The Springboks were beaten 33-16 at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, but Reinach says the result has given the squad plenty to work on as they look to bounce back and grow stronger as a team.

While defeat is never easy to swallow, the experienced scrumhalf acknowledged that New Zealand deserve credit for the way they put South Africa under pressure.

“They put us under pressure and made us do things that led to my yellow card, but it’s now up to us to work on that and see how we can defend certain things better or make better plans,” said Reinach.

“The review after a loss is never good, but it’s learnings, and as long as we take the lessons and grow as a team, we will be in a good place.”

One of the major talking points from the opening Test was New Zealand’s aggressive approach at the breakdown.

Reinach said the All Blacks were not specifically targeting the Springbok scrumhalf's, but rather putting pressure on the breakdown area to disrupt South Africa’s rhythm and slow the ball down.

“I don’t think they targeted us as individuals as scrumhalf's. They went after our breakdowns quite hard and tried to slow down the ball with throwing their legs and other things,” he said.

Cobus Reinach - Morgan Piek

The Springboks now have the opportunity to address those problems on the training field before facing the All Blacks again in Cape Town.

“We felt the pressure and we knew we had to get the ball out somehow, and we have to work out ways around it. When we train, we try to emulate that and try to figure out ways in which we can improve.”

Reinach also paid tribute to Pieter-Steph du Toit and Ox Nché, who will reach significant career landmarks on Saturday.

Du Toit is set to earn his 100th Test cap, while Nche will make his 50th appearance for the Springboks – milestones Reinach believes underline their immense value to the squad.

“Pieter-Steph playing his 100th is a huge milestone, and it shows what type of player and person he is,” said Reinach.

“He’s probably not the most vocal guy, but he leads in the way he plays. I’d rather play with him than against him, to be honest.”

Reinach highlighted the resilience Du Toit has shown throughout his career, particularly after battling significant injuries.

“Hats off to him as a player. He’s been through knee and shoulder injuries and many other setbacks, and he is still here, showing up week in and week out, and keeps on performing as he does.

Ox Nché - Morgan Piek

“So we are very proud of him, and Ox, who will be playing his 50th Test this weekend. They are both amazing teammates.”

The Boks flew from Johannesburg of Wednesday, and their final preparation will take place during the captains’ run on Friday as the team puts the finishing touches to its plans for the second Test.

Saturday’s 112th Test between the Springboks and the All Blacks at the Cape Town Stadium will kick-off at 17:10.

Springboks - 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Ethan Hooker, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Ruan Nortjé, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nché

Replacements - 16 Deon Fourie, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Thomas du Toit, 19 Lood de Jager, 20 André Esterhuizen, 21 Cameron Hanekom, 22 Morné van den Berg, 23 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu

All Blacks - TBA

Morgan Piek OFM Sport