Springbok assistant coach Jerry Flannery said his team has to be at its best next weekend to break their hoodoo at Eden Park in Auckland, where the Boks last won a match in 1937, as they aim for consistency in performance with an eye on trying to defend their Rugby Championship title.
Springbok experienced scrumhalf Faf de Klerk will join Rassie Erasmus’ side in New Zealand for the second leg of their Rugby Championship campaign against the All Blacks, where they will play matches in Auckland and Wellington, as additional cover in the key position.
Springbok assistant coach Tony Brown has labeled the Boks’ match against the All Blacks at the iconic Eden Park as their biggest challenge since the 2023 Rugby World Cup final, when the teams meet in Auckland next Saturday in the first of two Tests in New Zealand.
The Springboks are set to get down to business after arriving in Auckland on Wednesday in high spirits ahead of the back-to-back Test matches against the All Blacks in the Rugby Championship in the next three weeks.
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has announced a powerful squad for the upcoming two-Test series against the All Blacks in New Zealand, with captain Siya Kolisi, World Rugby Player of the Year Pieter-Steph du Toit, all returning from injury.
SA Rugby has confirmed that Springbok prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye received an “adverse analytical finding” from a drug test conducted by the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport (SAIDS).
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus welcomed a morale-boosting victory over Australia at DHL Stadium in Cape Town on Saturday but said the hopes of retaining the Rugby Championship still rested on victory in New Zealand.
Springbok assistant coach Mzwandile Stick and captain Siya Kolisi said on Friday their Rugby Championship opener against the Wallabies at Ellis Park on Saturday would be their toughest Test so far this season, but they were confident the team was at the level they needed to be going into the encounter.
The Springboks wrapped up their two-week conditioning camp in Johannesburg on Thursday, where they continued to put in the hard yards for the Rugby Championship, and the excitement among the three Junior Springbok World Rugby U20 Championship winners was etched on their faces after what they described as an opportunity of a lifetime.