The pressure is enormous as ailing New Zealand face South Africa at Ellis Park on Saturday after three defeats in four Tests
Every time the All Blacks confront the Springboks the battle is won and lost by the respective forward packs. Under Rassie Erasmus, and now Jacques Nienaber, the Springboks have reverted to their largely limited blueprint of forward dominance and kick-heavy tactics.
Changes to the All Blacks front row, in the form of promotions for props Ethan de Groot and Tyrel Lomax, are no surprise after conceding four early infringements at scrum time. These allowed the Springboks to grasp the ascendancy, apply sustained pressure, and exert their grinding cycle from the outset. The All Blacks do not need a superior platform to quell the Springboks. They do, however, need parity or the ability to utilise their attacking threats is immediately constricted.
, struggled to explain the reasoning for his side’s lacklustre starts. “Not really because we’ve talked a lot about it. For some reason we’re not as calm, particularly defensively,” Foster said. “It’s more the defence where we’re getting fidgety early, we’re letting a few holes through.”