentum — they were well rewarded up front.

So close to one of the tries of the season 🤯🤏

📺 Stream #RugbysGreatestRivalry on DStv: https://t.co/0P0NNhnwKw pic.twitter.com/3Rh9F0StJl

— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) September 5, 2026

“It was frustrating because the effort was there, but we weren’t clinical enough in the first half and couldn’t wrestle momentum back when it mattered in the second.”

Rennie will now have to lift his squad for the final Test, with the All Blacks facing the prospect of ending the four-Test series against the world champions without the services of their captain.

While the result leaves New Zealand trailing 2-1, Rennie will know there were opportunities to take the game away from the Springboks before their physicality and set piece dominance ultimately swung the contest.