Respectful Boks turn on charm offensive
Radwanska, Spaniard to play again in Auckland
A day on from Allister Coetzee’s suggestion the All Blacks could be vulnerable in certain areas, the Springboks have reverted to respectful type ahead of a test between two old rivals at Albany.
Privately, the Boks’ brains trust will be identifying and preparing to exploit all sorts of perceived weaknesses in an All Blacks team which has vacillated from sensational to plain sloppy this year, but in public there is only a charm offensive.
That is the Springbok way, but it is true for both teams, who get on as well as any two rugby nations thanks largely to the friendship which developed between former coach Heyneke Meyer and Steve Hansen.
Assistant coach Johann van Graan, the only survivor from Meyer’s reign which finished with his resignation following the 2015 World Cup, has been to New Zealand enough times to know how difficult it is to beat the All Blacks here and he doesn’t want to hand Hansen any extra ammunition.
The Boks’ last victory on these shores was in 2009 — a 32-29 triumph in Hamilton. Since then the All Blacks have won seven straight at home, including the controversial victory at Eden Park in 2013; won 29-15 by the All Blacks after hooker Bismarck du Plessis was sent off following two yellow cards (the first for a big but legal hit on Dan Carter).
“We haven’t really spoken about the past too much,” van Graan said. “Obviously I’ve been here a few times before. The last game in Auckland brings back a few memories in 2013. We got really close in 2014 with one scrum to go with one minute left in a 14-10 loss in Wellington and last year in Christchurch [a 41-13 thrashing]. You learn from every test match; obviously we want to improve.”
The South Africans will know they could get results with defensive line speed at North Harbour on Saturday, but adding to their difficulties is the uncertainty around Hansen’s back three selections. Rieko Ioane, Damian McKenzie and Israel Dagg are likely if fit, but Waisake Naholo and Nehe Milner-Skudder — two very different players — are also in the mix.
“I can’t predict what team they will select,” van Graan said. “I have a lot of respect for all the players in their squad and a lot of respect for their coaching staff, who are good friends of ours.”
Wing Courtnall Skosan, who knows most of the All Blacks well through his time with the Lions but hasn’t played a test against them, said: “They’ve got special players all around the whole squad. I don’t think you should focus on just one guy or three guys.”
Continuing a theme, van Graan added: “They have a fantastic scrum. Their defence is special. Sam Cane is probably the world’s leading opensider.
“Their halfbacks [Aaron] Smith, [Beauden] Barrett, [TJ] Perenara have had fantastic years, so no real weaknesses that I can see.” Two former champions are returning to Auckland for next year’s ASB Classic tennis tournament.
Agnieszka Radwanska, who has been ranked as high as No 2 in the world and is 11th on the WTA rankings, will be coming back to Stanley St for the first time since she swept the field in 2013 to win the title, beating Yanina Wickmayer in the final.
Joining the Pole will be Roberto Bautista-Agut, who won the men’s title in 2016 but was unable to defend his crown this year due to a virus.
Radwanska has been a perennial top 10 player since 2009. The diminutive Pole, who reached the 2012 Wimbledon final, has had a strong finish to this year, reaching the last four in New Haven and Tokyo and winning the lucrative Premier Mandatory event in Beijing, the highest tier of WTA tournaments below the grand slams.
“I have never lost in Auckland so I have very good memories,” said Radwanska. “It always amazes me that the crowds are full right from the start. You don’t get that at a lot of tournaments and makes it a great place for us to play.”
Next year will mark Spaniard Bautista-Agut’s sixth appearance in Auckland. Aside from his 2016 title, he also reached the semifinals in 2014.
The world No 13 has already grabbed two titles this year (Chennai and Winston Salem), as well as three other semifinal appearances on the ATP tour.
ASB Classic tournament director Karl Budge confirmed he was expecting a strong field this year, adding Radwanska and Bautista-Agut were unlikely to be top seeds during their respective weeks.
Meanwhile, New Zealand’s Marina Erakovic won her first round of the Quebec Challenge, beating qualifier Alla Kudryavtseva, 6-4, 6-1.