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All Blacks prop George Bower has message for the Bok scrum
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'They don't play hide and seek': Springboks react to All Blacks' selection tweaks
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The Springboks say the All Blacks have sent a message with their selections for the third Test of the Greatest Rivalry series, and that message has been received loud and clear.
New Zealand selectors have turned to some fresh bodies for the must-win Soweto Test, knowing a loss this week would eliminate their chances of a series win. The tweaks have all come in the forward pack, where Asafo Aumua, Sam Darry and Peter Lakai have been injected into the starting lineup at the expense of Codie Taylor, Simon Parker and Fabian Holland, although the latter has remained in the matchday 23.
The moves prioritise dynamism and reward the form that Aumua and Lakai have shown off the bench in recent weeks. For Springboks assistant coach Mzwandile Stick, it shows the All Blacks are doubling down on their DNA.
“I think the message is clear: they don’t play hide and seek; they tell. They talk about how they want to play, and when they get to the field, they play exactly that way,” Stick told media in Johannesburg on the eve of the game.
“We can all see that New Zealand want to use the ball in play time; they want to keep the ball in hand. And if you look at the personnel that are in their team now, a guy like (Peter) Lakai starting; every time he comes off the bench, he brings massive impact for them. (Wallace) Sititi’s on the bench; that shows they want more ball-players so they can keep the ball in play. (Asafo) Aumua is also one of the good, strong ball-carriers.
“That’s one thing I like about where we are currently; we’ve got our DNA, they’ve got theirs. I don’t think these guys will change.”
While the series currently sits at one game apiece, New Zealand have outscored South Africa by nine tries to four, scoring more tries in both games despite losing in Cape Town. South Africa’s superior discipline and accuracy off the tee have made up the difference on the scoreboard, but coach Stick knows that points can come thick and fast if New Zealand can get the ball wide.
“We don’t want to concede any tries. But let’s give compliments to the way they play; you can see their team have confidence,” he responded when asked about the linebreaks and points South Africa have leaked in the wide channels.
“The players did their best. With their new personnel in their coaching staff, you can see they are starting to believe as a group.
“Some of the tries they scored were well-earned tries, execution-wise. We also take pride in how we defend, so I wouldn’t say I see a problem in our system; but it’s not like we’re not going to concede any points.
“If I use both games as a reference, we also had opportunities in the first game; if I were to talk about stats, I think we had about 10 or 11 22-metre entries and only converted one. When they got an opportunity later with those yellow cards, they played the gap. That’s the nature of this competition; we talk about the Greatest Rivalry, now I feel the actions between the four lines are speaking to that.”
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