Springbok assistant coach Felix Jones said on Tuesday both the Boks and All Blacks would be equally prepared going into Saturday’s opening Test of the Castle Lager Double Malt Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry in Johannesburg, adding it would be a clash between two very competitive international teams.
The sides will cross paths in the first of four back-to-back Tests, which will be followed by matches at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town (29 August), the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg (5 September), and the M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, USA (12 September), with all four matches being broadcast live on SuperSport.
The All Blacks come off three franchise matches against the DHL Stormers, Hollywoodbets Sharks, and Vodacom Bulls.
The Springboks have had a full-out international run-up against the Barbarians, England, Scotland, Wales, and Argentina, and Jones was confident that both teams would be ready for top-class international rugby when they meet on Saturday.
I think both teams are going to feel really prepared going into the game,” said Jones.
“New Zealand have had their franchise games, and we've had Argentina for some players, while a group of players remained behind in South Africa to do specific work.
“I don't think any preparation really replicates the level of intensity you're going to experience when New Zealand plays South Africa. But I think both teams would say going into this game that they feel prepared.”
Jones said there have been consistent threads in the All Blacks’ three matches against the SA franchises: “They clearly have a very strong identity around what they're trying to do in each area of the game, and those threads were present in the franchise games too, even in the wet-weather in Durban.
“They are really committed to the direction they're going in. If you look at the metrics, you'd see significant shifts in their kicking volume, the amount of ball they're trying to keep in hand, their phase count, and their possession time, so there’s been a clear shift in what they're trying to do.”
Commenting on what the Bok coaching staff have picked up from the All Blacks’ matches against the franchise teams to date, Jones said: “A lot of it was confirmation of what we saw in the Nations Championship in terms of how they're trying to attack, defend, and play with their kicking game.
“A couple of things caught the franchises out, and a couple of themes were consistent across the feedback (we received). One was around the breakdown, where they experienced tucked shoulders going in, which the franchises weren't happy with, and a reversed-arm non-wrapping action.
“The other was that the franchises were actually quite happy with the opportunities they created, getting into scoring positions around 10m out, with multiple lineout opportunities there, but they were frustrated they couldn't score from the driving maul. It's tough when there's someone pulling or trying to lift a leg or going off their feet. Those were probably the two main themes.
“We're all for the physical side of the game, as everyone is aware. We just want it to be within the laws. So, we're aware of it going into the game.”
Jones added: “We’ve coached against Dave Rennie (All Blacks head coach) with Glasgow and with Australia, and the word ‘brutal’ follows his coaching, and there are some amazing elements to how quickly they get their ruck speed going. But World Rugby's number one priority is safety, so we just want to make sure that physicality and brutality stay within the laws.”
Zooming into the match itself, Jones emphasised the importance of starting the match strongly, saying that New Zealand have always prided themselves on starting fast.
“We saw that in Auckland last year where they scored early, and we had to grind our way back,” he said.
“So, we know we have to start with a huge amount of intensity. It's almost a given when you play New Zealand that they start fast.”