Dave Rennie predicts major Springboks tactical change for second Test
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Greatest Rivalry.
Dave Rennie expects the Springboks to put more balls in the air and place an even greater emphasis on their maul when they face the All Blacks in Saturday’s second Test in Cape Town.
New Zealand head into the clash with a 1-0 advantage following their 33-16 victory at Ellis Park, but Rennie does not expect Rassie Erasmus’ side to make wholesale changes to their approach.
Instead, the All Blacks coach believes South Africa will double down on what worked in Johannesburg and attempt to execute their game plan more effectively.
“They will just try and do what they did last week but do it better and maybe put more balls in the air, get mauls going and spend as much time as they can in our 22,” Rennie said.
“Our energy and scramble held them up over the line a couple of times. They had plenty of time in our 22, but our energy kept them out.”
The Springboks created numerous opportunities in the opening Test but struggled to convert their pressure into points, with New Zealand repeatedly finding ways to survive close to their own line.
Rennie is expecting a much more clinical South African performance in Cape Town and is well aware of the response the Boks are capable of producing following a defeat.
“We are aware of the potential bounce-back,” Rennie said.
“They will be bitterly disappointed with last weekend. There has been a lot of talk around how they bounced back last year, and we have touched on it.”
That experience remains particularly relevant for New Zealand.
The All Blacks defeated South Africa in Auckland last year, only for the Springboks to respond seven days later with a 43-10 victory in Wellington — New Zealand’s heaviest Test defeat.
Rennie, however, believes his own side also have significant room for improvement after identifying the contact area, discipline and scrum as areas that need work.
“In the contact areas they were full of energy and we struggled to get forward,” he said.
“It has been a focus. They are big men and sometimes you just need to carry hard, win races and support well.
“Discipline-wise we gave away soft penalties early in the game. We gave them easy entries into our 22. Scrum-wise we had a couple of issues but we think our scrum will be a lot better.”
Rennie expects improvements from both teams as the rivalry moves to Cape Town and says he would happily settle for the narrowest possible victory.
“We have also talked a lot about us being better than we were last weekend. Both teams can be a lot better. I would take a one-point win.”
New Zealand climbed above South Africa to the top of the world rankings following their Ellis Park victory, but Rennie insists that carries little importance inside the All Blacks camp.
“I am not remotely interested in the World Rankings. I don’t understand them; they seem to change on a whim. Our focus is only on the game on Saturday,” he said.
The All Blacks can move 2-0 ahead in the four-Test series with victory in Cape Town, while the Springboks need a win to level the contest before the rivalry returns to Johannesburg.
