New Zealand stand firm against South Africa in heavyweight thriller

• Springboks start and finish strongly but fall short• Bridge and Barrett tries give All Blacks winning leadNew Zealand’s proud record of never having lost a Rugby World Cup pool game is still intact after a thrilling victory over South Africa. In one of the great World Cup pool matches, the All Blacks’s counterattacking brilliance narrowly cancelled out the Boks’ more direct and physical tactics to secure a 23-13 win their opening fixture in Japan.From 17-3 up at half-time Steve Hansen’s team had to weather a determined South African fightback but held their nerve in a breathless final quarte…