Buoyant Boks will look to sink shaky Kiwis
While Ellis Park has always been an ally for the Springboks, they will want to avoid going down to New Zealand for a third straight time at the iconic stadium in the Rugby Championship on Saturday afternoon.
With 10 points from their first two matches, the world champions head to a venue in Johannesburg where they last won in 2014 against the All Blacks, and they will be motivated not to extend the nine-year wait for a victory by another year.
The Kiwis won the last two clashes. in 2015 and 2022, and could get a rare three victories in a row at Ellis Park over their biggest rivals in world rugby should they win the 2024 showdown (5pm start).
It will be the first of two Tests on South African soil between the sides, the second is the next weekend in Cape Town, and after grabbing double wins in Australia for the first time in the professional era, the Springboks will be buoyed to continue their fine form since winning the World Cup.
They are up against a side they’ve got the best of in the last two match-ups and that will add extra motivation in front of their home fans.
The Webb Ellis trophy holders beat the All Blacks 12-11 in the final in Paris last year, while also inflicting a heavy defeat of 35-7 on their arch-rivals at Twickenham in a friendly ahead of the tournament.
With plenty of momentum behind them, the Springboks are on the verge of doing the three-peat over the New Zealanders for the first time since 2009 – coincidentally also the last time they won the expanded Rugby Championship. The Boks are hunting their first tournament win since 2019, under Erasmus, but that was a truncated one due to the World Cup in Japan played that year.
But now, they are one step closer to repeating the win of 2009 and the next two matches against their Kiwi counterparts could determine the outcome of the Championship even before the final two rounds start later in September.
The Springboks are in the fortunate position of having most of their players available for the matches, with only the five-lock position being a worrisome one with injuries to Franco Mostert, Lood de Jager and RG Snyman, who has recovered since missing out against Australia.
The injuries didn't impact the line-outs, scrummaging, or mauling of the Boks, and no physicality has been lost in the matches.
The attacking game plan also keeps evolving under new assistant coach Tony Brown, and his first clash against his former national team and fellow countrymen will be an interesting one. The one five-pointer South Africa leaked against the Wallabies also suggests that defence coach Jerry Flannery is adding to the blueprint established by former head coach Jacques Nienaber.
While the Boks scored 63 points and conceded only 19 against the Wallabies, things will be a bit tricky against the New Zealanders, known for their attacking style.
But looking at the players Erasmus has at his disposal and the knock the All Blacks took against Argentina in the first round, the Springboks, being at home and specifically Ellis Park, should have the advantage to stop another loss at one of their favourite grounds.
The playing field will be level the next weekend on the coast in Cape Town, and it will be crucial for the Boks to strike while the iron is hot and they have the momentum in the competition.