Romain Poite. Photo: Gallo Images
South Africa’s newfound Joie de vivre might be curtailed by the notoriously fickle Auckland weather this week.
However, the Springboks are ready to dust off their kicking game when they go head-to-head with the All Blacks in a Rugby Championship crunch match at Eden Park on Saturday.
The Round Four encounter between the tournament’s two unbeaten sides will go a long way towards determining the destiny of the trophy, currently held by New Zealand.
The overriding desire to win may result in a more cautious approach, although the Boks still hope to continue with the expansive game that saw them score 14 tries in the first three rounds – including record breaking wins over Argentina (73-13 in Soweto) and Australia (38-12 in Brisbane).
Bok backline coach Ricardo Loubscher and record-breaking flyhalf Morné Steyn both spoke of the team’s desire to continue playing their ball-in-hand game, but added that they will change tact if circumstances require it.
Loubscher, who declared himself “very happy” with the performance against Australia last Saturday, said the Boks will remain flexible.
“It is always nice to score a few tries,” he said of his team – who outscored New Zealand by 14 tries to 11 in the first three rounds of the competition.
The recent changes to appointments means Frenchman Romain Poite, notorious for his erratic breakdown rulings, will be in charge of the Auckland Test.
And then there is the weather.
The build-up to the match will be marked by heavy rain on Thursday and Friday, with local weather predictions suggesting an 80 percent chance of precipitation during the day on Saturday. – Rugby 365
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