The Boks are hunting a first win over the All Blacks at Eden Park since 1937, while they last played at the ground in 2013.
Springboks assistant coach Mzwandile Stick says history won’t matter when the Boks and All Blacks get down to business in their Rugby Championship encounter at fortress Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday (9:05am SA time).
The build up to the huge clash has been full of talk about the hosts’ incredible record at the ground, where they have gone unbeaten in 50 matches since 1994, while the Boks haven’t won there since 1937.
But due to a combination of the Boks having not played there much, the last time being in 2013, and them having beaten the All Blacks in their last four straight games, there is a good chance that the visiting South Africans can break that hoodoo.
Stick said that the game would be a proper test of the Boks’ credentials to retain their Rugby Championship title, and a win over their old foes at home would go a long way towards doing that.
“I don’t think the history has that much impact on us. Out of the group of players we’ve got now, only three guys (namely Siya Kolisi, Eben Etzebeth and Willie le Roux) have played here before, so that history doesn’t count to us. What matters is what’s going to happen tomorrow (Saturday),” explained Stick.
“They take a lot of pride in their history and their legacy at this stadium. But for us the legacy is in the Springbok jersey. We have to make sure we protect it and represent our country with pride and dignity.
“If you want to win the competition, you have to beat the best, and there’s no better team to play than the All Blacks in New Zealand.”
Early arrival
The Boks arrived in New Zealand early last week, to make sure they would be fully prepared and ready for the match, but there was a question of if they had possibly overprepared themselves ahead of the important match, but Stick completely dismissed those worries.
“One of the key things was to make sure we acclimatised properly. When it comes to the time difference it’s a crazy 10-hour difference. So we had to get here early and then the most important thing was the recovery with the players,” said Stick.
“The players spent the first two days on recovery and a bit of gym work, and then had training sessions on Friday and Saturday. So we definitely haven’t overworked them.
“We’ve got a very experienced S&C (strength and conditioning) department run by Andy (Edwards) and Sebastian (Prim). They know exactly what needs to be done to get the players ready for the game and we trust them.
“So we have had a good week of prep. The vibe in Auckland has been great, everyone is talking about this game, but for us the focus has been on making sure we’re ready.”
