Springboks face their toughest match
Something special needed to overcome the All Blacks
The Springboks will arrive in Wellington today with their backs against the wall and well aware that they have to produce something special if they are to get the better of the All Blacks in New Zealand on Saturday.
There’s no denying that coach Rassie Erasmus’s charges are desperate for a win after successive defeats to Argentina and Australia in the Rugby Championship.
Faf de Klerk maintained a brave face after the defeat to Australia on Saturday and insisted that the All Blacks, who have only lost one Test match at home since 2009, are beatable.
“They are definitely beatable but it is going to be tough, especially playing away from home,” De Klerk said.
“No matter who comes in for them, they are a great team and the next guy is good, but we want to beat them and make the country proud.”
“Hopefully, we can go out and do that. They have weak points and Australia exposed them in their recent two matches.”
In the defeat to Australia, Boks recovered from 7-0 down inside the first three minutes to lead the match at half time by a point. De Klerk said they would correct their mistakes and take the fight to New Zealand.
“Definitely, we can turn things around because a week is a long time,” he said.
“The guys played well; those who made mistakes know what they did wrong.
“I also know what I did wrong and it is just a matter of working hard during the week and improve our performance at the weekend.”
De Klerk said they have to be physical and keep the ball going to avoid unnecessary knock-ons if they are to beat rugby’s best national side.
“We need to respect the ball a bit more and we need to keep it.
“When we have turn overs, we need to take control and those are some of the elements that we must work on.
“Once we slow down and there are knock-ons, that is not good.”