Springboks assistant coach Mzwandile Stick says they expect the All Blacks to stay true to their running game in the third Test of Rugby's Greatest Rivalry on Saturday in Soweto.
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The All Blacks have made no secret of how they intend to approach Saturday’s decisive Test against the Springboks at the FNB Stadium in Soweto, and Springbok assistant coach Mzwandile Stick expects them to stick firmly to their attacking DNA.
New Zealand have shown throughout their tour that they want to keep the ball in play, and to challenge defensive structure with their attack, rather than simply kicking possession away. In the process they’ve scored nine tries in two Tests and their attack has proved difficult to contain, even for a defence as clinical as the Boks’.
With the series level at 1-all following the Springboks’ 33-26 victory in Cape Town last weekend, Stick believes the All Blacks will remain true to their approach. They brought in hooker Asafo Aumua, lock Sam Darry and flanker Peter Lakai known for their ball-carrying abilities into the starting team, while leaving the powerful replacements on the bench for the clash.
A packed crowd of more than 80 000 supporters is expected in Soweto for the final match of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry on South African soil. The fourth and final clash is in Baltimore next weekend.
“I think the message is clear from them. They don't play hide and seek. They talk about how they want to play, and when they get to the field, they play exactly that way,” Stick said on Friday.
“You see, like I said to you, we can all see that New Zealand now, they want to use ball-in-play time, you understand? They want to keep the ball in hand. And if you look at the personnel that are in that team now, a guy like (Peter) Lakai starting, every time he comes off the bench he brings massive impact for them.
“(Wallace) Sititi is on the bench, and that shows that they want more ball carriers where they can keep the ball in play. (Tupou) Vaa’i is also one of the good, strong ball carriers.
“So, once again, that’s one thing that I like about where we are currently. Like we always say, we’ve got our DNA and they’ve got their one, which is we know that it’s ball-in-play time. They want to put the ball into space, and we’ve also got our own way of doing things.
“I don’t think they will change how they play, irrespective of the weather conditions, they will still try to enforce their DNA on us. We’ll also try to do the same thing.”
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