Star Metro - Relieved All Blacks restore pride with battling win over Wallabies

The 33-24 win at Eden Park released a pressure valve on the hosts, who were under scrutiny following a crushing 43-10 defeat to South Africa in Wellington two weeks ago.

Inconsistent results in recent years have chipped away at the All Blacks' status as historically the world's pre-eminent team.

Stand-in captain Savea said the nature of the capitulation to the Springboks was addressed by the players when they gathered in Auckland this week.

He said they lost "mana", a term used by native New Zealand Maori meaning pride or honour.

"We wanted to, I guess put in a performance that restored some mana back in the jersey," Savea said.

"It's a credit to everyone involved in our team. The challenge now is embracing this one but then getting back on the horse and trying to go back to back."

New Zealand can win the Rugby Championship if victorious in next week's final-round Test against Australia in Perth.

All four teams, including South Africa and Argentina, won two of their first four matches heading into this weekend's penultimate round.

All Blacks coach Scott Robertson wants his men to break their Rugby Championship pattern of following a win with a loss.

"I think the ultimate for every sports team is the ability to be consistent," he said, acknowledging New Zealand's demanding supporters also want to see standards remain high.

"I could tell from the crowd how much the result tonight meant to everyone."

J.Hall--SMC