Head coach Jacques Nienaber is confident a much-changed Springbok 23 can match the high-tempo style of the All Blacks in their final World Cup warm-up on Friday.
Nienaber made eight personnel changes – and one positional switch – to his starting lineup, while Man of the Match in last weekend’s win against Wales, Canan Moodie, will start in a new-look midfield.
He retained five of the pack that defeated the Welsh Dragons, with Faf de Klerk resuming at scrumhalf in a new halfback pair, while there are new combinations elsewhere as the coaches continued to carefully manage game time among the squad.
“The All Blacks will provide a different challenge to Wales, and we believe this group of players is the right mix for this match,” said Nienaber.
“New Zealand play a high-tempo game, and they turn on the intensity from the starting whistle as they showed in Auckland, so it’s vital that we start well this week.
“We took the lessons from that match, and we’ve built good momentum since, so this will be a fantastic test before we enter our Rugby World Cup campaign.”
Commenting on the team changes, the Bok boss added: “Our objective since the beginning of the season was to strike a balance between performance and managing player load with only six Test matches to get ready for the World Cup, and we are pleased with the way we have developed in that regard.
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“In the last five matches we’ve given everyone, with the exception of the injured players, valuable game time, which is vital going into the World Cup, and we are satisfied with the way we have been building as a team.”
Nienaber expected a massive battle against their arch-rivals in front of a crowd of more than 80,000 at Twickenham: “The rivalry between the Springboks and All Blacks is one of the most intense in world rugby, so it’s a great way for us to wrap up our warm-up matches before heading to France for the World Cup.
“This match may be on neutral ground, but we expect it to be as epic as every other Test between the teams. They are a quality team with several playmakers and physical forwards, and they’ll give everything on Friday.
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“We know what to expect and what we need to do to work our way into a position to get the desired result, so as a team we need to be ready mentally and physically.”
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