The All Blacks’ policy backfired as they turned over possession and conceded penalties. This allowed Springbok fly-half Morne Steyn to add eight penalties to his try and conversion for a record Tri-Nations tally of 31 points.
“We tried to play a certain game and just didn’t execute as well as we had hoped, which is a sign of the pressure we were under,” said Henry.
“We had no platform from the set-pieces and it is difficult living off crumbs. We played the right way, we just didn’t execute properly. It was the right style against this team, even though it was high risk.”
South Africa now top the Tri-Nations standings after winning their first two games, but coach Peter de Villiers said the outcome of the tournament was far from decided as they prepare to face Australia in Cape Town this Saturday.
“We’ve only won two games, there are still four to go,” he said. “But the platform is there. Next week will be a different kettle of fish and we start again on zero.”