‘World stops’ as All Blacks clash with Boks OVERALL RECORD
christchurch — New Zealand and South Africa revisited one of rugby’s most notorious incidents Thursday and promised a fierce battle as the All Blacks bid to wrap up the Rugby Championship with two games to spare.
The world champions are runaway Rugby Championship leaders and a fourth straight bonus-point win on Saturday — provided Australia beat Argentina in Perth — would be enough to regain the southern hemisphere title.
But despite the unbeaten All Blacks’ fearsome form, they have history with South Africa and coaches Steve Hansen and Allister Coetzee said recent results would mean little in Christchurch. Hansen recalled the second Test in 1970, when Syd Nomis notoriously lost several teeth when he was felled by All Blacks fullback Fergie McCormick — who was roughed up so much in the third Test that he couldn’t start the fourth. “One thing I’ll never forget is Fergie McCormick’s tackle on Syd Nomis and what happened afterwards,” Hansen said.
“The reason it sticks out is because, whilst it’s not what would happen in today’s game, it’s the ferociousness of how both teams attack each other and play and then afterwards it’s shake hands.” Coetzee described All Black-Springbok Tests as “a big battle the world stops and looks at. “It’s going to be a physical battle, it’s going to be a battle of attrition and skill sets that will be tested,” he said. To underscore their physical approach to the match, the Springboks have stacked their bench with six forwards and only two backs with a clear plan to use their muscle up front to starve the expressive All Black backs.
In their three Tests so far the All Blacks have scored 128 points including 18 tries, and conceded just 39 points. South Africa have scored only seven tries, with 71 points for and 72 against. — 3