Acknowledging New Zealand’s track record and traditional support in the Mother City, assistant coach Jason Ryan said the All Blacks must raise their intensity to beat the Springboks on Saturday, reports DEVIN HERMANUS.
The All Blacks will make their debut at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday, a rematch of the thrilling clash between the teams in Johannesburg last week.
The world champions played catch-up for most of the match before sealing a 31-27 victory.
South Africa and New Zealand last crossed swords in Cape Town in 2019, with the Kiwis edging it 25-24 at Newlands, and the men from the Land of the Long White Cloud have lost once in five Tests in the shadow of Table Mountain during the professional era.
The All Blacks will be back at sea level and in a city where they traditionally enjoy strong support. Ryan emphasised the importance of putting in an 80-minute performance while making the most of the conditions.
“It was a big Test [on Saturday] and there was a lot of physicality, as expected. Big contest in terms of collisions, set pieces and tackles made, and with intensity. A lot bigger than we’ve had throughout the year so far,” he told reporters during a press conference in Cape Town on Monday.
“We’re looking to build on that. We never finished the game as well as we could’ve and we’ve spoken about it in our reviews.
“We’re by no means overlooking or sugar-coating it [but] we’ve got guys coming on [in the final 20 minutes] who’ve played a handful of Tests, and it was some atmosphere at Ellis Park, against the best team in the world.”
“It’s a balance between keeping consistency in the squad and selections, and also being brave in giving guys opportunity, so they can learn what this intensity is like” he added.
“It’s a lot bigger contest, mentally and physically [playing the Boks in SA]. Every Test match is different, and [in Saturday’s] Test the collisions, intensity and physicality was right up there.
“The encouraging signs are that we played some footy, and we want to play some footy… but we can stand here and say we want to respond but we should respond every match.”
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Cape Town used to be a regular fixture on New Zealand tours to South Africa, and is home to arguably the country’s largest base of All Blacks fans.
The All Blacks were met at Cape Town International Airport by a host of local fans on Sunday. Addressing the reception and the prospect of tackling the four-time World Cup winners in the Western Cape, Ryan adds, “Table-top Mountain is out there, that’s not a bad view for breakfast!
“I remember how our Super Rugby teams used to get welcomed here; it’s a good network of fans, and it meant a lot to the boys to get that welcome… a bit overwhelmed by the numbers actually.
“Dunno why there’s so much support, must be the coastline and mountains!”
“It is a nice spot but we can’t let that distract us either, we’ve got a job to do. We pride ourselves on our performances at Ellis Park, and Cape Town, and we’ll build our week for this week’s contest.”
Photo: @AllBlacks/Twitter
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