Scrum guru Daan Human said the Springboks are bracing for an almighty response from the All Blacks ahead of Saturday’s rematch in Cape Town.
The Springboks returned to the training field on Monday, having travelled down to Cape Town on Sunday after the thrilling 31-27 victory over the All Blacks in Johannesburg.
Last week’s third successive win over their arch-rivals marked only the second time in the professional era that the Boks had achieved a trio of wins, with the other occasion in 2009.
A victory for the Springboks in Cape Town would mark only the second time in history that they win four matches in a row against the All Blacks. The last won four in a row between 1937 and 1949 – when the Boks went on to win six consecutive Tests against the Kiwis.
It would also be the first four-peat since rugby unity in South Africa in the early 1990s, while victory at Cape Town Stadium would also see the Boks clinch the Freedom Cup for the first time since 2009.
Human, though, said the Springboks are expecting a backlash from the All Blacks and are focusing on building on their unbeaten start to the southern hemisphere tournament.
“The All Blacks made a massive comeback against Argentina after going down in their first match of the competition,” said Human.
“They are a world-class team, so we are expecting them to fight back equally hard this week. As a side, we have a lot of respect for them, and we know what they are capable of doing.
“That said, we are concentrating on our game and to control what we can in the game this weekend.”
With the team having had a chance to review last weekend’s match, where they fell 27-17 behind before fighting back in the last 20 minutes, Human said there was room for improvement, although he said it was important not to forget the quality of the All Black team.
“We had our review and we feel there’s a lot we can work on and improve on,” said Human.
“That said, New Zealand are a quality side, and they are tough outfit to face, so one needs to be realistic about expecting great results against them in all departments.”
Photo: Anton Geyser/Gallo Images
