Experienced scrumhalf Cobus Reinach warned that the Springboks had to be switched on for the full 80 minutes and be ready to counter anything the All Blacks throw at them when the teams cross paths in Johannesburg on Saturday at 5pm.
The third round Castle Lager Rugby Championship match at Emirates Airline Park will be the first time since the Rugby World Cup final in Paris last year that the two teams will meet, with the second encounter next week at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town.
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.
“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,” said Reinach. “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 looked 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.”
Springbok starting XV: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse; 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach; 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Ben-Jason Dixon, 6 Siya Kolisi (capt); 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Pieter-Steph du Toit; 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ox Nche. Replacements: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Eben Etzebeth, 20 Elrigh Louw, 21 Kwagga Smith, 22 Grant Williams, 23 Handre Pollard.
All Black starting XV: 15 Beauden Barrett, 14 Will Jordan, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Caleb Clarke; 10 Damian McKenzie, 9 TJ Perenara; 8 Ardie Savea, 7 Sam Cane, 6 Ethan Blackadder; 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 4 Scott Barrett (capt); 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Tamaiti Williams. Replacements: 16 Asafo Aumua, 17 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Sam Darry, 20 Samipeni Finau, 21 Cortez Ratima, 22 Anton Lienert-Brown, 23 Mark Tele’a.
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