The Big Debate: Will the Springboks spring a surprise?
We asked two of our writers who'll win Saturday's Rugby Championship Test in Albany.
Will the Springboks break their New Zealand hoodoo? Photo: Getty Images.
You’d excuse people who are sceptical about the Springboks’ chances against the All Blacks in Albany on Saturday.
The world champions continue to churn out victories despite not always playing all that well in 2017, while the Springboks are improving but still have flaws.
We asked two of our writers to argue who they’ll think win this Test.
HEINZ SCHENK says: The Springboks will win (just)
Jake White and Heyneke Meyer, two of the Springboks’ more decorated coaches, always said South African rugby shouldn’t try to beat the All Blacks by copying them.
That wisdom still rings true.
No side in world rugby has the ability to rattle the All Blacks more than the Springboks.
South Africa don’t do well against the Kiwis when they try to be fancy.
It’s when they are “boring” and abrasive that they are at their best.
This current Bok group seems to understand that.
They pride themselves on tight defence, dominating the scrums and being bruising in the collisions.
The Springboks can’t compete yet with the All Blacks on a skills level, so what you do then is drag them down to your level.
If the Boks can tackle like demons, force the All Blacks to make mistakes (they’ve made 111 handling errors to date) and strike on the counterattack, this could be a historic victory.
And there shouldn’t be any worries over South Africa’s conditioning: their replacements add real value in the last 20 minutes.
RUDOLPH JACOBS says: The All Blacks will win
There are many arguments on why the All Blacks should continue with their dominance over the Springboks, despite South Africa experiencing an upturn in fortunes and showing passionate resilience since last season.
The All Blacks love playing against the Springboks and have a psychological hold on them having won nine of the last 10 Tests between the two countries.
On Kiwi soil it’s even worse.
The All Blacks haven’t lost to the Springboks for eight years since the Boks beat them there in 2009 by 32-29 in Hamilton.
They know how to win tight matches and are actually more dangerous when they are backed into a corner.
That’s when their clinical patience and undying thirst of closing out tight matches comes to the fore.
The Springboks’ time will come but, for now, the All Blacks remain almost invincible.
They are so superbly equipped to change the area of attack and their conditioning sets them a cut above the rest … by some distance.
