All Blacks skipper Scott Barrett is using the heartbreak of the 2023 Rugby World Cup final loss to the Springboks as motivation when the teams clash on Saturday.
The world champions host New Zealand in the Rugby Championship at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, before the rivalry makes its debut at Cape Town Stadium next week.
Following their win when the two teams met in Paris less than a year ago, the Boks are looking to claim three wins in a row over the Kiwis for just the second time in the professional era, matching the record set in 2009.
Barrett, who played the full 80 minutes in the World Cup showpiece, is back in the starting XV after missing New Zealand’s shock loss to Argentina on 17 August as well as the Kiwis’ emphatic win over Los Pumas two weeks ago with a finger injury.
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Speaking in an All Blacks conference on Friday, ‘Scooter’ told reporters that the disappointment from that defeat still lingers.
““I can’t change anything that happened from the final [but] probably won’t ever get over that,” the powerful lock said. “It’s about this group turning up tomorrow night.
“Ellis Park against the Springboks, there’s no other Test like it and that’s what we’re excited about.”
The Kiwis enter the match as underdogs but remain confident. They have an impressive record at Ellis Park over the last 20 years, with three wins (2013, 2015 and 2022) and only two defeats (2004 and 2014).
Barrett, though, noted that South Africa has developed a well-rounded game, stating, “They can challenge you with an arm-wrestle and a real battle at set-piece if they tactically want to go there, and the flip side of that is they’ve shown the last couple of weeks that they can certainly attack.
“Even against Ireland in the [July] series, they’re playing some attacking rugby so we’re anticipating, we’re prepared for that and we’re excited by that.”
Photo: Paul Harding/Getty Images
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Src: sarugbymag.co.za
