Springboks lock Victor Matfield (left) was a thorn in the All Blacks' side

"We've had a great year and we wanted to finish with a clean slate, but they had greater desire than us," he said.

"They were up against it coming into this game and they did the business.

"When you've won 15 in a row human nature ensures you're not as hungry as a team like the Springboks were. We weren't on the edge, but they were."

Defeat was only the All Blacks' second in 23 Tests over the last two years, and brought an end to 15 consecutive wins.

To beat the All Blacks when they're on a roll is a tremendous achievement Boks coach Jake White

Henry admitted his team's line-out, which again malfunctioned at times, was a concern, but forwards coach Steve Hansen played down the issue.

"There is no need to panic," Hansen said. "It's something we simply have to work on. South Africa are just very good defensively in the line-out."

Victory relieved the pressure on under-fire Springboks coach Jake White after five straight Test defeats.

"It probably keeps the wolves from my door for a week," White said. "It's a tough job, but what greater way to turn things around than with a win against the All Blacks.

"If you consider where we were a couple of weeks ago, then this is one of our biggest wins as a group.