Nika Amashukeli graded after Springboks victory against All Blacks

Saturday, 05 September 2026 at 21:22

byRugby Rucker

Nika Amashukeli was the man in the middle as the Springboks claimed a dramatic 29-24 victory over the All Blacks at FNB Stadium – and his performance certainly divided opinion.

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The Georgian official entered the third Test under considerable scrutiny following a week dominated by debate over the scrum.

Dave Rennie had been outspoken about South Africa's tactics at the set-piece following the second Test, while Rassie Erasmus backed Amashukeli's credentials before the game, describing him as a "sharp referee" who "knows scrums".

Scrum under the microscope

Unsurprisingly, it was at scrum-time where one of Amashukeli's biggest decisions arrived.

With the Springboks applying huge pressure close to the All Blacks line late in the first half, Amashukeli went underneath the posts for a penalty try and also sent Ruben Love to the sin bin.

The seven-pointer levelled the contest at 12-12 before half-time and proved to be one of the defining moments of the Test.

Despite the enormous pre-match focus on the set-piece, AFP praised Amashukeli's management of it, reporting that he "policed the set piece well" and highlighting the clear instructions he gave the front rows.

Remarkably, there wasn't a single scrum reset until 10 minutes into the second half.

Fans divided over Amashukeli

The Georgian's overall display prompted plenty of debate online.

One supporter was hugely impressed, describing Amashukeli as "one of the Top 3 referees in the world", before adding: "Scrums and rucks masterclass today."

Another fan simply rated his performance "9/10", adding that Angus Gardner could "learn a thing or three" from Amashukeli.

A third wrote: "Could everyone take a moment to appreciate that test match!! And Nika Amashukeli was brilliant."

Pseudo Moi

@moi_pseudo

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Cannot recall a better refereeing performance than Nika Amashukeli tonight Of course in slomo there will be 247 errors — that’s rugby But not once was there an obvious call I felt he missed or a mystifying interpretation All one can ask a ref is to blow the obvious and not be

8:06 PM · Sep 5, 2026

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Read 20 replies

However, not everyone agreed.

Chalyn Rugby claimed: "Nika Amashukeli made a lot of technical errors today. A LOT."

Importantly, they added that those decisions were not responsible for the result, saying the Springboks were "simply the better team on the day."

Another account was considerably more critical, accusing Amashukeli of "crumbling to the home crowd" while questioning some of his decisions.

There was also frustration about the amount of guidance the referee was giving players during the contest.

One supporter wrote: "It's your job to enforce the laws, not teach how to follow them/avoid them."

Interestingly, that contrasts directly with AFP's assessment, which viewed Amashukeli's clear communication with the front rows as a positive feature of his performance.

No referee excuses from Rennie

Despite some of the frustration among All Blacks supporters, Rennie did not use Amashukeli's performance as an excuse for the defeat.

Instead, the New Zealand coach pointed towards his own side's discipline as an area requiring improvement ahead of the fourth and final Test.

South Africa ultimately scored four tries to secure the 29-24 victory and move 2-1 ahead in the series.

RUCK VERDICT: B+

Amashukeli entered the Test under enormous scrutiny following a week dominated by debate over the scrum and generally handled a ferocious contest well.

His decisive penalty-try call against New Zealand was one of the game's defining moments, while his communication with the front rows helped prevent the lengthy scrum discussions and repeated resets that can blight matches of this intensity.

There were still contentious moments. Some supporters accused Amashukeli of making technical errors and questioned whether he was coaching players rather than simply enforcing the laws, while several individual decisions generated significant debate.

However, in an extremely difficult Test to control, Amashukeli was decisive, kept the contest moving and handled the fiercely contested scrum battle impressively.

HAVE YOUR SAY:

“Underperformed again” – Three All Blacks who flopped against the Springboks

Here, we look at the All Blacks trio who failed to stand out when it mattered most.

Ruben Love

Love endured a difficult afternoon, missing two conversions and a penalty, with his second conversion attempt greeted by plenty of boos from the crowd.

He was also shown a yellow card while defending on the Boks’ line, although he had worked hard defensively up to that point. Going forward, however, he struggled to get the All Blacks attack into any real rhythm and will be disappointed with his overall display.

The Hurricanes fly-half also lacked the usual running threat that makes him so difficult to defend. That threat often creates space for those around him, even when his playmaking is not quite at its best.

Without it, the All Blacks attack became relatively easy to contain, with only a handful of moments of individual brilliance from his teammates creating the opportunities that ultimately led to their scores.

Tyrel Lomax

The set piece was one of the biggest problems for the All Blacks, as they struggled to establish any kind of physical dominance against a powerful Springboks pack that enjoyed plenty of success in that area.

Lomax was solid enough in the scrum for much of the afternoon but failed to exert the kind of influence required against South Africa. He was eventually outmuscled on his own line, resulting in a penalty try.

The tighthead prop was replaced after 45 minutes and, overall, failed to make the same impact as starting loosehead George Bower.

Lomax is an experienced international and facing the Springboks is always a huge challenge, but if the All Blacks are going to compete with South Africa, their scrum has to be firing. It simply was not at the required level here.

George Bower

Bower makes the list of underperformers for many of the same reasons as Lomax, although he can take slightly more credit for his overall contribution than his tighthead counterpart.

Unfortunately, his scrummaging also fell short of the exceptionally high standard required against the Springboks, which had a significant impact on the All Blacks' performance.

He conceded an early penalty but was heavily involved defensively, putting in plenty of tackles and showing an excellent work rate throughout his time on the field.

The scrum was relatively solid, but like Lomax, he was eventually overpowered on his own line, contributing to the penalty try. He was replaced after 45 minutes.