All Blacks coach Dave Rennie says his side is ready to face the Springboks in a four-Test series that will be tougher than a World Cup.
The tourists head into Saturday’s first Test at Ellis Park having beaten the Stormers, Sharks and Vodacom Bulls, but Rennie knows facing the back-to-back world champions will represent a significant step up.
“We’re well aware of the quality of the side that we’ll play against and the pressure that they’ll bring,” Rennie told the media on Monday.
“Certainly the line speed will be a hell of a lot higher than what we faced on the weekend [against the Bulls], especially, and in any of those games, and then the intensity throughout.
“We’ve got a number of guys who have played a lot of footy here in South Africa and we know we’re going to have to be really good.
“We’re going to have to play at our best and force them to be below their best.”
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Rennie believes the All Blacks have benefited significantly from their three tour matches despite the quality of the opposition.
“We’ve played a lot of players – all bar three of the touring party have played and got good minutes, which has been good for us.
“There have been some genuinely high-quality performances from individuals and that’s put a lot of pressure on us.
“When we name our side, we’re going to leave out some really good players. But in four Tests, I think we’ll end up using 30-odd players anyway.
“It’s a hell of a series, isn’t it? Playing the world champions in South Africa over four Tests, massive interest all over the world, a huge amount of Kiwis coming over here to travel and embrace it.
“We’re really excited and we’ll definitely be ready.”
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Rennie expects the Boks to stick to what they’re good at.
“You play to your strengths. They’ll see [the scrum] as a strength. I think our scrum will bar up.
“I think what they’ve been good at is applying a lot of pressure. Back-to-back penalties, put you in a corner, and they’re the best in the world at turning that pressure into points down there.
“They lead a lot of key metrics against all the other teams in the world.
“Our discipline will be really important, our accuracy will be really important, our set-piece will be massive.
“But that’s exciting. We get an opportunity to measure up against the best in the world, so the boys are looking forward to it.”
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And when asked whether playing four consecutive Tests against the Springboks would be tougher than navigating a World Cup, Rennie was unequivocal.
“A lot tougher than a World Cup.
“But it’s great, isn’t it? Both sides will be about a year out from a World Cup by the time we finish the series, so we’ll certainly learn a lot while we’re here.”
Photo: Phil Walter/Getty Images
