The Springboks will begin their four-Test Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series against the All Blacks at 17:10 South Africa time on Saturday at Ellis Park in Johannesburg.
The opening match will be broadcast live on SuperSport, with South Africa expected to start as favourites after being handed home advantage and the additional challenge of playing at altitude.
It will be the first meeting of the series between the two long-standing rivals. Both teams have been preparing for the contest, although the All Blacks enter the match after completing a successful run of tour fixtures in South Africa.
New Zealand recorded their third consecutive win on tour on Saturday night when they defeated the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld. That result has added further interest to an already highly anticipated opening Test, with both sides showing signs of being ready for a competitive encounter.
South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus and his squad completed two important days of training on Friday and Saturday. The main focus was ensuring the full group was working towards the same objectives before switching their attention fully to the All Blacks.
The travelling squad consisted of 26 players and a large coaching team. They returned to South Africa in two groups early last week after the Springboks’ previous Test against Los Pumas, which South Africa won 17-10.
Most of the week was spent on recovery work, including flush-out and gym sessions. Those activities were designed to help the players readjust to local time and regain their match readiness before the start of Test-week preparations.
The squad returned to the field for a training session on Friday and followed that with another session on Saturday. The players were then given the next day and a half away from rugby to spend time with their families before beginning the full build-up to the first Test of the RGR series.
Bulls coach Johan Ackermann believes South Africa possess enough quality and experience to overcome their arch-rivals, despite seeing his team beaten by New Zealand.
“Obviously the Springboks are match-fit and there are quality players,” he said. “They’ve played a long time together and they’ve got some of the best heads in the world putting a plan together.
“So I think the Springboks will be well prepared. Time will tell. I think the Boks will plan well, but I feel that if you’re a little bit more patient with the ball in hand – tonight we could have finished a few opportunities – hopefully the Boks will take that.”
The All Blacks’ tour schedule includes victories over the Stormers, Sharks and Bulls. They defeated the Stormers 38-21 at Cape Town Stadium on 7 August, beat the Sharks 54-0 at Hollywoodbets Kings Park on 11 August and followed that with a 50-19 win against the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld on 15 August.
The two teams will meet again in the following fixtures:
– Saturday, 22 August: First Test, Ellis Park, Johannesburg – 17:10
– Tuesday, 25 August: Lions v New Zealand, Ellis Park, Johannesburg – 19:00
– Saturday, 29 August: Second Test, Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town – 17:10
– Saturday, 5 September: Third Test, FNB Stadium, Johannesburg – 17:10
– Saturday, 12 September: Fourth Test, M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, United States – 23:00 South Africa time
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