NEW Zealand needed three late tries to break the resistance of a second-string South Africa in Christchurch and set up a winner-takes-all Tri-Nations finale against Australia in Auckland next Saturday. It could all be smoke and mirrors by the All Blacks and their canny coach Graham Henry but another stumbling, fumbling performance after the defeat by the Wallabies a fortnight ago offered further evidence that the World Cup 60 days away might not be the one-horse race most pundits anticipate.

The Springboks were without 20 top players - all resting back home - yet, with a couple of penalties by fly-half Derick Hougaard, they held the scores level at 6-6 until the 53rd minute when flanker Pedrie Wannenburg was sent to the sin bin for killing the ball. Even then the All Blacks, who had only two scrum putins in the first 65 minutes and were frustrated by South Africa's clever mix of rush and drift defence, managed just two penalty goals by Dan Carter in Wannenburg's absence. "We lacked a bit of patience and the guys got excited trying to finish things off quickly, " said Richie McCaw, the All Blacks captain. "We didn't build penalties and we dropped passes to let them [South Africa] off the hook."

On the plus side, Sale Sharks target Luke McAlister showed flashes of inspiration and Carter looked more like his old self. On his home provincial ground, the fly-half accumulated 23 points to pass 600 in Tests with a try, three conversions and four penalties. Carter scored the third of the decisive trio of tries in the last 13 minutes . . .replacement backs Brendon Leonard and Nick Evans got the others . . . as the scrambling South Africans grew rapidly jaded at Jade Stadium.

McCaw's men will invite trouble if they continue their butter-fingered ways into the autumn, but Leonard's try in the 69th minute featured them at their ruthless counter-attacking best. A double turnover, in which the otherwise-impressive Bok number eight Jacques Cronje coughed up the ball, allowed Doug Howlett to feed Joe Rokocoko . . . a last-minute inclusion after Sitiveni Sivivatu pulled a calf muscle . . .

who flipped a backhanded pass inside to Leonard. The conversion by Carter made it 19-6 to New Zealand then Evans befuddled three Springboks for his try and Carter cantered over from spilled South African ball.

New Zealand were heartened by two returnees from injury - the lock Keith Robinson stole a couple of line-outs and Conrad Smith, the centre, had a few minutes off the bench. Johann Muller, the fourth Bok captain in as many matches, hailed the quality of the All Blacks but insisted his side had given coach Jake White something to ponder with only friendlies against Connacht and Scotland to come before the World Cup.

"A lot of our guys put their hands up and that's the most important thing, " Muller said.

NEW ZEALAND M Muliaina; D Howlett (N Evans, 72), I Toeava (C Smith, 76), L McAlister, J Rokocoko; D Carter, P Weepu (B Leonard, 53); T Woodcock, K Mealamu (A Hore, 72), C Hayman (N Tialata, 76), C Jack, K Robinson (J Collins, 63), R Thorne, R So'oialo (C Masoe, 72), R McCaw (capt)
SOUTH AFRICA JP Pietersen; B Paulse (M Claassens, 76), W Murray, W Olivier, J Pretorius (T Chavhanga, 72); D Hougaard (P Grant, 56), R Pienaar; CJ van der Linde (E Andrews, 76), B du Plessis (G Botha, 67), J du Plessis, A van den Berg, J Muller (capt), W van Heerden (H Lobberts, 76), J Cronje, P Wannenburg (G Britz, 67) Referee S Dickinson (Australia)