New Zealand’s All Blacks rugby team could secure two consecutive victories over South Africa on its home soil for the first time in nearly three decades. In the second of four Test matches in the Greatest Rivalry series, Dave Rennie’s team will play the Springboks at DHL Stadium in Cape Town after a 33:16 win in the first game.
If the New Zealanders win the second match as well, they will no longer be able to lose the series. According to Daily Maverick, the last team to beat the Springboks in two consecutive Tests and on two successive weekends in South Africa was the British & Irish Lions in 1997.
Focus on one match
All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie said the team had not discussed the possibility of taking a 2:0 lead in the series and was not focused on the world rankings. According to him, the most important thing for the New Zealanders is the 80 minutes of the upcoming match.
Rennie expects a stronger performance from the Springboks after their defeat in the first Test. In his view, the opponents will try to perform better in set pieces, kick the ball high more often, build a tight defence and spend more time in New Zealand’s 22-metre area.
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Discipline and scrum
The coach acknowledged that the All Blacks need to improve in contact situations and discipline. He noted that in the first match, the team conceded too many unnecessary penalties, allowing their opponents to enter its 22-metre area easily.
The New Zealanders paid special attention to the scrum. Rennie said the team had discussed individual incidents from the first game with World Rugby and expects to improve this aspect.
Referee change
The lead referee was changed before the match: Georgian official Nika Amashukeli fell ill, so he will be replaced by Australian Angus Gardner. Brett Cronan of Australia will be the video referee, Frenchman Eric Gauzins will be responsible for reviewing foul-play incidents, and Scot Sam Grove-White will work as an assistant referee.
Amashukeli is instead expected to referee the third Test of the series, scheduled for September 5 in Johannesburg. Rennie said the change of referee would not significantly affect his team’s preparations.
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