Nienaber insists slow Bok starts aren't a trend: 'We don't save ourselves for the 2nd half'

Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber refused to entertain comments about his team's sluggish starts and how costly they're becoming after Saturday's 35-20 loss to the All Blacks in Auckland.

The Springboks conceded an early try against Australia last week, but fought back to win handsomely 43-12.

It wasn't the case against the All Blacks, who got out of the blocks like a champion sprinter, raced into a 17-0 lead after 16 minutes and never relinquished control of the game despite the Boks performing markedly better in the second stanza.

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The Boks also conceded an early try against Wales in the first Test of the season last year and had to mount a Willie le Roux-inspired comeback to claim a 32-29 win, while also ruing substandard starts against Ireland and France on the end-of-year tour in losses by tight margins.

Nienaber pointed out that it's not a regular occurrence, but they need to make sure they’re able to bounce back from their errors.

"It didn't happen last weekend and it didn't happen against England and Italy," Nienaber said.

"There's a maybe with the France and Ireland games, but I don't think it's a trend because nobody goes out to have a poor start.

"You don't go out and say you want to save yourself for the second half.

AS IT HAPPENED | All Blacks 35-20 Springboks

"Sometimes, these things happen when you make a mistake, but you must get over it and move to the next thing.

"It's something we'll need to get better. You must put mistakes behind you, from where you must fire the next shot."

Despite the perception in some quarters that a split squad strategy was predicated on South Africa managing their players before the World Cup more