‘Greatest’ Springboks face All Blacks in clash of juggernauts

JOHANNESBURG – Springbok legend Victor Matfield believes the current South Africa team are the “greatest we have ever had”.

That opinion will be put to the test over four consecutive weekends, starting on Aug 22, when the green and gold face their greatest adversaries, the New Zealand All Blacks.

Different Johannesburg stadiums will host the first and third internationals, Cape Town the second and American city Baltimore the last.

This is a clash of juggernauts. South Africa have won the last two Rugby World Cups, and New Zealand the two before that. Between them, they have won seven of the 10 global tournaments.

South Africa have also won the last two editions of the Rugby Championship, and New Zealand nine of the 11 earlier editions.

Including their first meeting in Dunedin on the south island of New Zealand in 1921, there have been 110 Tests between them. New Zealand won 63, South Africa 43, and four were drawn.

Matfield helped South Africa win the 2007 World Cup and, for many subsequent seasons, formed a famed second-row partnership with the abrasive Bakkies Botha.

“The Springboks always find a way to win,” said the 49-year-old former star who has become a TV analyst and podcaster.

Referring to an unimpressive 17-10 one-off Test win in Argentina earlier in August, he said “the Springboks did not play well, they made a lot of mistakes, but they succeeded”.

The side confronting New Zealand will contain only two starters from that match – fly-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and veteran lock Eben Etzebeth.

While Etzebeth was an automatic choice, head coach Rassie Erasmus conceded it was difficult to choose between Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Manie Libbok and Handre Pollard for the playmaker role.

“It is always a tough call... Sacha has done wonderful things when he plays for us. He was the fly-half last year when we beat them.”

Libbok is on the bench while there is no place this time round for double World Cup winner Pollard, the most conservative of the trio in field play but a prolific goal kicker.

“It is a massive Test series and how we start is very important. There is time to come back, but it is always better to win the first one,” said Erasmus as he admitted to being nervous.

World Rugby Player of the Year and flanker Pieter-Steph du Toit will lead the Springboks, with regular captain Siya Kolisi given more time to fully recover from a hamstring injury.

New Zealand coach Dave Rennie succeeded the sacked Scott Robertson in March and admits he and his team are on a steep learning curve as they seek to dominate world rugby again.

Like Erasmus, he confessed to a lot of soul-searching before naming his team just two hours before the Springboks revealed their hand.

“There have been a lot of guys in good form, massive competition for places, and there were a handful of spots that took a fair bit of discussion. I mean the second row especially.”

Fabian Holland replacing fellow lock Patrick Tuipulotu is the only change to the team that started a convincing Nations Championship win over Ireland in Auckland in July.

Marketed as the “Greatest Rivalry”, it is “a series like no other”, say the organisers, with a trophy to match, which was unveiled in midweek. Should the series be drawn, the trophy, which consists of two magnetic halves, can be split and shared. AFP