McCaw's Kiwis deserved victory

There is no argument and there are no excuses. The All Blacks are the best rugby team in the world right now and the 2013 vintage is arguably the best that ever played the game.

Their 38-27 victory over the Springboks carried New Zealand to a clean sweep of the Rugby Championship crown and also improved their record at Ellis Park to four wins in 12 outings.

It was New Zealand's 50th Test win over the Springboks and their ninth straight win this season. It also opened the gap at the top of the world rankings.

They keep on improving and finding players to plug seemingly unpluggable gaps. Flyhalf is a case in point, where Dan Carter's injury allowed Aaron Cruden to start and Beauden Barrett to make a huge impact off the bench.

Either of those two No. 10s would walk into any Test's starting lineup outside of New Zealand.

Flank Liam Messam, who scored two tries, has risen to the point where he is playing better rugby than the seemingly irreplaceable Jerome Kaino was two years ago.

Right wing Ben Smith has already ensured that Corey Jane is forgotten after a record eight tries in the Championship, while lock Brodie Retallick has filled Brad Thorne's boots and more. And there is still more talent coming through, while old warhorses such as Ma'a Nonu, Kieran Read and Conrad Smith appear to be improving.

But special mention has to be made of captain Richie McCaw. So long a thorn in the side for the Boks, he has now achieved everything in the game.

Before Saturday he had never played a Test at Ellis Park and by rights he shouldn't have been out there at all. He now has a Bok scalp at Ellis Park to add to his sparkling collection of gongs.

Knee ligament damage meant McCaw was in a race to be fit for this clash, and if the match had been against anybody else, anywhere else, he might have sat out.

Instead, he willed his aging body in his 120th Test through 80 minutes of the highest-octane rugby imaginable. It was a mammoth performance that inspired his team to arguably its greatest single victory.

The World Cup triumph of 2011 was achieved through a collection of clinical performances on home soil.

This one-off win at the All Blacks' least successful ground was stupendous because the Springboks played their part.

The home team attacked like few Bok teams in history and breached the All Black line four times.

For all their artistry on attack, New Zealand are a hard-nosed defensive force that last conceded four tries three years ago. The Boks can take pride in that.

"Ellis Park was one of the places I always wanted to play at and never really had that chance," McCaw said. "To have that chance and get a win was special. Three weeks ago I thought I wasn't going to be out here.

"I remember the 1995 World Cup final and thinking then that it would be awesome to play here."

All Blacks coach Steve Hansen gave a hint of what it meant and where it rated. "There were a lot of reasons we shouldn't have won this game," Hansen said. "The travel, the venue and the short week we had to prepare, which is why this win is at the top.

"This was the best victory because the game was so special and both teams played so well. When you get a game like that the team that wins is the team that deserved to win. We were that team today."