New Zealand extended their unbeaten home run to 30 matches with a gutsy victory over South Africa.
In the build-up to the opening Tri-Nations match in Wellington, All Blacks coach Graham Henry talked about the huge challenge that his new-look side faced against the world champions and how he would know a lot more about his players after seeing how they met that challenge.
He need not have worried as even without dynamic openside flanker and captain Richie McCaw and in freezing wet and windy conditions they showed plenty of grit in a hugely physical contest that was in essence their first true test of the year after victories against a limited Ireland side and an unimpressive England (twice).
Lock Ali Williams, who came into the match under an injury cloud, was in the thick of the action from the start and showed no ill-effects from the ankle sprain he suffered two weeks ago - even firing a clearance kick down field that Dan Carter would have been proud of.
For the Springboks it was again a case of so near yet so far in their quest to end a 10-year winless streak on New Zealand soil and for another week Percy Montgomery remains the only member of the squad to have tasted victory in the land of the long white cloud.
It was also the first time an international match had been played under the Experimental Law Variations, although the rules governing lineout numbers (unrestricted) and the collapsing of the maul (now legal) were new for both teams.
And though the new rules allow for a more expansive game, the conditions, especially in the first half, meant both teams opted to kick or keep the play close rather than spreading the ball through the backs.
The physical nature of All Blacks-Springboks encounters was evident from the outset with Boks fly-half Butch James making a late charge on opposite number Carter inside the opening minute.
Carter could not make the most of the penalty, missing a straightforward shot in front of goal, but he made no mistake in the fourth minute when he banged over a three-pointer.
Brad Thorn was lucky not to be cooling his heels on the sidelines moments later when he picked Springboks hooker John Smit off his feet and dropped him to the ground after Adam Thomson had caught full-back Conrad Jantjes with a high tackle to spark a melee.
Smit suggested to referee Stuart Dickinson that it had been a spear tackle but no cards were shown and James levelled the score with the resulting penalty.
Thorn however will face a nervous wait to see if he will be cited.
The ferocious nature of the opening minutes showed no sign of abating with Thorn and Ali Williams - in his 50th Test - putting in some thunderous tackles and generally making their presence felt in the tight exchanges.
New Zealand certainly had the better at scrum time, putting the world champion Boks pack under immense pressure and, despite the conditions, their ball retention was generally good.
The Boks on the other hand hardly saw the ball and when they did opted to kick, often without much success.
Carter extended the All Blacks' lead to 6-3 with another penalty in the 20th minute when Smit - playing under the ELVs for the first time - was penalised for offside.
James wasted an opportunity to close the gap when Andrew Hore was penalised for offside in the 25th minute but Carter made no mistake with his fourth attempt of the night when Boks number eight Joe van Niekerk, who had put team-mate Adrian Jacobs under huge pressure in his own 22 with an awful pass, then compounded the error by being caught offside.
Then four minutes before half-time and against the run of play, lightning quick wing Bryan Habana dived over for the opening try of the match.
The All Blacks turned over possession at the breakdown in the Boks half and a well-weighted pass from Jacobs found fellow midfielder Jean de Villiers who burst through the gap before sending Habana in at the corner.
James failed to add the conversion and the All Blacks held on for a slender 9-8 lead at the break.
The All Blacks were quick out of the blocks in the second half with Jerome Kaino scoring his first international try and Carter, who directed play well and had another impressive night at pivot, adding the conversion for a 16-8 lead.
Kaino should have had a second in the 57th minute when he chased a Carter cross field kick but assistant referee James Leckie ruled he had been ahead of the fly-half.
Both teams rang the changes in the second period and Francois Steyn, who came on for James, fired a speculative long-range drop goal in a bid to close the gap but watched as it dropped just short.
And in the end it was Carter who had the final say, slotting his final penalty of the night with nine minutes to play.
