One can go back to schoolboy rugby where you can still hear the coaches telling you that all matches matter.
For fans, that’s old school. We can afford to mentally write-off certain matches. That’s what many All Black fans did two weekends ago after the All Black loss to the Springboks in Wellington.
We heard how the real winner was rugby union, how this was a needed tonic for the mighty All Blacks and how it came at the right time for SA Rugby.
With the long shadows of the setting Highveld sun cast over the Loftus Versfeld pitch, the Springboks and All Blacks will once again go at it this coming Saturday. The ABs have secured the Championship, but when it comes to the Bok-AB rivalry, this match has more riding on it than any other since these two sides played at Twickenham for rights to play in the World Cup 2015 final.
A Springbok win puts a solid marker down than it can accomplish back to back victories against the All Blacks, something no other side has done since the Boks last accomplished this feat back in 2009. A Springbok win, perhaps most importantly, demonstrates that this is indeed a team on the rise and that it can beat the world’s best rugby side with significant ball possession.
It is hard to see this All Black squad being defeated consecutively by the same side with less than 50% ball possession. Against the Pumas last weekend, All Black coach Steve Hansen clearly reigned in his players from the free-range style of play that was evident over the last couple of Championship seasons.
The pace of their play was notably slower and while this may not have made for as entertaining a match, the word was clearly out: Leave no chance for the opposition to score against the run of play.
The Boks know full-well that this time around there will be no offerings in the gift-giving department. To secure a victory on Saturday, the Boks will have to play 80 minutes the old-fashioned way: maintain possession, win their own lineouts and scrums and tackle well.
Sometimes old school is the best school.
Sgt Pepperoni
Roar Rookie
Strange to go for a 5-3 bench? Maybe Tassie can invent the 8-0 bench
Oblonsky‘s Other Pun
Roar Guru
Haha!
Harry Jones
Expert
Hahaha,nice.
Bokgat
Roar Rookie
You think nz are the most physical in the world? That’s a big call
Bokgat
Roar Rookie
Selection looking good. First fifteen quite diverse each week, and so refreshing that quotas are therefore not the priority. Can not argue either way which is great!
Harry Jones
Expert
Springboks: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Aphiwe Dyantyi, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Francois Louw, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Steven Kitshoff. Subs: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Beast Mtawarira, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 21 Embrose Papier, 22 Elton Jantjies, 23 Damian Willemse. Flo in, Notshe to bench: extra help at the BD. Koch in; Wilco out. Another big ball carrier in last 20:00. DdeA in; Andre out. SBW v DdeA tends to be exciting clash. Willemse probably gets a gallop in this one. ABs almost always score 30-35 on the High Veld. Boks will need to take all chances for points.
Yep, this is going to be the lit us test for this Springbok team. The All Blacks will not assume or take anything for granted in this test. They will leave no stone unturned, they will search every outhouse, nuthouse, greenhouse, guesthouse for every point available. They will use their 62% of possession and their 59% of territory to the utmost. They will exploit every gap and not let the space behind the rush defence go to waste. If the Springboks manage to pull this win off it will be even miraculous than the previous win, because now the AB's now we are coming.
Oblonsky‘s Other Pun
Roar Guru
Really looking forward to the match. The greatest rivalry in our sport finally has some build up and tension again. The best team in the world up against perhaps the most physical team in the world that is really building and has confidence for the first time in years. Can't wait.