They’ve got the Rugby Championship trophy in the bag, but don’t for one minute think the All Blacks won’t be as motivated as always when they clash with the Springboks at Ellis Park on Saturday.
Steve Hansen’s men have an unbeaten record that stretches back to the end of 2012 to keep intact and they’ll be as keen as ever to knock over the Boks in their backyard.
For Heyneke Meyer and his charges, the match presents an opportunity to beat the world champions for the first time since the former Bulls boss took charge of the team.
It’s really pride and bragging rights at stake this weekend, something All Blacks lock Sam Whitelock referred to yesterday on the team’s arrival in Joburg.
“If the guys aren’t motivated for this, they shouldn’t be here,” said the lock forward. “The guys are ready to go and they’re excited.”
Whitelock added the fact the Boks aren’t going to be chasing a four-try bonus point win – as was the case last year when the title was still on the line when the teams met – would make the hosts a far more threatening proposition.
“It makes them more dangerous,” said the Crusaders man. “They love scoring tries, we’ve seen that this year. They’ve expanded their game, they’ve got speed and they play with width. Stopping them will be the first thing for us.”
Whitelock said the Boks are far from being the one-dimensional team some believe them to be.
“They put us under real pressure in Wellington (three weeks ago). They’re a very good defensive unit and that made that game very close.
“But whatever’s happened is in the past. We’re going to have to show up and match them in what will be another big physical battle.”
Whitelock missed the match in Wellington with a rib injury, robbing the viewing public of a showdown between arguably two of the better locks in the game at the moment.
The 26-year-old has been compared to Bok line-out kingpin Victor Matfield and with both in line to feature this weekend, a masterclass in the line-outs is in the offing. The two men have faced each other before, but not in their prime.
“I was playing off the bench when Victor was starting (in 2010 and 2011), but we’ve clashed before. You can’t get caught up in personal battles though. If you do, there’s a good chance your game’ll come unstuck. It’s all about focusing on the unit,” Whitelock said.
The lanky second-row did, however, admit he’d learnt a fair bit about line-out play from the Bok veteran.
“You learn from players in all high-level games, be they from South Africa or New Zealand. You draw as much as you can from those guys... and Victor is no different.”
Asked whether he thought Matfield’s return to Test rugby after a two-year absence had boosted the Boks, Whitelock said: “When you bring someone back with over 100 Tests behind them, they’re going to make an impact. Victor’s not only been good in the line-outs, but across the board.”
Centre Ryan Crotty and hooker Dane Coles have joined the All Blacks squad after missing out in Argentina, while the only injury worry is that of lock Brodie Retalick, who took a knock to the head in La Plata last weekend. - The Star