All Blacks lock Patrick Tuipulotu is set on denying the Springboks a Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series win on Saturday, while imposing himself on the world champions.
Tuipulotu fronted the media on Thursday ahead of the fourth and final Test of the series in Baltimore, with South Africa taking a 2-1 lead into the clash at M&T Bank Stadium.
“This isn’t a dead-rubber game. I think for us, it’s still … we don’t want them to win the whole series, you know,” Tuipulotu said on levelling matters and sharing the spoils.
“We’re obviously aiming for a draw, and they’re aiming for a series win. So we’ve got to win this. This is a must-win for us.”
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The 33-year-old acknowledged what is important going into the game, after back-to-back defeats in the Republic following New Zealand’s win in the opener three weeks ago.
“We want to play our game, but we don’t want to give away too many penalties that give them entries into the 22,” he said. “We saw that all last week; discipline really gave them their shots and allowed them to score more points through that.
“So there’s a big focus on us being accurate. But at the same time, we don’t want to be passive and let them play. So there’s a lot of onus on us this week.”
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Tuipulotu, who captained the Kiwis in their tour-opening win over the Stormers in Cape Town, noted the Boks’ pressure on the All Blacks’ kick-off throughout the first three Tests.
“It is another set-piece, and we just haven’t been accurate in that area. They’ve got some pretty accurate kickers from kick-off, and you see where they pinpoint that kick-off,” he said.
“We just have to nail that job and try to catch the ball, whether that’s the pod getting up or the back catching it. For them, it’s the strength of their game, so we have to negate that.”
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On the All Blacks’ mindset knowing the Boks’ physical dominance, Tuipulotu added: “It’s pretty simple for the forwards in terms of set-piece and working through that.
“They’re the best team in the world for a reason, and they’ve been putting us under pressure in a lot of these areas. Results aside, it has been hard for us, but that’s the nature of the beast.
“We’re not going to dwell on them being the best and try to put a negative spin on it.
“At the end of the day, if they’re the better team, they’re going to be the better team, but I feel we’re pretty close.”
Photo: Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images
The post Tuipulotu: This isn’t a dead rubber appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
All Blacks lock Patrick Tuipulotu is set on denying the Springboks a Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series win on Saturday, while imposing himself on the world champions.
The post Tuipulotu: This isn’t a dead rubber appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
