‘All Blacks amped for Springbok challenge,’ says Mark Tele’a

Exciting All Blacks winger Mark Tele’a is expecting a huge challenge when they take on the world champion Springboks in their Rugby Championship encounter at Ellis Park on Saturday evening (kick-off 5pm).

Tele’a enjoyed a breakout year for the All Blacks last year and is looking to build on that, as he targets another good showing against the Springboks, like he enjoyed against them in Auckland and in the World Cup final last year.

Saturday will be his first game for the All Blacks against the Boks in South Africa, having played in Pretoria and Cape Town previously with the Blues in Super Rugby.

“It is always an exciting challenge against South Africa. The boys have been getting amped up for it as we have built throughout the week. We are taking each day as it comes and as it gets closer the excitement rises, so we are looking forward to it and know the challenge that is coming,” said Tele’a.

Speaking about the challenge of playing on the Highveld he said: “It gets hard on the lungs real quick and the altitude kicks in fast. But every game here is like a Test match, even when it was Super Rugby. I think it is going to be a very physical challenge with them here on their home soil.”

Youngsters

The All Blacks have a number of youngsters in their squad, with over 10 players having never played a franchise or international game in the country, but Tele’a claims they have more than enough experience to offset that.

“We aren’t worried about that because we have a lot of experience in our team and they will pass that down to the youngsters. We want the young guys to come through, enjoy the journey, and embrace the cultures and experiences they are going through,” said Tele’a.

“There is a massive respect for both sides. We are both (Boks and All Blacks) fierce competitors. They are a team that won the World Cup last year and even now are still showing their dominance.

“We are a team that is still building and learning. We are trying to find and stack up some good performances, so we are looking forward to Saturday to show what we can do.”

Following this weekend’s game the All Blacks and Boks will head down to Cape Town for the second game of the mini-tour, and Tele’a is expecting a bigger challenge there, so is hopeful that they will have a good start in the first game.

“When you are playing a team back-to-back it is not easy. The second game is always going to be a harder challenge. So the first hit out is going to be exciting and everyone must come down with their cameras to watch and enjoy the game,” explained Tele’a.