All Blacks captain Ardie Savea admitted to feeling nervous after his tackle on South African opponent Jasper Weesie during the first match of the biggest rugby rivalry, which took place at Ellis Park on Saturday.
Savea collided with Weesie in the shoulder and head area in the second half of the match, which ended with an All Blacks victory of 33-16. Despite this, officials did not issue a warning.
The All Blacks captain stated: 'Today I will be quite biased; I am happy with the decision. I was nervous, but they made the call, they made that challenge, and it worked in our favor.'
All Blacks coach Dave Rennie provided a more detailed assessment, explaining why referee Matthew Carley made the correct decision. He emphasized: 'Technically, it is the right decision. You can see on video that when he hits him, his head goes forward. This means the initial impact is on the body, and then the head moves forward. If the head leans back, the initial impact is directly on the head. This is truly good officiating, and it's nice to see at this level.'
The All Blacks' defense was outstanding that evening, allowing the two-time world champions only one attempt from Andre Esterhuizen. Rennie specifically praised the contribution of All Blacks legend and defensive coach Tana Umaga. He said: 'Tana and his defensive group did an excellent job. We have many guys who work hard for each other. You did well limiting South Africa to one try, so it was a big defensive effort.'
The former Wallabies coach, who has a proud record against the Boks, welcomed the victory but remains cautious about a possible negative reaction from the Boks in Cape Town over the upcoming weekend. He noted: 'This is huge. We have the advantage [in the series]. Obviously, this doesn't guarantee anything, and we know they are a very good team. Next week will be just as tough. It's nice to be ahead by one match, and we'll enjoy a quiet beer, but we'll quickly shift our focus to the Lions.'
The All Blacks will face the Lions at Ellis Park on Tuesday evening in the final match of the round before traveling to Cape Town, where the second match will take place at the DHL stadium on Saturday.