Rugby Championship: Springboks vs Allblacks Preview

Rugby Championship reaches its business end this weekend, with New Zealand having retained their fifteenth Rugby Championship title after beating Argentina in Buenos Aires last weekend.

This Saturday the Allblacks will face South Africa in Newlands where they will be looking for their sixth consecutive win against the Springboks.

Newlands Stats:

The Springboks have faced the Allblacks nine times at Newlands since 1928. South Africa have only managed to win three out of the nine encounters.

1928 – SA 5 – 13 NZ, 1949 – SA 15 -11 NZ, 1960 – SA 3 – 11 NZ, 1970 – SA 8 – 9 NZ, 1976 – SA 15 – 10 NZ, 1996 – SA 18 – 29 NZ, 2001 – SA 3 – 12 NZ, 2005 – SA 22 – 16, 2008 – SA 0 – 19 NZ.

Although some may see this match as dead rubber, New Zealand coach Steve Hansen has made his intentions clear by naming his strongest side possible for Saturday’s clash. Big names such as Sam Whitelock, Liam Squire, Sam Cane, Ryan Crotty and Nehe Milner-Skudderall return to the Allblacks starting line-up after missing last weeks game against the Pumas.

There’s a few issues that might be of concern for the Allblacks coaching staff, one of them is the ability to finish off matches. A few times this year, Hansen’s men have failed to put the final nail in the coffin against their opponents and last weeks match is a perfect example, after a half time lead of 29 – 3, the New Zealanders only managed to score one try in the second half,  36 – 10 was the final score.

The Springboks will be looking to end off their Rugby Championship campaign on a high note after a string of disappointing results. This weekend they will be without experienced Loose-Head Tendai Mtawarira due to family issues. Uzair Cassiem also misses out as a result of a rib injury and Lood de Jager replaces Mostert in the lock position. South Africa have to focus on key aspects of the game on Saturday, the set-piece will be crucial, converting territory and possession into points is of utmost importance. This will be Allister Coetzee’s biggest test on home soil this season.

Teams:

1. S. Kitshoff
2. M. Marx
3. R. Dreyer
4. E. Etzebeth
5. L. de Jager
6. S. Kolisi
7. PS. du Toit
8. F. Louw
9. R. Cronje
10. E. Jantjies
11. C. Skosan
12. J. Serfontein
13. J. Kriel
14. D. Leyds
15. A. Coetzee
16. C. Ralepelle
17. T. Nyakane
18. W. Louw
19. F. Mostert
20. JL du Preez
21. R. Paige
22. H. Pollard
23. D. de Allende