All Blacks coach Scott Robertson was left scratching his head as to what happened after the record defeat to the Springboks last night.
Up 10-7 at halftime, the All Blacks would concede 36 unanswered points in the second half to fall to a 43-10 loss in Wellington, their biggest defeat, home or away.
"South Africa played incredibly well, took their opportunities and congratulations to them. We'll take it on the chin," Robertson said after the game.
"They were clearly better in that second half, weren't they?
"In the second half, they won the aerial battle, won the scraps, too many penalties around the set-piece and the game got away."
The Springboks outplayed the All Blacks in almost every facet of the game. Their scrum was better, their lineout was better (the All Blacks lost several in a row at one stage in the second half), their defence was better (the All Blacks missed 46 tackles) and their attack was sharper.
Perhaps most importantly, their kicking game and performance under the high ball was superior.
"South Africa have probably been criticised for their aerial game and their kicking over the years. But they put so much value and so much time into that and the way they play, and they get return on it. They're just so good at it," Robertson said.
"We've done a lot of prep on it but they just owned that area and they ended up putting so much pressure on us. Well done to them, they know their DNA.
"Especially off the box kicks. They won that battle, bounce, bang, play. And they'd get us on the edge short."
Robertson was at a loss as to exactly why his team was beaten so heavily, insisting their attitude and preparation had been good.
"Look, you just get extremely disappointed because you put so much work ethic into the team, culturally, and you set yourselves up around being able to dig in and show grit. And then that happens," Robertson said.
"We couldn't really buy anything, couldn't get anything happening and they just went on a tear.
"There's some great efforts out there by us and great performances by them, but we'll probably have to have a look at it in a little bit more detail. But yeah, of course, something like that is going to hurt you."
Robertson said he would not pull any punches when they review the match.
"Firstly, own it. What areas we need to own it in and then go and get some responsibility and find out what we need to fix."
Though he believed it was not time to panic.
"We're not going to be chasing too many things. We've got to be clear that what matters most to us on and off the field, be really clear and then get a plan and look forward to this next game.
"We want to be really specific, but also own what we need to get better at and, you know, keep the courage to keep playing and keep tightening up."
Robertson also dismissed suggestions his team didn't match the passion and desire of the Springboks in Wellington.
"For 50 minutes we did. You put a bit of perspective on it. We created a lot, we were there, we could have been 14-0 up, it could have been a lot of momentum but it went their way.
"The aerial battle just changed everything, didn't it. We want to own what we want to get better at. You keep the courage to keep playing and keep tight."
The All Blacks now have a week off before returning to Eden Park for the first Bledisloe Cup test against the Wallabies.
The Rugby Championship title race is now wide open, with all four teams still in contention with two rounds remaining.
The Wallabies lead the standings with 11 points, South Africa and New Zealand have 10 and Argentina have nine.
