Cobus Reinach said the Springboks must be switched on for 80 minutes to counter anything New Zealand throws at the world champions in Johannesburg on Saturday.
The third-round Rugby Championship clash at Ellis Park will be the first time since the 2023 Rugby World Cup final in Paris that the two teams will meet, with their second meeting of the year next week in Cape Town.
Veteran scrumhalf Reinach will join forces with exciting young flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, with the pair bearing the big responsibility of dictating play against the New Zealand duo of TJ Perenara and Damian McKenzie.
“It’s going to take a big team effort [to beat them],” said Reinach, who will be playing in his 35th Test.
“We just need to go out there, do our best, and make sure we don’t have any soft moments. We must be switched on all the time and be ready for whatever they throw at us.
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“Most of the players in their team have a unique skill of sorts, so we will have to be focused from the kick-off until the final hooter sounds. There have been times in the past when they’ve pulled a win out of the bag in the last 20 minutes, so it will take a full 80-minute effort.”
On playing alongside Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who has been a revelation at pivot for the Boks this season, Reinach was confident that he would not be intimidated by the occasion.
“Sacha has rugby in his blood,” he added. “I saw a thank you speech he did when he was 13 years-old, and that’s the type of confidence he has on the field.
“When he goes out there, he just wants to express himself, and as a team we all back him.
“He may be young, but he is not under pressure. We all have a job to do, and we back each other to do it, so if someone makes a mistake, we help each other, try to fix it, and move onto the next job.”
Reinach looks forward to the prospect of facing Perenara on Saturday and said he was a completely different player to the retired Aaron Smith: “TJ is a bigger and stronger lad, who likes confrontation and runs more.
“But their game hasn’t changes much. Most of the players in their team have an X factor.”
Photo: Dan Mullan/Getty Images
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Src: sarugbymag.co.za
