ABS must beat enemy within
Training has been minimal since the team arrived from Argentina, with recovery and meetings the priority instead.
You couldn’t accuse the All Blacks of being bad guests.
If ever a team were entitled to roll into town and adopt a slightly dismissive air towards all and sundry, it’s these All Blacks. They’ve beaten the Springboks in 10 out of their last 11 encounters, including 41-13, 57-15 and 57-0 in the last three and yet there isn’t the merest sign of that in anything that’s been said.
The team have been hugely complimentary of Cape Town as a city and the history and prestige attached to playing at Newlands, scene of their test match against South Africa tomorrow morning (NZT).
They’ve also talked long and loud of their respect for the Springboks, the importance of their long-running rivalry and the certainty that nothing other than their best effort will win tomorrow’s game.
So how much of that are you buying?
The things that have been said about Cape Town and its beauty and magnificent weather and the warmth of the welcome the team have received are absolutely genuine.
But as good as it’s been to see some of the rugby the All Blacks have played, in those back-to-back 57-pointers, it’s hard not to feel a bit sad. There have been some dark periods in All Blacks history and some awfully hard defeats to take, but there’s never been a time when conceding 57 points became commonplace.
Australia, with two other ovalball codes aggressively targeting the same talent pool, might be susceptible to their period of decline, but it’s staggering to see the Springboks in such a state. If nothing else, it shows why not having a New Zealand opponent on their Super Rugby draw was so advantageous to teams such as the Lions in Stormers in the last two seasons.
Which leaves the All Blacks where this week? Tired, for starters. Training has been minimal since the team arrived from Argentina, with recovery and meetings the priority instead. Despite going to Buenos Aires two days sooner than usual, in the hope of having body clocks adjust well in advance of kickoff, it was a fatigued team that beat the Pumas 36-10. Three more plane rides, and a time zone change, mean they’re hardly too fresh ahead of this game either.
The intended audience is a big consideration when teams talk. Sometimes it’s referees, occasionally the public and media, but more often than not the opposition.
This time around you wonder if the All Blacks are talking to themselves. They’re better than the Springboks, as recent history shows. But tiredness is a big element and thoughts will be inevitably turning towards playing Australia in Brisbane on October 21 and then the end-of-year tour.
If the All Blacks can’t convince themselves that this game in Cape Town is important or that South Africa aren’t still an elite side, then they risk an embarrassing defeat.
Introducing five fresh players in centre Ryan Crotty, flankers Sam Cane and Liam Squire, lock Sam Whitelock and reserve Lima Sopoaga - has been an attempt to lift the group and mitigate fatigue and complacency. Time will tell if the team have successfully talked themselves into believing this is a significant match.