New Zealand have edged ahead of South Africa in the final session on day two of the opening Test, leading by five runs with one wicket in hand.

But three late wickets with the new ball on Thursday shattered any hopes the hosts would run up a significant first-innings lead.

Vernon Philander continued his remarkable introduction to Test cricket, taking 4-50, as New Zealand reached 9-243 at stumps in Dunedin.

They were five runs ahead of South Africa’s first innings total of 238.

Trent Boult on eight and Chris Martin, yet to score, were still at the crease.

South Africa took the new ball six overs before the end of play and Philander snared the wickets of ‘keeper Kruger van Wyk and Tim Southee in three balls to catches behind the wicket.

Before Dunedin, he had taken 30 wickets in four Tests and his average is 13.15 per scalp.

After scoring 104 runs in the second session, for the loss of four wickets, New Zealand went to tea at 5-140.

Van Wyk and Daniel Vettori made it to drinks, putting on 40 runs in the hour after tea.

But then Vettori, on 46, fell to Jacques Kallis when he stopped his shot and lobbed the ball back to Kallis, who did well to take the diving catch.

The South African-born van Wyk, brought in as a late replacement for BJ Watling, made 36 and would have wanted to end the day still at the crease, but became Philander’s first victim with the second new ball.

Southee then went, caught at first slip off his second ball, and then Dale Steyn clean bowled Doug Bracewell for 25 for his first wicket of the match.

The last time the two sides met in Tests, in South Africa in 2007, Steyn was the chief destroyer with two 10-wicket bags in the two matches.