Carter leads All Blacks past Springboks in opener

By Greg Stutchbury

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - New Zealand flyhalf Daniel Carter scored 14 points and set up a try for Jerome Kaino to lead the All Blacks to a 19-8 victory over world champions South Africa on Saturday.

Carter slotted four penalties and converted Kaino's second half try at Westpac Stadium to seal New Zealand's 30th successive home test victory in their Tri-Nations opener.

Bryan Habana scored a late first half try while Butch James added a penalty for South Africa, who had their own 14-test unbeaten run snapped with the defeat.

"The guys played with huge character with big backbones," All Blacks coach Graham Henry told reporters. "I think that was the winning of the game.

"They followed the skip (captain Rodney So'oialo) here and went through and came through strong in the second half and won the game."

The match, played in semi-darkness for 20 minutes when one of the floodlight towers went out in the first half, was the first test to be played under the International Rugby Board's (IRB) Experimental Law Variations (ELVs).

The All Blacks attempted to use the laws to their advantage and play the game at a high tempo, though the South African forwards produced a brutal defensive effort and threw themselves into the breakdown with little regard for their personal safety.

MISSED TACKLE