All Black wing LeRoy Carter is set to face the Springboks at DHL Stadium on Saturday.
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LeRoy Carter is no stranger to the DHL Stadium at the foot of Table Mountain. Carter, who was one of the stars of the All Blacks Sevens team, has visited Cape Town twice previously for the shorter format.
But Carter is likely to discover an entirely different atmosphere inside the former 2010 FIFA World Cup stadium on Saturday after being named on the left wing at the expense of Josh Moorby for the second Greatest Rivalry Test against the Springboks.
Whereas the Sevens in Cape Town in December is a rather jovial affair setting the tone for the start of the festive season, DHL Stadium is expected to be a cauldron of pressure come kick-off at 5:10 pm on Saturday as the Boks look to avenge last week’s defeat at Ellis Park.
“Both teams know what they're going to be walking into, so it creates a great vibe in the stadiums,” Carter said.
“We know the Boks are going to come out and want revenge.
“But as they say, it's the greatest rivalry, so you want to be putting your name forward for these (types of) Test matches.”
Having made his Test debut last year in the Boks’ record 43-10 victory over the All Blacks in Wellington, the 27-year-old has seen the explosiveness of the world champions’ wingers up close and personal.
The Boks will be without Cheslin Kolbe on Saturday after the inspirational winger was ruled out through injury. But Carter will still need to find a way to keep Kurt-Lee Arendse quiet after Bok coach Rassie Erasmus switched around his wingers to accommodate Ethan Hooker’s return to the starting XV.
The Chiefs dynamo is well aware of the threat the Bok three-quarters pose.
“Yeah, just can't wait, itching,” Carter said. “They're obviously a big, physical team. And then on the other side of that, their backs have got elite feet, good footwork, fast. Obviously some of the best (wings) in the world.
“Kolbe's out this week, but Kurt-Lee's been marking up against him. Amazing feet. So yeah, it's just another challenge.”
The aerial battle out wide will once again be a major factor in the Test, and with the Boks having dominated this crucial facet of the game, Carter just wants to go back to basics to regain some parity.
“Just try to catch it, eh?” Carter quipped when asked how he was preparing to counter the Bok bombs.
“We're putting plenty of work into it. It’s been a goal for a while. Sometimes we're not getting the scraps right, and they have some good wingers in the air, to be fair. We've just got to get up in the air early and catch it.”
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