Lock Sam Darry says the All Blacks will have to be at their “very best” to beat the Springboks in the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series.
Darry was speaking at an All Blacks welcome event at Cape Town Stadium on Friday, a week before they launch their tour of South Africa against the Stormers at the same venue.
The All Blacks will also face the Sharks and Vodacom Bulls before taking on the Springboks at Ellis Park on 22 August in the first of four Tests.
The 10-Test second-rower has experienced the challenge of facing the Boks before, featuring in New Zealand’s 31-27 defeat at Ellis Park in 2024, and said the squad had been eagerly anticipating the historic tour.
“We’re very aware of the challenge and it’s something that, once this tour was announced, everyone looked forward to,” Darry said. “It’s obviously very unique and hasn’t happened in a long time.
“It’s an opportunity for us to test ourselves against the world’s best, which is really awesome.”
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Darry said the magnitude of the tour had been reinforced by players from the All Blacks squad that won the 1996 series in South Africa.
“‘We had a few former All Blacks come and speak to us the other day about what it meant to them. It really brought home how special and how rare this tour is.
“Now it’s on us to make the most of that opportunity.”
Darry said there was no better way for a developing All Blacks side to measure itself than against the back-to-back world champions on South African soil.
“It’s called rugby’s greatest rivalry for a reason,” he said. “The Springboks have been one of our biggest rivals for a long time and they’ve set the benchmark over the last couple of years in international rugby.
“For us, it’s awesome. We’re in a position where we’re building as a team, so what better way to test ourselves and see where we’re at than by coming up against the Springboks in South Africa?
“They’re a team we have a lot of respect for and we know we’ll have to be at our very best.”
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Darry expects the Stormers to provide “a massive challenge” next Friday night.
“I’m sure there’ll be an awesome crowd because they have a lot of support,” he added.
“It’s the first opportunity for us to show what this tour means to us. It’s definitely an important game.”
Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
The post Darry: Boks demand All Blacks’ best appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Lock Sam Darry says the All Blacks will have to be at their “very best” to beat the Springboks in the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series.
The post Darry: Boks demand All Blacks’ best appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
