A week after his head appeared to be on the chopping block, All Blacks coach Ian Foster has given himself breathing room with a 35-23 victory over the Springboks at Ellis Park.
In danger of surrendering the Freedom Cup for the first time since 2009, the All Blacks stood up at South Africa's fortress and left with their pride restored.
And with more time up his sleeve, Foster now has a foundation to build on, as the All Blacks travel home to continue their Rugby Championship campaign against Argentina later this month.
What the press said:
Boks outfoxed by Fozzie
Zelim Nel, SA Rugby Mag
One week after Ian Foster's credibility as All Blacks head coach was in tatters at Mbombela Stadium, he checkmated the Springboks at Ellis Park.
While Rassie Erasmus will be remembered as one of the brightest minds in Bok history and, together with defence guru Jacques Nienaber, he's part of a world-class duo, they were beaten by those in All Blacks tracksuits this week.
Having belatedly sniffed the opportunity to circumvent South Africa's defence in Nelspruit, Foster reverted to Richie Mo'unga on Saturday. The tactical flyhalf teamed up with his back three to use the Boks' speed against them, supported by Sam Whitelock and an effective lineout raiding party.
And the improved tactics from the All Blacks were magnified by the Bok team list."
It was supposed to be a funeral
Brendan Nel, Supersport
It was supposed to be a funeral, but rather it was a day that the old foe stood up.
The All Blacks, beaten and battered, downtrodden and on a hiding to nothing, dug deep. As deep as some of the gold mined around the Ellis Park Stadium.
And they came up with gold.
It may not have been the test match that 61,000 people crammed into Ellis Park wanted to see. It wasn't the ending they wanted. A crowd baying for blood was silenced.
Where the All Blacks were poor in Mbombela, they were colossal in Johannesburg.
All Blacks summon late magic
Steffan Thomas & Greg Wilcox, The Telegraph
New Zealand upset the form book with a famous victory over South Africa to relieve the pressure on under-fire head coach Ian Foster.
Whether this significant win in Johannesburg has bought Foster more time remains to be seen, but this was the All Blacks' best performance since they beat Ireland in the quarter-finals of the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
This may not be a vintage New Zealand side, but the way they turned the tables on the world champions in their own backyard was a sight to behold.
There have been far better All Blacks XV's than this one, but it's doubtful whether there has ever been a more courageous performance from a Kiwi side.
Famous win
Nick Said, Reuters
Captain Sam Cane and hooker Samisoni Taukei'aho also scored tries, as the All Blacks silenced the 61,519 crowd to claim what will be viewed as a famous win, having lost five of their previous six tests.
The Springboks were not as clinical as they had been in the 26-10 victory over the visitors the previous week, as they scored tries through sublime centre Lukhanyo Am and winger Makazole Mapimpi, but faced opponents who were vastly improved.
Whether the victory is enough to save Foster's job will become clear in the coming days, as New Zealand prepare to host Argentina in their next Rugby Championship clash on August 27, while the Boks travel to play Australia on the same day.
