Brendan Venter says the All Blacks won’t make the mistake of underestimating the Springboks again.
The Boks stunned New Zealand 36-34 in Wellington almost three weeks ago, with the return fixture this coming Saturday at Loftus.
In a column for Stuff.co.nz, the former Bok assistant coach said the ‘over-confidence’ and complacency of the All Blacks players led to their demise.
‘I know for a fact that the All Black coaches didn’t disrespect the Springboks because they rate them and would never have picked their best side if they didn’t. Sometimes what you say as a coach off the field doesn’t necessarily translate to what happens on the field. The All Blacks coaching staff would have told the players to respect the Springboks, but deep down they didn’t.
‘The moment a team disrespects the opposition they open themselves up to be beaten. Consequently, the one ally the Springboks had in Wellington – the All Black players underestimating them – won’t be with them in Pretoria. The home team won’t find a lackadaisical All Blacks outfit that thinks they can chuck the ball around and break the Springboks down from everywhere.
‘For me, the respect factor is what is going to make the Test in Pretoria different to the one in Wellington. The All Blacks have also stated this week that they want to right the wrongs of Wellington, which underlines they are as motivated as the Springboks for the match.’
Photo: Ryan Wilkisky/BackpagePix
