Springbok assistant coach Mzwandile Stick and captain Siya Kolisi have admitted that they had learned many lessons from last weekend’s 24-17 defeat against the All Blacks in Auckland as they gear up for Saturday’s ‘rematch’ against their arch-rivals in Wellington.
“A lot of the players in the backline have been in the system for a long time, and we think they are good combinations,” said Stick.
“Last week we had two soft moments early in the match, and we’ve learned from that. So, this week we must be at our best for the full 80 minutes.
“We also need to make sure that we are clinical in our execution and that we convert our chances into points.”
The Springbok skipper, who will earn his 96th Test cap when he takes the field, admitted that while there were some similarities between this match and playing a Rugby World Cup final, it was a different prospect altogether.
“It’s going to be an intense match and will be important for us to keep calm and composed, which is almost the same as one would expect in a World Cup final,” said Kolisi.
“That said, there’s enough motivation to win this game, so our preparation is the same as it would be for every Test match. We have high standards, and we want to deliver a good performance that our country and supporters can be proud of.”
The match kicks off at 09:05 (SA time) and will be broadcast live on SuperSport.
KEEP TRACK OF THE LIVE SCORING AS THE SPRINGBOKS AND ALL BLACKS DO BATTLE
Match information
Springboks: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Canan Moodie, 12 Damian Willemse, 11 Ethan Hooker, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Lood de Jager, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nche.
Replacements: 16 Marnus van der Merwe, 17 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Kwagga Smith, 21 Grant Williams, 22 Manie Libbok, 23 Andre Esterhuizen.
All Blacks – 15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Will Jordan, 13 Billy Proctor, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Leroy Carter, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Noah Hotham, 8 Wallace Sititi, 7 Ardie Savea, 6 Simon Parker, 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 4 Scott Barrett (captain), 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 1 Ethan de Groot.
Replacements: 16 Brodie McAlister, 17 Tamaiti Williams, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Fabian Holland, 20 Du’Plessis Kirifi, 21 Finlay Christie, 22 Quinn Tupaea, 23 Ruben Love.
Date: Saturday, September 8
Venue: Wellington Regional Stadium
Kick-off: 09.05 SA time
Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia)
Assistant referees: Angus Gardner (Australia), Jordan Way (Australia)
TMO: Eric Gauzins (France)
Stats and facts:
Springbok record against the All Blacks:
Played: 109, Won: 42, Lost: 63, Drawn: 4. Points for: 1 807; Points against: 2 259; Tries scored: 175; Tries conceded: 247. Win %: 38.6%.
Miscellaneous:
- Should the Springboks win the match, they will retain the Freedom Cup against New Zealand, which they won for the first time last year since 2009.
- The last time the teams met at the Sky Stadium was in 2019, where they played to a 16-16 draw, with the Boks winning the previous encounter between the sides 36-34 at the stadium.
- Springbok flanker Siya Kolisi will play his 96th Test match, leaving him only four matches short of becoming the ninth Springbok centurion in the history of the game. He will lead South Africa for the 64th time.
- Jasper Wiese will return to the Springbok team for the first time since the team’s 45-0 victory against Italy in Gqeberha after serving a four-match suspension.
- The total Test caps in the Springbok starting line-up is 626. There are 173 caps in the backline, with 453 caps among the forwards. On the bench, there are a further 193 caps.
- The average caps per player in the backline is 25, the forwards 57, while the players on the bench average 24.
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