Bongi Mbonambi says the Springboks are expecting a massive battle against the All Blacks in Auckland on Saturday, noting how impressively the hosts dealt with a powerful Los Pumas pack in Argentina. DYLAN JACK reports.
The Springboks will play their first game in central Auckland since 2013, looking to continue their impressive start to the year by beating the All Blacks in the coastal city for the first time since 1937.
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However, the Boks are under no illusion of the challenge that will be lying in wait for them, given that the All Blacks demolished Argentina to earn a 41-12 win in Mendoza last weekend.
“As a pack, it’s always a massive challenge playing against a fully loaded New Zealand pack,” said Mbonambi. “We know that they are a very good scrummaging team and their forwards coach has done a lot of work with them.
“We saw their performance against Argentina and we know the challenges ahead of us. Tomorrow is about making things work.”
Mbonambi is five players who have retained their place in the starting lineup, from the side that claimed a bonus-point victory over the Wallabies at Loftus Versfeld. They have been joined by 10 of the 14 players who last week travelled to New Zealand to acclimatise to the conditions and time zone.
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“The game against Australia was a good start for us, but we quickly put that behind us because we have another big challenge this week,” said Mbonambi. “It was smooth sailing all the way here, and when we landed, we got down to training.
“Fortunately, all the planning was done when we touched down, so we just had to slot in, and as a team we’re aligned.”
Mbonambi was joined in Friday’s press conference by assistant coach Mzwandile Stick, who said that there are no concerns over the Boks revealing their hands before the World Cup.
“I am not sure what that means, because when you play against the All Blacks, you want to win and you have to be at your best, irrespective of showing your plans towards the World Cup,” said Stick.
“The main thing for us is to prepare as well as possible, so when we pitch up tomorrow, we perform at our best. We aren’t going to hold back on anything. We will just make sure that we will do everything in our power to win. It will be tough, but we’ve done everything we can to make sure we win tomorrow.”
Saturday’s Test will be played at the Mount Smart Stadium, where the two teams will face each other for the first time, instead of the All Blacks’ fortress Eden Park, due to the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
“We were actually surprised when we got to the field after everything we heard about it,” said Stick. “It’s a nice pitch and stadium.
“In South Africa we’ve been to Welkom, Brakpan and Kimberley at stages in our careers, so we are used to very tough fields. After what we saw today, I don’t think the stadium will make a massive difference.”
Photo: EPA/DAVE HUNT