Heyneke Meyer has described South Africa's victory in the Tri-Nations as a "remarkable achievement".

Peter de Villiers' side sealed the title over the weekend after a battling 32-29 victory over New Zealand in Hamilton - their fifth win out of six in the competition.

"To win the Tri-Nations like that, and post two victories from three tour games, is brilliant," he told www.sport24.com. "The players and team management deserve all the credit that is coming their way. It's a remarkable achievement."

The win over the All Blacks was their third in a row during 2009 - a feat last achieved over 50 years ago - and also brought John Smit and his men their first win in the tournament since 2004.

It capped a remarkable end to their southern hemisphere international season, which also included a 2-1 series victory over the British and Irish Lions earlier this year, and former Bulls and Leicester coach Meyer is pleased with the way things have gone.

Meyer, widely regarded as one of the best coaches in the business, believes the success of the team is largely down to the conditioning of the players.

He added: "The difference is the absence of weaknesses and their superb conditioning. The days are over where other teams could tire our pack and exploit the blind side.

"Away wins are particularly difficult because the travelling takes a lot out of you.

"The fact that we are peaking at the end of the series shows how far we have come in terms of conditioning."