New Zealand finished the day at SuperSport Park on 38 for three, 443 runs behind South Africa’s first innings total of 481 for eight declared.

Du Plessis made 112 not out off 234 balls and said he had stuck to a plan.

“There is a lot happening in the wicket and we just needed one guy to anchor the innings and keep them out there as long as possible,” he said.

“The plan right from the beginning was to try to get to 400, which is a good score on this wicket, and then have a little dip at them at the end of the day.”

Du Plessis said he and JP Duminy had found batting in the last hour on the first day to be particularly difficult.

His declaration was therefore geared to having New Zealand bat when it was most likely to be tough for them in South African winter conditions, with the close coming near sunset.

“The grass stands up a little more towards the end of the day and because of the light you can see the little indentations on the pitch which you don’t see when the sun is shining brightly in the middle of the day. It plays on your mind a bit.”

In an era of rapid scoring in Test cricket, much of South Africa’s innings was a return to a more attritional age, with the run rate hovering at around three an over.

Du Plessis was particularly cautious as he tiptoed to a fifth Test century off 225 balls.

But it paid off as reunited fast bowling pair Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander ripped out both openers before Ross Taylor was run out.

It left New Zealand in deep trouble in a match which will decide the series after the weather-hit, abandoned first Test in Durban.

Martin Guptill survived a sharp chance to Stiaan van Zyl at third slip off Philander when he was on four, with the ball bursting through the fielder’s hands for four more runs.

But he gave a more straightforward chance to the same fielder in Philander’s next over without adding to his score.

Steyn then had the left-handed Tom Latham caught behind off an inside edge for four, although it seemed a controversial decision. Umpire Paul Reiffel gave the batsman not out and South Africa sought a review.

It was clear that the ball had deviated off the batsman’s trousers but only the faintest flicker on the ultra-edge device gave any indication that it had touched the bat first.

But television umpire Richard Illingworth decided it was enough evidence to overturn his colleague’s decision.

Much then depended on New Zealand captain Kane Williamson and Taylor, his most experienced teammate.

Taylor was struck twice, on the shoulder and arm, by lifting deliveries from Steyn and scored only one before pushing a ball from Kagiso Rabada to midwicket. He set off for a run, was sent back by Williamson and was beaten by a direct hit from Temba Bavuma.

Pretoria-born Neil Wagner was New Zealand’s most successful bowler, taking five for 86.

“Neil’s been outstanding for a long period of time,” said fellow fast bowler Tim Southee.

“He’s just reaping the rewards for the efforts and the tough overs he’s bowled throughout his career. He keeps running in and will make something happen from nothing.”

Southee collected a solitary wicket and conceded 114 runs.

“It was frustrating,” he admitted. “When the ball did something it did too much, but credit to the way South Africa batted, particularly Faf.”

The Proteas can nudge up one place to sixth in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Test rankings if they win, while the Black Caps will remain fifth irrespective of the result.

But the reputation of Test cricket is at much at stake as rankings points after a farcical first Test in Durban where less than 100 overs of cricket were played before a wet, soft outfield prevented any play on the last three days. There was even less cricket in a Test match between the West Indies and India in Port of Spain, also because of outfield conditions.

It is the first time Test cricket has been played in South Africa in August, almost two months before the usual start of the season.

Preparing grounds for winter conditions has been a challenge – which Durban failed to meet after re-seeding the outfield only two months before the match. Following reports from the match referees, the outfields in Durban and Port of Spain were condemned as “poor” by the ICC.

Centurion groundsman Rudolph du Preez had the advantage of planting winter grass much earlier than Durban, with work starting in April, almost immediately after the 2015-16 season.

He said it was necessary to plant winter grass because fielders struggled on dry, dormant summer grass when the same two countries met in a one-day international in August last year.

With virtually no rain falling on the South African Highveld during winter – and no rain predicted during the Test – Du Preez is confident that conditions will be suitable for Test cricket. He said more time had been necessary to prepare the pitch because cool conditions meant it took longer to dry out after watering.

Du Preez said he did not expect uneven bounce to be as much of a factor as it has been in the later stages of matches in recent seasons.

“It might not deteriorate as we are used to. It might be a little bit slower, it might be holding back a bit more,” he said. Centurion has been a fortress for South Africa in Test cricket, with the home side having won 16 of the 21 Tests at the ground. Their only two losses were against England in a contrived result in 1999-2000, engineered by the late Hansie Cronje before he was banned from cricket because of his association with bookmakers, and against Australia in 2013-14.

South Africa: Faf du Plessis (capt), Dean Elgar, Stephen Cook, Hashim Amla, JP Duminy, Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock (wkt), Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada, Dale Steyn, Dane Piedt

New Zealand: Kane Williamson (capt), Martin Guptill, Tom Latham, Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, BJ Watling (wkt), Mitchell Santner, Doug Bracewell, Neil Wagner, Tim Southee, Trent Boult