New Zealand captain Scott Barrett said they are out to avoid a repeat of the 'scars' Springbok tightheads Du Toit and Louw inflicted.
All Blacks captain Scott Barrett said his team is still very much feeling the “scars” of last week’s scrums and have worked hard in training to prevent a repeat in their second Test against the Springboks.
The teams clash at Sky Stadium in Wellington at 9.05am on Saturday after New Zealand won the first game 24–17 at Eden Park in Auckland.
The All Blacks top of the Rugby Championship table with 10 points, one point ahead of Australia and five ahead of South Africa and Argentina, with three rounds of matches left.
Bok tightheads hurt the All Blacks
Springbok tighthead Thomas du Toit and his 61st minute replacement Wilco Louw both shone in scrum-time at Eden Park. They won penalties and turnovers that gave the Springboks much momentum when they were not falling by their own hand with their mistakes.
Both players kept their spots in an otherwise much-changed team.
“This playing group if anything feels more on edge knowing the Boks are going to respond,” Barrett said. “It’s going to be a great occasion again. The Boks are certainly going to be better. So if we don’t move we won’t keep up.”
He said the All Blacks were looking forward to playing in front of another sold-out home crowd, and potentially winning the Freedom Cup.
He said the All Blacks focused on scrums, the breakdown and phyisicality ahead of the Test.
“There are a few scars,” he said of the scrums in the first Test. “It’s a tighthead against an All Black pack. That one hurts.
“The scars – I’m probably putting it too bluntly – it’s a scare. It’s right in the forefront of the pack’s mind, getting that right. We certainly don’t want that to happen again, and we want to be our best, giving the backs the ball that they need. Certainly not giving the Springboks penalties and entries into our half.
“We want to turn up at every scrum with the right mindset to scrum. If you’re not there you’ll certainly get spat out by a strong Springboks pack, as they always do.”
300th Test for Barretts combined
If all goes to plan, Saturday will mark the 300th Test appearance combined for Barrett and his brothers Beauden and Jordie.
“The parents will be pretty proud,” the All Blacks captain said. “We’ll look back on that as a huge achievement for our family. We’ll certainly want to make it a memorable one.”
