Centre David Havili and lock Scott Barrett scored late tries as the All Blacks eased the pressure on coach Ian Foster with a superb 35-23 victory over South Africa at Ellis Park.
Captain Sam Cane and hooker Samisoni Taukei’aho also scored tries as New Zealand silenced the 61,519 crowd to claim what will be viewed as a famous win having lost five of their previous six tests.
The Springboks were not as clinical as they had been in the 26-10 victory over the visitors the previous week as they scored tries through sublime centre Lukhanyo Am and winger Makazole Mapimpi, but faced opponents who were vastly improved.
The All Blacks were better in the scrum, breakdown and under the high ball, all areas they had struggled in seven days ago in Nelspruit.
"Proud is an understatement," Cane said at the post-match presentation. "Adversity really challenges your character and this group has that. We had to get a few parts of our game right as this is one of the toughest places in the world to come and play.
"We were a lot better at the breakdown and dealt with the contestables better. We defended the maul well. That is what test footy is all about, getting the small things right to build pressure."
It took until the 25th minute for New Zealand to open the score via a penalty, but the Kiwis then accelerated into a 15-0 lead.
They kept possession from a Caleb Clarke break and Cane crossed in the corner, before Taukei’aho barged over from close-range after incessant pressure.
The Boks had a good close to the half, though, as Am showed great strength to beat the tackle of Clarke and score, and flyhalf Handre Pollard landed a penalty from 55 yards that sailed through the Highveld air to make it 15-10 at the break.
The Boks took the lead for the first time on 68 minutes after Beauden Barrett tackled scrumhalf Jaden Hendrikse without the ball in his own 22 and received a yellow card.
But despite being a man down, the All Blacks produced a big finish as Havili and Barrett dotted down to complete the win.
"The first half, the game was fast and we couldn’t put out game-plan on them," South Africa captain Siya Kolisi said.
"We could have worked harder there. We knew they only need a couple of moments to make it count and they did that. Congratulations to them."
Coach admits uncertainty over future
Coach Ian Foster admits he has "no idea" the victory over South Africa will be enough to save his job, but believes there is more to come from his team.
The All Blacks had lost five of their last six tests going into the contest at a raucous Ellis Park, including a biggest defeat by the Springboks in 94 years the week before as they lost 26-10 in Nelspruit.
But there was much more edge to the team second time round, as they showed greater desire to match the physicality of the home side and were vastly improved in the scrum and breakdown, which allowed them to unleash their dangerous backs.
"I've got no idea. I'm just going to enjoy tonight," Foster told Sky Sports when asked about his future. "There's no doubt it's been a pretty stressful time. We've been trying to find our feet as a team.
"The stress has been good for me, I think I lost one kilogram over the last week, so a couple more weeks I'll be in good shape," he said with a smile.
"We worked hard. It's never easy when you're coming off a couple of losses, but I’m just so proud of the effort. It swings in roundabouts, but we hung in and finished strong.
"I know I got mocked for saying it after a loss, but we made a big shift through our forward pack last week.
"The work (assistant coach) Jason Ryan's done there was strong, and I felt we were creating a few opportunities. We wanted it so much, we were rushing things, while today we were just more patient."
It was the All Blacks’ ability to cope with the home side’s powerful forwards that proved the difference.
"The likes of (props) Ethan de Groot and Tyrel Lomax, I thought they scrummed really strong," Foster said
One contentious selection call was to drop flyhalf Beauden Barrett to the bench and replace him with Richie Mo’unga.
"I thought Richie really played well and he brought a lot of belief. A lot of positives things … (there’s) more to come."
Whether Foster will still be coach when the All Blacks host Argentina is likely to be decided this week.
Scores
All Blacks 28 (Sam Cane, Samisoni Taukei'aho, David Havili, Scott Barrett tries; Richie Mo'unga 3 cons, 3 pens)
South Africa 23 (Lukhanyo Am, Makazole Mapimpi tries; Handre Pollard 2 cons, 3 pens)
Half time: 15-10
