As the All Blacks gear up for their formidable tour to South Africa, rugby legend Justin Marshall has laid down the gauntlet, declaring this trek as perhaps the most grueling challenge a player or coach can face. With the New Zealand squad set to tackle all four United Rugby Championship (URC) clubs followed by three Tests in Johannesburg and Cape Town, and a final showdown in Baltimore on September 12, the anticipation is palpable.
The storied rivalry between the All Blacks and the Springboks dates back to 1921, with both teams having their share of historic victories on home soil and abroad. The Springboks' 1937 series win in New Zealand remains a notable achievement, while the All Blacks had to wait until 1996 to reciprocate on South African turf—a tour in which Marshall himself participated. “I’ve said this before and I say it because for me it’s factual, which is, as an All Black, it’s probably the most difficult challenge that you put the boots on for and equally whether you’re the coach as well, to go to South Africa,” Marshall revealed on The Good, The Bad & The Rugby podcast.
"Yeah, I think so because the advantage of the Lions is they’re at home. You’re in your own environment, you’ve got control of (the situation), you’ve got basically the majority of the crowd there, they bring a lot with them, but to go to South Africa in their conditions, with their passion for the game, and to go back-to-back-to-back-to-back in four Test matches on the bounce with those provincial games, like what South African rugby player who doesn’t get to pull the Springbok jersey on doesn’t want to have a crack at the All Blacks?"
The clashes won't just be limited to the international stage; the All Blacks are also slated to face off against South Africa’s formidable URC sides. “So, like everybody’s playing their Test match in those provincial games, so you get bashed around in those as well,” Marshall added, emphasizing the intensity and competitive spirit that permeates even these club-level matches.
For Marshall, the allure of such high-stakes competition is clear: “But that’s why you play the game, that’s why you coach the game, to have those opportunities to go and test yourself against the toughest environment, the most competitive situation you’re ever going to get yourself put through and go: ‘Righto, this is why I play, this is why I coach’. Taking on a challenge that daunting is what gets you out of bed big time to be a professional rugby player or a professional coach, man, that’s the ultimate.”
The "Greatest Rivalry" tour not only promises to add another thrilling chapter to the All Blacks-Springboks history but also sets the stage for epic encounters that will undoubtedly captivate rugby fans around the world.
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As the All Blacks gear up for their formidable tour to South Africa, rugby legend Justin Marshall has laid down the gauntlet, declaring this trek as perhaps the most grueling challenge a player or coach can face. With the New Zealand squad set to tackle all four United Rugby Championship (URC) clubs followed by three Tests in Johannesburg and Cape Town, and a final showdown in Baltimore on September 12, the anticipation is palpable.
The storied rivalry between the All Blacks and the Springboks dates back to 1921, with both teams having their share of historic victories on home soil and abroad. The Springboks' 1937 series win in New Zealand remains a notable achievement, while the All Blacks had to wait until 1996 to reciprocate on South African turf—a tour in which Marshall himself participated. “I’ve said this before and I say it because for me it’s factual, which is, as an All Black, it’s probably the most difficult challenge that you put the boots on for and equally whether you’re the coach as well, to go to South Africa,” Marshall revealed on The Good, The Bad & The Rugby podcast.
"Yeah, I think so because the advantage of the Lions is they’re at home. You’re in your own environment, you’ve got control of (the situation), you’ve got basically the majority of the crowd there, they bring a lot with them, but to go to South Africa in their conditions, with their passion for the game, and to go back-to-back-to-back-to-back in four Test matches on the bounce with those provincial games, like what South African rugby player who doesn’t get to pull the Springbok jersey on doesn’t want to have a crack at the All Blacks?"
The clashes won't just be limited to the international stage; the All Blacks are also slated to face off against South Africa’s formidable URC sides. “So, like everybody’s playing their Test match in those provincial games, so you get bashed around in those as well,” Marshall added, emphasizing the intensity and competitive spirit that permeates even these club-level matches.
For Marshall, the allure of such high-stakes competition is clear: “But that’s why you play the game, that’s why you coach the game, to have those opportunities to go and test yourself against the toughest environment, the most competitive situation you’re ever going to get yourself put through and go: ‘Righto, this is why I play, this is why I coach’. Taking on a challenge that daunting is what gets you out of bed big time to be a professional rugby player or a professional coach, man, that’s the ultimate.”
The "Greatest Rivalry" tour not only promises to add another thrilling chapter to the All Blacks-Springboks history but also sets the stage for epic encounters that will undoubtedly captivate rugby fans around the world.