South Africa’s World Cup rivals sent warning by ominous demolition of All Blacks

New Zealand were close to full strength but were dealt a bruising, record-breaking defeat…Scotland and Ireland beware

Every four years, on the cusp of a World Cup, rivals must reflect on South Africa’s methodology with a familiar feeling of trepidation. Even if they are confident of what is coming, stopping it is an entirely different proposition. Scotland and Ireland, the Springboks’ pool opponents, might have been watching this monstering from behind their sofas by the end.

Warm-up or not, New Zealand will have left Twickenham with egos and bodies bruised from an all-time record loss; more so because they were close to full strength. Jacques Nienaber’s team partied like it was the 2019 final, and seem in a strong position to defend their title across The Channel.

Willie le Roux’s withdrawal prior to kick-off saw South Africa draft in Kwagga Smith, beefing up the balance of their bench ‘bomb squad’ to seven forwards and a single back. That would prove poignant, because an exhibition of muscle and set-piece superiority ensued.

It felt more important for the world champions to prevail, given they had lost the previous two of these meetings, and Frans Malherbe, their granite-like tighthead, manoeuvred an early scrum penalty to set up a series of line-out drives.