Adnaan Mohamed in Johannesburg
Springbok prop Ox Nche believes the All Blacks will be out for revenge after the heart-wrenching one-point defeat they suffered at the hands of the Boks in last year’s Rugby World Cup final in Paris.
South Africa beat New Zealand 12-11 in an epic final at the Stade de France in Paris and was crowned back-to-back World Champions in the process.
“The last time we played the All Blacks was in a World Cup final, so they will definitely be hurting. They are going to come out guns blazing against us,” warned Nche at the team Hotel in Hyde Park in Sandton on Wednesday.
“They won’t be thinking about what happened in past games at Ellis Park; they will be thinking about the last time we played them, which was in a World Cup final, and they are going to come out seeking blood.”
The Springboks currently top the Rugby Championship table with 10 points after back-to-back bonus-point wins over the Wallabies.
The All Blacks are second with five points, having lost their opening match of the tournament to Argentina, after which they won the next game against the same team.
Nche expects All Blacks will bring a different challenge in the scrums to what they have experienced thus far against Australia.
“The All Blacks have their individual X-factors. The thing they do really well is the basics. You can see when you analyse their team… they reach a point where they have perfected their basics,” said the 29-year-old.
The powerful loose head feels the Kiwis will be highly motivated to rectify matters when they face the Boks at Emirates Airline Park.
“Even when they are tired, they go back to their basics. They have tricks and all of that, but when things get tough, they rely on the fundamentals.
”That’s what makes them tough opponents. Other teams might try tricks, but the harder it gets, the more they come together and refocus on their process.”
Kick-off on Saturday is at 17:00.
