Centre Quinn Tupaea says the All Blacks remain confident they can turn the tide in the third Test of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series against the Springboks.
New Zealand fell 33-26 at Cape Town Stadium after conceding early momentum, but fought back to give themselves a chance of snatching a late draw.
Tupaea revealed the All Blacks had specifically prepared during the week for dealing with a South African onslaught and regaining momentum.
“We always knew the Springboks would get momentum, so we practised on how to get that back,” the midfielder said.
“They came out pretty strong, put us under a lot of pressure, a lot of scoreboard pressure as well. We just got too far back, but love the effort to fight back and give ourselves a chance at the end.”
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Despite the defeat, Tupaea believes the All Blacks have plenty to build on ahead of the third Test at the 94,000-seater FNB Stadium in Soweto.
“Oh, we’re right there. Got a lot of belief in our game, love the way our coaches have set us up and the squad we have, so still got belief,” he said.
The All Blacks also identified areas that need tightening, particularly their handling of the Boks’ kicking game.
“They caused a lot of problems there,” Tupaea said. “We’ve been pretty good at it over the last few weeks, but yeah, they exposed a little bit of us there.”
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Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
The post All Blacks reveal hit-back plan appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Centre Quinn Tupaea says the All Blacks remain confident they can turn the tide in the third Test of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series against the Springboks.
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