Former schoolmates Faf du Plessis and Neil Wagner hogged the limelight from opposing sides of the fence in the second Test at Centurion yesterday.
At stumps on the second day New Zealand had slumped to 38/3 in reply to South Africa's first innings of 481/8 declared.
Only six times in the 88 Tests in which they have been put in to bat have the Proteas made a higher score in the first innings.
Du Plessis scored an undefeated 112, his first century in 17 completed Test innings, in more than six hours at the crease in which he faced 234 balls.
Left-arm fast bowler Wagner led New Zealand's attack with figures of 5/86.
Du Plessis and Wagner attended the same primary and high schools in Pretoria, where they were both born and raised, before Wagner moved to New Zealand in 2008.
Wagner completed his fourth five-wicket haul in Test cricket when he uprooted Vernon Philander's off-stump in the fifth over after tea.
Seven balls later Du Plessis, who was dropped on 18, pulled Trent Boult to square leg for two to reach his fifth Test century.
For only the second time in SA's 733 innings in Test cricket each of their top five batsmen passed 50, but Du Plessis alone converted his effort into three figures.
JP Duminy, who resumed on 67, had a chance to score what would have been his first century in 14 completed Test innings.
But he was caught behind for 88 off Tim Southee in the 12th over of the day to end a stand of 71 he shared with Du Plessis, who also put on 84 with Stiaan van Zyl and watched Dale Steyn lift left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner for consecutive sixes - one of which bounced on the roof of the grandstand.
In his first over, Philander found the edge of Martin Guptill's bat but the ball screamed through Van Zyl's hands at third slip.
Philander repeated the dose in his next over and this time Van Zyl clung on to the catch.
Six balls later New Zealand were 13/2 when Steyn had Tom Latham caught behind on review after umpire Paul Reiffel ruled bat had not touched ball.
Replays did not seem to reveal enough evidence to overturn that decision, but television official Richard Illingworth said otherwise.
- TMG Digital/TMG Sport