Outside centre Rieko Ioane says capitalising on winning momentum will be vital when the All Blacks and Springboks clash in the Rugby Championship on Saturday.
South Africa thrashed Australia in a six-tries-to-two win at Loftus Versfeld last week while New Zealand, too, are coming off a bonus-point victory over Argentina in Mendoza.
The Boks have named a much-changed lineup to face the Kiwis in Auckland this weekend, and Ioane believes the hosts must mentally as well as physically prepare to dictate the run of play in the contest.
Returning from Argentina on Monday, the 26-year-old also said a quick turnaround was nothing new for the players as they faced similar issues during the Super Rugby season.
“It’s all about the boys getting their body right and filling our tank as fast as we can because we know that the Springboks are waiting for us and we’re looking forward to Saturday,” he was quoted on the All Blacks’ official website.
“The Springboks are always a tough team; you want to be part of the biggest games. They’re one of our, if not biggest, rivals for the All Blacks.
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“It’s more so just the style of game they play but we look forward to any challenge we get in the black jersey.
“We’ve both just started our campaigns. They’ll be finding their feet, as are we, and it’s what team can adapt the fastest on the run.”
On his blossoming midfield partnership with Jordie Barrett, Ioane added: “Jordie’s an outstanding player and last Saturday was no different. You saw the type of player he is, very physical and confrontational. I’ve always said that helps my game as a centre, especially us two being two bigger bodies. That’s what I am sure the coaches expect from us. He was phenomenal last week.
“There have been a lot of tweaks from last year into this year, and it’s things we identified as a team towards the end of the year and the start of our year. Schmidty [Joe Schmidt] and Foz [Ian Foster] have been at the forefront of that.
“Our drivers, Richie [Mo’unga], D-Mack [Damian McKenzie] and Baz [Beauden Barrett] bossing us around, they’re the sort of masters of their craft, and we’re trying to play off them.
“Everything is about getting that performance for us on Saturday. This week is a bit different to last week; we know that if we do everything we can in preparation for the week ahead, then that takes care of the bigger picture [the World Cup].
“We’re just looking to find that slow burn and building brick by brick.”
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