The Springboks are staring down the barrel of an 88-year losing streak at Eden Park, but assistant coach Jerry Flannery is clear about what's needed from the world champions to overturn their fortunes against the All Blacks this coming Saturday. As they prepare to face a team that hasn't tasted defeat at this iconic venue since 1994, the stakes couldn't be higher with the Rugby Championship finely poised.
Currently, the All Blacks lead the pack in the standings with six points, closely followed by the Wallabies. Both the Springboks and Los Pumas are not far behind, each sitting on four points. This tight contest underscores the critical nature of the upcoming matches, not least the clash at Eden Park, a ground where South Africa last won in 1937.
Flannery, a former Ireland international, emphasized the need for peak performance.
"I haven’t tracked everything since 1937, but for us the important thing will be to go out there and play our game – Springbok rugby – and play our best game,"
he noted. He admitted the team's form has been patchy. "We’ve had some really good performances, especially against the Barbarians and in our second Test against Italy, but I don’t think we’ve really hit the heights that we are looking for yet, so we need to be at our best."
The Boks’ defence, under Flannery's guidance, is preparing diligently to counter the dynamic play of Scott Robertson’s All Blacks. Flannery expressed concerns over their defensive lapses, particularly in their recent test against Australia where they conceded 38 points.
"We definitely overplayed a bit in that match, which took some juice out of our legs, but we feel we have good plans going into the matches against New Zealand,"
he explained.
Further complicating matters for the Springboks is the need to tweak their maul defence. "Our maul defence hasn’t been where we want it to be yet," Flannery revealed, acknowledging the All Blacks' prowess in this area. With the New Zealanders tightening their play, especially around the maul, South Africa knows it has to step up.
As the Springboks gear up for this crucial encounter, they will take a well-deserved rest day on Sunday after their second training session of the week, hoping to recalibrate and come out swinging as they switch to full Test match mode on Monday.
Both teams are shaping up for a monumental showdown, with the Springboks keen on rewriting the history books at Eden Park, and the All Blacks looking to extend their impressive record at this fortress of rugby.
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The Springboks are staring down the barrel of an 88-year losing streak at Eden Park, but assistant coach Jerry Flannery is clear about what's needed from the world champions to overturn their fortunes against the All Blacks this coming Saturday. As they prepare to face a team that hasn't tasted defeat at this iconic venue since 1994, the stakes couldn't be higher with the Rugby Championship finely poised.
Currently, the All Blacks lead the pack in the standings with six points, closely followed by the Wallabies. Both the Springboks and Los Pumas are not far behind, each sitting on four points. This tight contest underscores the critical nature of the upcoming matches, not least the clash at Eden Park, a ground where South Africa last won in 1937.
Flannery, a former Ireland international, emphasized the need for peak performance.
"I haven’t tracked everything since 1937, but for us the important thing will be to go out there and play our game – Springbok rugby – and play our best game,"
he noted. He admitted the team's form has been patchy. "We’ve had some really good performances, especially against the Barbarians and in our second Test against Italy, but I don’t think we’ve really hit the heights that we are looking for yet, so we need to be at our best."The Boks’ defence, under Flannery's guidance, is preparing diligently to counter the dynamic play of Scott Robertson’s All Blacks. Flannery expressed concerns over their defensive lapses, particularly in their recent test against Australia where they conceded 38 points.
"We definitely overplayed a bit in that match, which took some juice out of our legs, but we feel we have good plans going into the matches against New Zealand,"
he explained.Further complicating matters for the Springboks is the need to tweak their maul defence. "Our maul defence hasn’t been where we want it to be yet," Flannery revealed, acknowledging the All Blacks' prowess in this area. With the New Zealanders tightening their play, especially around the maul, South Africa knows it has to step up.
As the Springboks gear up for this crucial encounter, they will take a well-deserved rest day on Sunday after their second training session of the week, hoping to recalibrate and come out swinging as they switch to full Test match mode on Monday.
Both teams are shaping up for a monumental showdown, with the Springboks keen on rewriting the history books at Eden Park, and the All Blacks looking to extend their impressive record at this fortress of rugby.