All Blacks head coach Ian Foster is preparing his players for a tough encounter against the Springboks in Auckland on Saturday and said it is a challenge which his team needs.
The Boks made a superb start to the Rugby Championship courtesy of a 43-12 victory over the Wallabies in their tournament opener in Pretoria on Saturday, while the All Blacks also impressed en route to a 41-12 triumph over Los Pumas in Mendoza.
‘Big one’ coming up
Matches between New Zealand and South Africa always generate plenty of interest and this weekend’s clash at Mount Smart Stadium is no different with Foster describing it and as “a big one”.
With this year’s Rugby Championship shortened due to the upcoming Rugby World Cup in France, the winners of Saturday’s clash look set to be crowned champions of the annual southern hemisphere tournament.
And Foster believes it will be a massive occasion.
“A big one – it’s always big, we love playing South Africa,” he told AFP.
“They have taken 10, 11 or 12 players and put them over in Auckland early, so they have clearly got a plan, but our purpose in these first two weeks is to get this group together.
“There is no better foe to play next week.”
An excellent first-half performance laid the foundation for the All Blacks’ victory over Argentina as they held a comfortable 31-0 lead at half-time.
Does not expect a fast start against Boks
Although Foster was pleased with that superb effort in the opening period, he does not expect a similar start against the Boks and is hoping his troops can deliver a full 80-minute performance.
“I thought we got a little bit over ambitious in the final 15 (minutes) and tried to force things, which gave them some free shots at us,” Foster added critically.
“It’s a bit of a wake-up call – the first half was great, the second half is probably more of what’s to come.”
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