Coles up for more aggro at Ellis Park
FOR Dane Coles the Ellis Park adventure begins the moment the bus driver pulls out of their city hotel in Johannesburg.
The hooker recalled his first visit to Ellis Park, in 2013, when the All Blacks beat the Springboks 38-27 to win the Rugby Championship title, and will long remember the colourful drive through the streets leading to the stadium.
‘‘I remember my first time driving to the stadium and it was like ‘holy hell’ with Africans banging on the bus and giving the fingers,’’ he said.
‘‘When I look back it’s one test match that definitely stands out. It was probably the most physical, the most noise, probably one of the best test matches you could probably ever play, for the All Blacks against the Springboks at Ellis Park.’’
The All Blacks are expected to have their usual police escort when they leave their hotel in the Sandton district of the sprawling city.
You always knew when the New Zealanders were getting close to their training ground this week – you heard the sirens screaming as motorcycle cops charged ahead to clear the traffic, ensuring the bus wasn’t stalled at intersections where the traffic lights were no longer working. Safety is taken very seriously. The team has again recruited a local professional to look after security matters and its routines throughout the week have been meticulously planned.
Coles was also involved in the All Blacks’ 27-25 loss to the Boks at Ellis Park last year, another terrific match that yielded six tries and was decided by a late longrange penalty.
This will be his 28th test for the All Blacks and his first of the year, having been rested from the matches against Argentina and Samoa to allow him to recover from the Hurricanes’ season.
The Springboks will start the same front row as last year at Ellis Park.
‘‘Beast’’ Mtawarira and the du Plessis brothers, Bismarck and Jannie, will form the blade of the South African bulldozer that performed well for three-quarters of the test against the Wallabies last weekend.
The Aussies won 24-20 but Coles thought the Boks were unlucky and was impressed with their set piece until injury forced Jannie du Plessis off and the other two were subbed.