OPINION: How the Springboks Can Defeat the All Blacks at Mt. Smart

One of rugby’s greatest rivalries fires up again this weekend when the Springboks head to the unfamiliar ground of Mt. Smart in Auckland, New Zealand, to take on the All Blacks for Round 2 of the Rugby Championship; but with both sides having somewhat interesting encounters last week, there are a few areas of concern for both sides.

Selection-wise, the Springboks have opted for a ‘fresh’ team to take on the All Blacks, with 10 of the 14 players who travelled to New Zealand a week ago to acclimatise to the conditions and time zone in his matchday squad, with a peppering of some faces from the Australia clash, like that of Willie le Roux and Lukhanyo Am.

Interestingly, this is something that New Zealand also appears to have done, albeit in a different way, bringing in a host of changes which sees the All Blacks front up with a much bigger pack and speedier backs than last week’s battle with Argentina.

It’s likely a reaction to the Boks’ new team-announcement-mind-game played by Jacques Nienaber, revealing the SA team earlier in the week than usual to perhaps adjust the selection bias of his New Zealand counterparts (this is speculative, but makes sense given the South Africans penchant for shenanigans).

With the inclusion of Eben Etzebeth, Lood de Jager, Kwagga Smith, Franco Mostert, and the rampaging Jasper Wiese, the All Blacks know they’re in for a physical challenge, so they’ve thrown their bigger boys into the mix, with Brodie Retallick and Samisoni Taukei’aho coming back into the mix.

The backline of the All Blacks features arguably the most dangerous runners on the New Zealand roster currently, with Richie Mo’unga, Mark Telea, Jordie Barrett, Rieko Ioane, Will Jordan, and Beauden Barrett starting. If you had to choose the slipperiest backline in the world, this is it. So, thinking that the All Blacks are aiming to dominate the Boks with big carries would be foolish — they’re going to try and outrun the Springboks.

With that said, the Boks also showed a far greater desire to attack against Australia last weekend, especially down the blindside of the field, resulting in some great tries. However, the Wallabies’ defence was (admittedly) poor and lacked the physicality to stop the Boks. It’s unlikely that the All Blacks will make the same mistake, and a far bigger New Zealand pack paired with this very fast backline will switch the Boks from the attacking flair of last week back to the defensive fort that we’ve come to know the Springboks be.

Another concern for the All Blacks is their ability to close out games. Traditionally, the All Blacks have upped the tempo in the final 20 minutes, often winning games they seemed destined to lose. As of late, they’ve seemed to slip off the accelerator in the second-half, and conceeding more points than they should’ve (just look at the game against Argentina).

If the Springboks are able to dominate the physical collisions and prevent Aaron Smith from getting the ball away quickly (which is an area targetted in the past), it’ll hurt the All Blacks’ ability to counterattack, leaving them chasing the scoreline, and stop them from generating those game-breaking moments in the dying minutes. They’ll have to rely on the set-pieces — and this is an area that the Boks are currently superior at.

Prediction:

Springboks by 5.

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Photo cred: Facebook / Springboks