Freedom Cup first, then Rugby Champs, says Boks’ Mzwandile Stick

The Springboks are pumped up and ready to go all out as they attempt to wrestle the Freedom Cup back from the All Blacks when they battle it out in their Rugby Championship clash at the Cape Town Stadium on Saturday (5pm).

The last time the Boks won the Freedom Cup was back in the Tri-Nations (before Argentina joined the competition) in 2009 and since then the All Blacks have won it every year.

To get the cup back you have to pick up two wins in the same year’s competition, and that is something that the Boks haven’t been able to do, although they have a golden opportunity to do that this time round.

‘Special trophy’

“It is very important. We (the team and management since 2018) have never been able to win the Freedom Cup against the All Blacks,” said assistant Boks coach Mzwandile Stick on Friday.

“Because when you hold the trophy, the other team has to beat you twice in the competition in that year, and that is something we as a group have not done. We have done well against them, but we have won one game and then they have won the other and they have been able to retain the Freedom Cup.

“It is a very special trophy and if you look at where we are as a country, reaching 30 years of democracy, I think that trophy speaks volumes of what we stand for as the Springbok team.”

The Boks found themselves in this same position in 2022. They were in top form and had won the first game between the teams 26-10 in Mbombela but then lost the second match 35-23 a week later in Joburg.

“We have definitely spoken about that experience. You can never be comfortable playing against the All Blacks. We know they are going to be a desperate team. You saw how they responded after losing to us at the Mbombela Stadium, they bounced straight back,” said Stick.

All Blacks quality

“That’s the quality of the New Zealand team. If you are not at your best on the day they will put you away. We also learnt a lesson from what happened to Argentina earlier in the championship after they won the first game (against the All Blacks in Wellington) and they lost the second game by 40 points (in Auckland).”

Stick added that Scott Robertson’s side would be an even more dangerous team at the Cape Town Stadium than they were last week, saying: “They have world class players and are a well coached side. On a day if you’re not at your best they will punish you.

“Even more so now with some of the changes they have made to their team. If you look at that back three (in the backline) you don’t want to give those guys space and time to make decisions.

“So we have learnt from the past, and you can’t underestimate an All Blacks team. But we have done everything in our power to make sure that we are well prepared for the game.”

A win for the Boks would secure them the Rugby Championship trophy with two rounds of matches remaining. The world champions lead the way with 14 log points, followed by New Zealand with six, and then it’s Argentina with five and Australia with four.