The Boks have answered. Now we have a series.

South Africa beat New Zealand 33–26 in Cape Town to level the series at 1–1 — but Xola Ntshinga and Simnikiwe Xabanisa aren't convinced the performance was as radically different from Ellis Park as the result might suggest.

The Springboks were physically dominant for long periods in Test One too. The difference this time? They converted. South Africa built the scoreboard pressure they'd failed to create a week earlier and finally had enough in reserve to survive another dangerous All Black finish.

Xola and Sim unpack Rassie Erasmus's extraordinary late front-row reshuffle, Siya Kolisi's return, Cheslin Kolbe's emergence as a goalkicker and a fascinating performance from Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.

Sacha wasn't spectacular. He wasn't producing outrageous individual moments. He was relatively ordinary — and the question becomes whether trying to make him safer risks removing exactly what makes him special.

There are warnings too.

New Zealand scored four tries and continue to find ways of attacking the edges of the Springbok defence. The All Blacks finished strongly and showed again why this series is going to be extremely difficult to put away.

And then there's the scrum.

Dave Rennie believes the Springboks are getting away with something.

Rassie has a rather different interpretation:

“We're not fucking walking around.”

So is this simply a technical disagreement between two coaching teams — or has the battle to influence the officials for Test Three already begun?

Cape Town: Springboks 33, All Blacks 26.

Series: 1–1.

Next stop: FNB Stadium.

That Rugby Union Show with Xola Ntshinga and Simnikiwe Xabanisa.