De Villiers demands more as Proteas eye series result
The Proteas and the Black Caps go head-to-head in the second ODI, with the hosts in South Africa leading 1-0.
South Africa still want to improve on their opening one-day international win over New Zealand, heading to the second ODI at Potchefstroom on Sunday.
The Proteas were 20-run winners at Centurion in the series opener, with Hashim Amla the hero with 124 - but AB De Villiers lamented their general intensity.
The meeting was the first since the two nations' World Cup semi-final thriller at Eden Park, which the Black Caps stole from the jaws of defeat - and De Villiers does not want to give New Zealand any more look-ins.
"The kind of intensity and the Protea fire that we always talk about was lacking tonight [Wednesday]," he said afterwards.
"If we had that kind of energy tonight, it would have been a walkover and it wasn't. New Zealand were in the game and if you let quality sides in the game, they tend to win."
Kagiso Rabada played for the first time since his debut series against Bangladesh, snaring 1-49 - and De Villiers said the 20-year-old right-armer was developing well.
"KG bowled well in spells," the skipper said.
"That potential and talent is definitely there; it just needs a little bit of experience. That's our responsibility to get that through to him."
After the scandal that saw South Africa's tactics fall into the wrong hands and posted on social media, the Proteas waved away the view it would have been detrimental to their winning hopes.
"We play against these guys so much that you go with your instinct. Generally it's top of off with the odd bouncer, like Jacques Kallis used to say," paceman Vernon Philander said.
For the tourists, opener Martin Guptill was cleared of a fracture in his hand but his availability for the remainder of the series remains in doubt.