All Blacks coach Dave Rennie faces a delicate balancing act ahead of Saturday’s fourth and final Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Test in Baltimore.
Rennie will be forced to patch up a depleted squad while attempting to halt the Springboks, who have been getting stronger and stronger as the series has progressed.
With the All Blacks going down 2–1 in the series following a gruelling 29–24 defeat at the FNB Stadium, the All Blacks find themselves in the grips of a crippling injury crisis.
The most devastating blow was the loss of talismanic skipper Ardie Savea, who suffered an arm injury in Soweto and has been ruled out of the USA showdown. Centre Quinn Tupaea is also out with a MCL knee injury, while flank Luke Jacobson has injured a tendon in his elbow.
Rennie is also faced with a squad running on fumes after not rotating an awful lot in three physical clashes on South African soil. Now, ahead of Saturday’s Test, he has little choice but to pivot toward proven experienced stars players.
The New Zealand head coach is expected to turn to veteran backs Beauden Barrett, Richie Mo’unga and Rieko Ioane to inject vital experience and composure into a backline that has shown flashes of brilliance, but haven’t really made the most of their opportunities in the last two Tests.
The Boks gave up 12 line breaks in Soweto, but the All Blacks just couldn’t finish off, as a combination of the home side’s scramble defence their own inability to take those chances came back to haunt them
Mo’unga’s likely return to the starting flyhalf role or a prominent slot on the bench offers Rennie a cool head in high-pressure situations.
While young Ruben Love and the Kiwi backline thrived in open field, the game management in a vital 20-minute period at FNB Stadium left the All Blacks vulnerable to South Africa’s set-piece squeeze.
Mo’unga and Barrett’s tactical kicking and abilities to dictate tempo will be paramount if New Zealand hope to bypass the Boks’ rush defence. Mo’unga also has an unbelievable running game, which will keep the inside defenders busy to create space on the outside.
In midfield, Ioane’s potential inclusion brings raw pace and try-scoring prowess in that No 13 jersey. The veteran wing shone in the franchise matches and should have probably featured in the previous Test matches.
Up front, Savea’s absence forces a structural reset in the back row, with Wallace Sititi expected to step into the starting XV off the bench to combat the veteran Springboks backrow or Jasper Wiese, Pieter-Steph du Toit and captain Siya Kolisi.
For Rennie and the All Blacks, a 2–2 series draw in Maryland would represent a remarkable triumph given the mounting casualty list. However, to survive against a star-studded Springbok side going for the throat, the All Blacks’ need their seasoned campaigners to hit the ground running on Saturday.
