The All Blacks believe they have what it takes to beat the Springboks on home soil, despite acknowledging they’ll need to switch to a higher gear to topple the world champions.
New Zealand will depart for South Africa off the back of an unbeaten Nations Championship campaign, but attack coach Mike Blair admits the Boks have set the benchmark with a string of dominant displays.
“I believe so,” Blair said when asked if the All Blacks could win the four-Test Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series.
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“We’re also conscious of how impressive South Africa has been in these Test matches.
“They’ve mixed and matched their teams without seemingly skipping a beat.”
Rassie Erasmus has rotated extensively throughout the Nations Championship, with a host of newcomers impressing as the Springboks claimed convincing victories over England, Scotland and Wales.
Blair believes New Zealand must continue to improve if they’re to end South Africa’s recent dominance.
“It’s going to be a big step up for us, so we’re going to have to evolve and improve again.”
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The All Blacks face a demanding itinerary during their tour, forcing the coaching staff to strike a careful balance between building continuity and giving players opportunities to stake their claims for Test selection.
“Our challenge is how we get the guys rugby, how we get cohesion,” Blair explained.
“You want to keep a Test group together, but you want to be able to give guys opportunities to play their way into the Test as well. It’s a really fine balance.
“It’s a tough schedule, but we also believe it’s a schedule that’s going to accelerate our learning.”
Blair also expects the All Blacks to face more than just the Springboks over the next month.
“There’ll be, I’m not too sure, 80-ish of management and players and stuff, and it’ll be literally us against the rest of South Africa, so we’ll have to be tight.”
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Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour fixtures
Friday, 7 August: vs Stormers, Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town
Tuesday, 11 August: vs Sharks, Kings Park, Durban
Saturday, 15 August: vs Vodacom Bulls, Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Saturday, 22 August: vs Springboks, Ellis Park, Johannesburg
Tuesday, 25 August: vs Lions, Ellis Park, Johannesburg
Saturday, 29 August: vs Springboks, Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town
Saturday, 5 September: vs Springboks, FNB Stadium, Johannesburg
Saturday 12 September: vs Springboks, M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore
Photo: Phil Walter/Getty Images
The post All Blacks back themselves to topple Boks appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
The All Blacks believe they have what it takes to beat the Springboks on home soil, despite acknowledging they’ll need to switch to a higher gear to topple the world champions.
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