All Blacks coach Ian Foster is setting his sights on a Rugby Championship "grand slam" after pulling off a last-gasp win over the Springboks on Saturday evening.
The All Blacks snatched a 19-17 win over the world champions in Townsville thanks to a 78th minute penalty kick by Jordie Barrett, leaving Foster's side with a 5-0 record in this year's Rugby Championship with a rematch against South Africa to come next week.
Despite the mountain of mistakes the All Blacks made in the contest - including 23 handling errors to the Springboks' eight - Foster said he was "really proud" of the team's effort.
"[Captain Ardie Savea] has been a superb leader on this tour, this group has got tight, we’ve got a mission we want to achieve and tonight was a massive part of it," Foster said.
"I think it’s been a great [learning] curve for us."
The win adds to the All Blacks' previous wins over Australia and Argentina in this year's competition and leaves the side chasing a rare feat, Foster said.
“Quite frankly you go up to the Six Nations and if they win five games they celebrate it as a Grand Slam, and we’ve got that chance now in the Rugby Championship to have a grand slam opportunity next week.
“For this group to put themselves in that position is massive credit to Ardie and the men for the way they’re gelling together and working hard."
But Foster conceded the team would need to "lift a few cogs" next week if they wanted to achieve that goal after struggling in the tricky humid conditions.
“I just loved our attitude when things weren’t going well,” he added. “We wanted to play, we kept going, we showed a determination to keep fighting, and got there in the end.
“We made more errors than we wanted to, some of our handling wasn’t at the level we needed it to be and there was a combination of players playing South Africa for the first time, the pressure they put us under, and how it forces you to execute at the top level.”
Foster also praised Barrett for his composure in the final moments.
“Both goal kickers kicked well, so there was pressure on. That one at the end was the difference, it was a big kick, he nailed it, and we're pleased with that.
"The high ball stuff he defused really well, particularly in the first half. In the second half they shortened their kicking and made it a bit of a jungle underneath the ball, so we have to look at how we can do that better.”
The All Blacks and Springboks play next Saturday on the Gold Coast.
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