‘We’re going to have to be at our best,’ says Rennie about All Blacks’ task at Ellis Park
· Citizen
The All Blacks named a powerful team to take on the Springboks in the first Test of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry (RGR) series and are targeting a win at what coach Dave Rennie called the hosts’ Mecca, Ellis Park, on Saturday evening (kick-off 5:10pm).
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Three players who have yet to play on tour, captain and eighthman Ardie Savea, wing Will Jordan and scrumhalf Cam Roigard were brought straight into the starting lineup, while Damian McKenzie will start at fullback after being an injury doubt.
Savea missed the start of the tour, and wasn’t available for any of the tour games against the South African franchises after the All Blacks allowed him some time off after the Nations Championship in July.
Jordan and Roigard have been coming back from injuries, but are important enough to slot straight back into the starting XV against the Boks.
“This was a tough team to pick. We have a lot of guys in good form and a massive competition for places. There were a handful of spots that took a fair bit of discussion,” said Rennie at Thursday’s team announcement.
“He’s (Savea) come back full of beans. It was obviously good for him to get his head out of footy for a bit. But I know he’s missed being here, he’s trained really hard and he’s come back in and connected quickly (with the squad). He’s been with us for almost a week and a half and is ready to go.
“It’s good to have them (Jordan and Roigard) back. They are both very good players and are important to us. They had a big impact for us in the Nations Championship and are reasonably fresh and ready.”
Belief
Looking ahead to the challenge of facing the Boks at Ellis Park, where the All Blacks won the last time the two sides met at the ground in 2022, Rennie said they had to believe they can come out on top.
“I think belief is a massive part of it. We’re going to Ellis Park to play the Springboks. It’s almost their Mecca. We’re really excited by the challenge. We’ve been here three weeks and we’ve had good prep,” said Rennie.
“We know we’re going to have to be at our best, we know we’re going to have to be disciplined so we don’t give them easy entries into our 22, and we have to be really accurate.
“They have an excellent team, and we certainly expect a lot of aerial attack, and if we can diffuse that, they’ll give us some opportunities to attack.”
This weekend’s match is the first of four between the two rivals, with them meeting at the Cape Town Stadium next weekend, followed by the FNB Stadium in Joburg and then the finale in Baltimore, USA.