Rugby

Boks will make history at Mount Smart


Defending world champions, the Springboks have an excessive amount of class to not proper the wrongs of 2022 and beat the All Blacks in Auckland on Saturday, writes MARK KEOHANE.

South Africa and New Zealand will conflict at Mount Good Stadium within the second spherical of the Rugby Championship, after claiming respective wins over Australia and Argentina final week.

It’s 86 years and 9 Assessments for the reason that Boks final received in Auckland, the place they suffered a 57-0 drubbing to New Zealand in 2017. That rating stays the largest margin in Assessments between the rugby powerhouses.

Final 12 months, the South Africans surrendered the championship title at Ellis Park, dropping their killer intuition when the Kiwis have been at their most weak – a last-minute Scott Barrett strive wrapped up a 35-22 victory for the vacationers and denied the hosts a vital dropping bonus level.

In his TimesLIVE columnKeohane argues {that a} 16% successful return for the Boks in New Zealand is irrelevant this weekend, and what’s related is that in 2018, they beat the All Blacks 36-34 in Wellington and a 12 months later drew 16-all, once more in Wellington.

KEO: It is okay to applaud a golden Springboks performance

“Historical past suggests the ache will belong to the Springboks, however in the event you delve barely deeper historical past may be deceptive,” he writes. “[Eben] Etzebeth and his World Cup-winning teammates have skilled successful in opposition to the All Blacks in New Zealand.

“Mentally, they’ve it and the historical past that Bok coaches Jacques Nienaber and Rassie Erasmus will lean on is that the All Blacks haven’t crushed their squad in New Zealand. It’s one Bok win and a draw since Erasmus and Nienaber took cost.

“On Saturday, the Boks get to proper the wrongs of Ellis Park and they are going to be filthy with themselves that they didn’t bury the All Blacks at Ellis Park.

“They get to vary that at Mount Good, and I consider they’ve an excessive amount of class and high quality throughout the match-day squad to come back unstuck.

“Neglect historical past, these Springboks might be historical past makers in Auckland on Saturday.”

Picture: Shaun Roy/BackpagePix


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Printed : 2023-07-14 08:14:50

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