The Springboks will try to deny New Zealand an early lead as they expect the All Blacks to fly out of the blocks in Saturday’s World Cup final.
The past two games between the old rivals this year have been won by the team going into half-time with the lead.
In the most recent game at Twickenham, the Springboks broke down a stubborn All Blacks defence to go 14-0 up at the break, building on that lead to hand New Zealand their heaviest-ever defeat (35-7).
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Earlier in the year in Auckland, it was the All Blacks who were quicker out of the starting blocks, opening up a 20-3 lead before going on to win 35-20.
With the All Blacks having proven their worth as a well-established team that prides themselves on breaking out of the blocks quickly, assistant coach Daan Human said the Boks would have to make a step-up to become the first team to lift the Webb Ellis Cup four times and claim back-to-back titles away from home.
“A good start is always a good thing, but it’s important to finish well too,” said Human.
“Rugby matches are won in 80 minutes, but we know the All Blacks like a fast start, and we’ll work on that. In our first game against them this year they built up a 17-0 lead in the first 20 minutes, and we managed to change things in the second match (at Twickenham), but we are now six or seven games down the line, and they’ve improved a lot since then.”
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Human admitted that the semi-final scare against England gave the Springboks a much-needed rude awakening for what they need to do to retain the Webb Ellis Cup.
“All credit to England. They had us on the backfoot for a while and it was a wake-up call. We’ll need to lift our game and be better if we want to be the world champions again.”
Despite going through two draining playoffs against France and England, both decided by late penalties, the Springboks were in good spirits in training on Monday.
“There’s a great vibe in the team and everyone is excited,” said Human. “There are also a lot of families around, which makes the players more excited. We are all very pleased to be in the final and there is a lot of energy in the group.
“Training went well today in the rain; the big guys enjoyed it especially, and there was a lot of energy. The circumstances will be the same for both teams on Saturday, so the conditions don’t really matter.”
The Springboks will return to the training field on Tuesday, while Springbok head coach Jacques Nienaber will name his matchday squad to face the All Blacks on Thursday.
Photo: Alan Lee/Photosport/BackpagePix
