Late All Blacks tries beat Springboks

JOHANNESBURG, AFP: New Zealand ended a three-match losing streak with a 35-23 Rugby Championship second-round win over South Africa at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on Saturday.

A last-minute try by lock Scott Barrett sealed victory for the All Blacks after a thriller, and may have saved the job of embattled coach Ian Foster.

Foster has been under fire after five losses in six matches ahead of the Johannesburg showdown, including a 16-point loss to Rugby World Cup champions the Springboks last weekend.

But a much-improved All Blacks side turned the tables after a thriller in which South Africa led by one point with six minutes remaining before conceding two converted tries.

NZR Chief Executive Mark Robinson heaped praise on the team’s pressure-relieving win at Ellis Park on Saturday, coming a week after they opened The Rugby Championship with a 26-10 loss to the Springboks in Mbombela.

That defeat was New Zealand’s fifth in the space of six Tests - including three to Ireland and one each to France and South Africa - resulting in a drop to fifth in the world rankings.