Cameron Hanekom savours opportunity to contribute in 'special' All Blacks clashes

South Africa beat New Zealand 29-24 at the FNB Stadium to finish the domestic leg of Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series on a high.

Hanekom, who featured off the bench, reflected on what it meant to face the All Blacks again.

"It has been a very special experience so far. I think playing against the All Blacks in any capacity will always be special," he said.

"This is my second game against them and the atmosphere in the stadium was crazy. The passionate way in which the supporters sang the national anthem was very special and we finished our last game on home soil on a good note."

The Springboks once again leaned on the set-piece strengths to provide the platform for the win but Hanekom revealed there are still areas where they feel they can do even better.

"We pride ourselves on our scrum work, rolling mauls and lineouts," he said.

"There are many other things that we can still work on, but we ticked the boxes in most areas."

Hanekom provided important energy and added physicality as a second-half substitute to help the Springboks maintain momentum at a crucial juncture in the game.

"From a personal point of view, I knew that I, like all our replacements, had an important job to do," he said.

"That is to bring energy and help the guys who have already been on the field for 60 minutes. When I got the opportunity, I knew I just had to give it everything."

The result allowed the Springboks to close their home campaign against the All Blacks on a positive note and take a 2-1 lead into the final Test of the tour, which will be played in Baltimore, USA on 12 September.

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