New Zealand coach Steve Hansen was pleased with the way his side handled the pressure of Ellis Park, beating the Springboks 38-27 in a classic encounter between the old rivals on Saturday. He said he was proud of what they have achieved.
Revered as one of the best games of rugby seen in recent times, the Springboks and All Blacks went toe to toe before the visitors grabbed the ascendancy midway through the second half.
As a result they claimed their second Rugby Championship title in as many years, and are fully deserving of their number one in the world status. They face the Wallabies next, before an end of year tour that sees them play against Japan, France, England and Ireland.
For now, Hansen was simply enjoying the win over South Africa, who threatened to snatch the title away from them after having lifted a notch themselves this season. "To come here, after all the travel, and have a performance like that you can only be proud," he said.
"Both teams really played well and you couldn't have asked for a better game of footy. To be able to come out on top is the icing on the cake.
"When we go back and look at it clearly there were a lot of special moments, and some great tries from both teams and some great play, so it was a pretty special Test," he added.