All Blacks coach Scott Robertson opted not to question the validity of one of the Springboks’ tries scored in their 31-27 win during Saturday’s Rugby Championship Test in Johannesburg.

New Zealand raced into an early 7-0 lead at Ellis Park after Codie Taylor crossed for a converted try in the sixth minute but South Africa responded when fellow hooker Bongi Mbonambi crossed the whitewash 10 minutes later.

Mbonambi lost control of the ball but try stood

However, television replays revealed that Mbonambi lost control of the ball on the try-line after a tackle from Jordie Barrett but neither referee Andrew Brace nor his TMO Brian MacNeice checked on it and the try stood.

All Blacks captain Scott Barrett remonstrated with Brace afterwards but to no avail and Boks fly-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu was timed out by the shot clock while taking the conversion which meant the visitors held a slender 7-5 lead at the time.

After the match, Robertson was questioned regarding the controversial incident but would not give his opinion.

“Maybe?” he told reporters. “Pardon… just checking if it was a try or not.

“Look, I saw what you saw… we saw what you saw. We can’t say any more, it’s a dangerous area if you start talking about referees and stuff.”

Despite that try being allowed, the All Blacks dominated most of the match and held a 27-17 lead before their discipline let them down in the game’s latter stages and the Boks sealed their win courtesy of tries from replacements Kwagga Smith and Grant Williams in the final quarter.

Shortly before Smith’s five-pointer, New Zealand were reduced to 14 players when replacement prop Ofa Tu’ungafasi received a yellow card for a cynical defensive foul close to his try-line.

“I am so proud of the effort and the way we defended, it was just a little bit of ill-discipline by the lads that cost us,” said Robertson.

‘Fine margins in Test footy’

“But those are the fine margins in Test footy. Some of the penalties were down to a bit of interpretation, but those small moments lead to a bit of momentum and the game changes.

“We still had opportunities to win the game, we have just got to execute better. Ellis Park is a hell of an arena – what an atmosphere tonight and the crowd really gets involved.

“But that is where we thrive, we love those moments.”

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It’s a Game: Scott Robertson Make Claims on the Springboks’ Bomb Squad ‘Advantage’

Scott Robertson has compared the All Blacks’ bench and the Springboks’ world-renowned ‘bomb squad’ after Saturday’s epic Test at Ellis Park. It seemed every replacement player for the Boks went on to have a telling impact in the comeback 31-27 win in Johannesburg.

The match was there to be won for the New Zealanders, and they knew it as well. Coach Robertson understands the All Blacks had a real “opportunity” to slay the Springboks in front of a hostile crowd but the hosts showed their class when it mattered.

All Blacks Jordie Barrett and Caleb Clarke scored a try each early in the second term to give the visitors a 27-17 lead with just under 30 minutes to play. The South African crowd was deafeningly loud before, during and after the Test, except they fell quiet when New Zealand scored.

But Rassie Erasmus’ selection genius once again gave the Springboks faithful something to smile and cheer about with the team’s reserves making a significant difference. Kwagga Smith and Grant Williams both scored inside the final 12 minutes to give the Boks the lead.

Replacement hooker Malcolm Marx was also wreaking havoc against a tiring All Blacks outfit. New Zealand’s bench failed to have anywhere near the same impact, with Ofa Tu’ungafasi being sent to the sin bin and Cortez Ratima having a box kick charged down as examples.

“One thing they’ve got is highly experienced guys that have played overseas, guys that have been in the Springbok team for a long period of time. Played some big Tests,” Robertson told reporters on Sunday morning.

“Yeah, it is an advantage for them and it’s something we’ll consider.

“When you look back at the last few years you’ve had a Dane Coles or a Sam Whitelock come off the bench, or whoever the example is, and that’s part of this group – guys to come on and learn and we’ve just got to learn really, really quickly.

“It’s part of their strength and DNA, the Springboks have done that over a period of time but we should still be better and still won that game at the end.”

When Williams sliced through the All Blacks’ defensive line to score what ended up being the match-winning try, the Ellis Park crowd burst into a euphoric state of celebration. It felt the Springboks were all but home as they chased a crucial Rugby Championship win.

New Zealand’s bench really did seem to struggle at altitude against a South African ‘bomb squad’ that has built up a world-class reputation on their ability to deliver when it counts. It’s one of the reasons they claimed their second consecutive Rugby World Cup crown last year.

But the good news about Test rugby and The Rugby Championship is the All Blacks will have another crack at the same foe next weekend in Cape Town. Whether or not ‘Razor’ Robertson makes changes is yet to be seen but the coach himself is open to the idea.

“You always look at the squad and in turn what’s best for this weekend,” Robertson explained.

“We’re also mindful of you’ve got to win the Test in front of you but also you’ve got to look long-term. We’ve got great opportunities for guys – we’ve got depth in our squad, we’ve got guys that make an impact that come off the bench, we’ve got to have guys that can play a couple of positions and you do that over this four year period so that the guys have experienced different situations, different circumstances.

“There’s lots of things in your mind. Of course, you look at what the squad for this week’s (game) – there were some great performances and it was a tough team to pick as you can imagine.”

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