Johann wishes for never-say-die battle
THE fact the Springboks haven't won in New Zealand since 2009 is the least of Johann van Graan's worries.
The assistant coach has experienced the heartbreak of your best not being good enough to topple a legendary All Black side.
Van Graan was with the 2013 side that went toe-to-toe with the All Blacks for the full 80 minutes at Eden Park before Romain Poite's contentious officiating saw the Boks being down to 14 men, handing the All Blacks an advantage they didn't relinquish.
The Boks were also on the wrong side of a narrow 14-10 reverse at Wellington's Westpac Stadium as a coming-of-age performance by Handre Pollard and Cornal Hendricks's try weren't enough to rescue Heyneke Meyer's side.
The 2016 visit to Christchurch that resulted in the 41-13 clobbering can best be left to the annals of history.
Van Graan is aware of the lessons the Boks have to take in for Saturday's Rugby Championship Test against the All Blacks at the North Harbour Stadium in Albany but the past won't bring them a win in the present.
“We haven't spoken about the past too much. I've been here a few times before and the last game we played in Auckland brings back a few memories. We got really close the following year but we lost and the same case last year. We learn from every single Test match but 2017 was about a new start for us. We're not really focused on the past and we want to improve Test by Test and this will be our first measure against the New Zealand side in New Zealand,” said Van Graan.
The excellence of the All Blacks has never been lost on Van Graan even though they've had a few reality checks this season in the form of the British and Irish Lions on July 1 and the Dunedin Test against the Wallabies on August 26.
The Boks' developing juggernaut was halted by the Wallabies even though they came away with the 23all draw at Perth's nib Stadium.
Having seen off the French and the Argentineans in five consecutive Tests, the Boks needed the Australian performance to serve as a wake-up call. Van Graan said one of the key components of the 2017 class was their ability to absorb mistakes from previous matches and apply them immediately. “We've got a younger squad than in previous years and we've got different dynamics within our team. We've got younger guys who get a lot of excitement and have a bit more humour. This is a different team in a different year. We've got a lot of diversity and we embrace every challenge and we can't wait to measure ourselves against the number one team in the world.”