New Zealand vs South Africa LIVE: Rugby Championship score and updates

A late score from Kwagga Smith! It’s sharp from the former sevens star, spotting an exposed ball at the back of a ruck and in like a spear fisherman to pierce it.

He hurries over, a drop-kicked conversion hitting the upright as it is taken in hast to ensure we’ll have one more restart…

Richie Mo’unga scythes through!

Simple as you like for the fly-half, orchestrating things brilliantly tonight and capping his performance with a score. The scrum sets stable foundations and Ardie Savea has the freedom of Auckland as he exits, angling to the blindside. He passes early to Mo’unga, who rather easily gets to Damian Willemse’s outside and slides over with a smile.

New Zealand fancy another before they sign off for the evening. A kick deep down into the South Africa 22 doesn’t bring immediate joy, but a scrum five metres out should offer an ideal attacking platform.

Tamaiti Williams’s first scrum entanglement at test level ends with a whistle the All Blacks’ way – it was Nepo Laulala doing the damage on the other side with Thomas du Toit twisted in.

Superb work from Finlay Christie in defence. Manie Libbok’s charming hips try to draw Christie out of the line but the scrum-half corrals his man, keeping him up off the floor for long enough for some bulkier blokes to arrive and ensure Libbok is unable to get to ground. Turnover, All Blacks scrum.

That might just be enough for the All Blacks to continue their nearly 30-year unbeaten run in Auckland. Tupou Vaa’i is on for Shannon Frizell, while Mark Telea has been replaced by Caleb Clarke.

A deft dab from Beauden Barrett and Will Jordan gets his 22nd test try!

New Zealand re-find their attacking flow, once more managing to ask diverse questions with smart changes of direction. They eventually draw an advantage for offside, granting Barrett the freedom for more extravagant exploration. He changes tack as he takes Finlay Christie’s pass, spotting Lukhanyo Am infield on the left edge of South Africa’s defence and clipping a little lob wedge over him.

Jordan, who has been outstanding, waits for the bounce and just about manages to gather and ground at the second attempt. Richie Mo’unga conversion is a good’un.

South Africa’s defence has been so much better since half-time, able to slow New Zealand’s ball at the breakdown with intelligently timed injections of power. They force a kick from Beauden Barrett and are a little unfortunate that Cheslin Kolbe’s blocking foot skews the ball only into touch.

Braydon Ennor replaces Rieko Ioane at outside centre for New Zealand, while Manie Libbok is on in South Africa’s backline – Damian Willemse appears to have shifted into the centres, with Lukhanyo Am pushed on to the wing.

New Zealand have just lost the control they showed in the first half, their intensity and accuracy dropping in these last 15 minutes or so as South Africa’s bench power their side back into the game.

That’s the sort of thing the All Blacks need – Ardie Savea leads a counter-rucking thrust, Scott Barrett and Samisoni Taukei’aho providing burly support and winning a penalty.