All Blacks coach Scott Robertson says his side were “clearly second best” in Wellington after the Springboks blew them away 43-10.

New Zealand led 10-7 at half time but conceded 36 unanswered points as the Boks took control of the set piece, punished errors and ripped through their defence out wide.

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“We’ll take it on the chin,” Robertson said after overseeing the heaviest defeat in All Blacks history. “They were clearly better in the second half, weren’t they?

“The second half, they won the aerial battle and the scraps. Too many penalties around the set piece, there were some really big moments there and the game got away.”

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Robertson said his team had prepared specifically for the Boks’ kicking and contestable game, but were still outclassed.

“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 on it,” he said.

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“We did a lot of prep on it but they just owned that area and put so much pressure on us. Well done to them, they know their DNA.”

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