Locked in: All Blacks prepare for the Greatest Rivalry opener
Johannesburg has warmed up since the All Blacks’ arrival, in more ways than one. The City of Gold was near freezing last weekend, but temperatures have returned to the very comfortable low 20s, with shorts and t-shirts the standard dress code for the media who traveled out to watch the team train at St Stithians College.
St Stithians sits just north of where the All Blacks are staying, in their usual base of Sandton. To say it has good sports facilities is a massive understatement; the cricket programme alone boasts a dozen nets and a first class level pitch and field, there’s two full water based hockey turfs, and a high performance centre for the myriad of other sports the school offers.
All Blacks prepare for relentless Springboks challenge
But all the attention was on the meticulously manicured rugby field, which takes pride of place at St Stithians. The All Blacks have been training there since arriving from Durban last week, with coach Tana Umaga saying that they expected a ‘relentless’ approach from the Springboks.
“ Obviously the size of their pack, just their relentless wave of big bodies coming at you. I think that's gonna be tough for us. They've added some really soft touches to their games with the skill set that they have within the backs. If you concentrate on what's coming to you upfront, they look for space out wide, and they look for space in behind. If you focus on one thing, you take your eyes off another,” he said.
Loose forward Peter Lakai was also up after training, saying that the side had acclimatised well to the much-talked about rarified air on the highveld.
“Playing up Pretoria (against the Bulls at an altitude of 1350m), you know, the lungs were definitely going, but, you know, being here for a week and a bit and I'm starting to get used to it, so yeah, enjoying it,” said Lakai.
It’s fair to say that apart from injuries, the All Blacks have been building well over the tour. Umaga’s own department of defence has only yielded 40 points in the three games so far, which included a shutout of the Sharks in Durban.
”We know that's coming. But with the coaching staff that they have in their group, we've got to be ready for anything,” said Umaga.
All Blacks defence building strongly ahead of Ellis Park test
So how does the team’s record so far stack up in comparison to the tours of the past? If we go back to 1996, the All Blacks oddly played a game before the tour had actually begun. Their 32-21 win over the Boland Invitational XV came before the final match of the inaugural Tri Nations series in Cape Town, which did not officially count as part of the test series. The All Blacks then beat Eastern Province 31-23 before heading into the series proper, so they were 3-0.
Before then you have to go back to 1976 for the last full tour of South Africa, with ‘full’ being the operative word. The All Blacks played 24 matches in total, including seven before the first test. Of those, they won six and were famously defeated by Western Province. That was one of six losses on the tour, which included three defeats in the test series and ones to Northern Transvaal and Orange Free State. While that ranks as one of the poorer returns from an All Black tour, they did record one of the most famous midweek wins in the team’s history when they beat the Quagga Barbarians 32-31 at Ellis Park.
Of course, times have changed dramatically since both of those tours. Back in the 1970s, midweek sides had their test players available, while in the 90s the All Blacks played provincial unions rather than their modern URC counterparts. Rassie Erasmus and his Springbok team have been spending the entire time preparing for the test series, rather than taking part in the lead up fixtures, something that isn’t lost on Lakai.
“I guess in international rugby, you're gonna come up against pretty good forward packs and the Springboks have probably been the benchmark the last few years. So it'll be a tough challenge, but the boys have prepped well and we'll be up for it.”
All Blacks reflect on past South Africa tours
The first test will take place at Ellis Park, which is regarded as the spiritual home of South African rugby. The famous stadium is in Hillbrow, which was regarded as part of Johannesburg's CBD a few decades ago. However, the changing nature of the city has seen the area become regarded as far more challenged, which means that the many traveling All Black fans will experience a heavy security presence on game day.
To get there from Sandton, which is where the majority of tour groups are staying, there are options outside the usual chartered buses. The Gautrain, a high speed rail network that connects the airport to the city and also up to Pretoria, links with the Park Station line that runs to Ellis Park. It’s a low cost and efficient alternative to using a taxi or Uber, and was originally built to improve access for fans during the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Security is in abundance for train users, with plenty of police on board.
Ellis Park awaits as All Blacks prepare for Springboks test
Meanwhile, the All Blacks have remained focused on the highly anticipated first test. It’s meant that there has been little time to venture out of Sandton this week, aside from roaming the large mall adjoining the team hotel, where there are gigantic images of their Springbok opponents adorning shops. As you go further up in the mall you’re greeted with higher degrees of luxury, with designer European brands on each side of the long corridors that lead to the hotel entrance.
This is the All Blacks’ sanctuary in Johannesburg, a place where they can lock in for the challenge ahead. However, Umaga was aware of the eyes on them from the locals.
”South African rugby hasn't disappointed us,” he said.
“The fans, the communities that have come out and supported…(the players) can see that it’s not just us on that side of the world who are fanatical about this game of rugby. It's great to see.”
All Blacks v South Africa
Sunday 23 August, 3.00AM NZST
Watch live on Sky Sport NZ
