Springbok hooker Malcolm Marx has firmly rejected the idea that Emirates Airline Park is the team’s sole psychological stronghold, declaring that the world champions view the entire country as their fortress ahead of Saturday’s titanic clash against the All Blacks.
Speaking from the Springbok camp on Tuesday, the 32-year-old two-time World Cup winner brought clinical perspective to a venue that has historically overwhelmed visiting teams, but where South Africa has suffered recent stumbles—including a stunning loss to the Wallabies last year and a defeat to New Zealand in 2022.
“I think the whole of South Africa is our fortress, to be honest. It doesn’t matter where we play or who we’re playing against,” Marx stated calmly. “We know we’re not just representing ourselves. We’ve got 64, 65 million people that we’re trying to represent, and we want to represent them the best we can on the day.”
The opening Test of this historic four-match Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series carries immense weight, but Marx insisted that past achievements will offer the Springboks zero cushion.
Despite South Africa absolutely dominating the All Blacks at scrum-time during their encounters last year, the front-row juggernaut expects an entirely different animal to front up in Johannesburg this weekend.
“Last year is the past, and we have to deal with what’s in front of us,” said Marx. “We know the All Blacks will come after us at scrum time and we are working hard at it, but so are they. We can’t rely on the past to take us through the game. We have to ensure our work over the last couple of weeks has been done to give us the best chance this weekend.”