Thirty years after they captained the Springboks and All Blacks in a fiercely contested series, Gary Teichmann and Sean Fitzpatrick expect another battle of inches at Ellis Park on Saturday.
Fitzpatrick captained the All Blacks to a 2-1 series victory in South Africa in 1996, the first New Zealand team to win a series on South African soil.
His warning to the All Blacks ahead of Saturday’s Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry opener was blunt: win at Ellis Park or face an uphill battle.
“Saturday’s first Test is paramount; you need to win that, otherwise it’s a struggle, as Gary found out in 1996,” Fitzpatrick said with a smile at a joint press conference with Teichmann in Johannesburg on Wednesday.
Fitzpatrick believes the All Blacks have made significant strides under coach Dave Rennie and are heading into the contest in better shape than they were last year under former coach Scott Robertson.
“I’m comfortable where they’re at. They’ve moved on from where they were. There is a nice feel within the team; good messaging is coming out,” he said.
“But we are playing the best team in the world; we are under no illusions; they are double world champions. They are good, they are very good, and we are going to have to be at our best.
“But we’re moving in the right direction now; our set piece is better.”
Fitzpatrick, who won 92 Tests for New Zealand, expects Rennie and his players to draw on the lessons of last year’s two Tests between the sides.
The All Blacks beat the Springboks 24-17 at Eden Park before suffering a heavy 43-10 defeat in Wellington.
“I’m sure that Dave Rennie will be talking about that second Test in Wellington last year. After the win at Eden Park, to get well beaten a week later was not good,” he said.
Fitzpatrick is particularly encouraged by the infusion of young talent into the All Blacks squad, with players earning their places through performances in Super Rugby.
“There’s a lot of good young kids. Dave’s picked the team on form,” Fitzpatrick said.
“They’ve had a chance with the standout teams in Super Rugby, the Hurricanes were excellent, the Chiefs were good, and then a few young kids from the Blues.
“This guy Anton Segner just forced his way into the team by purely putting the numbers on the track every game. I like that.”
For Fitzpatrick, however, selection and talent will count for little unless the entire squad embraces the challenge of playing the Springboks in South Africa.
“There are 40-odd players, and every one of them needs to contribute, along with the 20-odd management,” he said.
“It’s a team effort. That’s one thing in 1996 that got us through to win the series; everyone contributed on and off the field.”
He recalled a moment after the series-winning Test at Loftus Versfeld that remains vivid three decades later.
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🚨 BIG BOK INJURY UPDATE! 🇿🇦🏉 Will Siya Kolisi and Ox Nché face the All Blacks at Ellis Park this Saturday? 🤔 Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus breaks down where the squad stands: 🏉 Siya Kolisi & Ox Nché: Clearing Monday’s training session is crucial to determine if their hamstring and knee niggles are behind them. ✅ Franco Mostert: Fully fit and ready for action! 🧠 Mind Games: Official team selection is delayed until Thursday to keep New Zealand guessing. Can the Boks take the opener without Siya and Ox in the starting XV? Drop your predictions below! 👇
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“When we walked off Loftus, the guys that hadn’t played, in their blazers and white shirts and ties on, were performing their Haka, led by the great Jonah Lomu. That emphasised that we had a good bond,” Fitzpatrick said.
“We were good mates, going to battle, and that’s what it’s like. It’s a real battle, day in, day out here in South Africa.”
Teichmann, meanwhile, believes the Springboks’ extraordinary rise under Rassie Erasmus is the product of a much broader transformation within South African rugby.
“The Boks have done a phenomenal job, and I put it down to SA Rugby and the structures that are in place. Rassie Erasmus has achieved a great deal,” he said.
Teichmann played alongside Erasmus and remembers even then that the current Springbok coach possessed an unusually analytical mind.
“I was fortunate to play with Rassie, and when you think back now, he studied the game when nobody else was,” Teichmann said.
“When we would rather go play a game of golf, he was studying video tapes of games, and I think that’s just the nature of Rassie.”
Teichmann believes Erasmus will be acutely aware of the challenge posed by the All Blacks, regardless of their recent struggles.
“Maybe they haven’t been at their best for the last year or so, but he’ll know once they play against South Africa; they just up it a notch,” he said.
Teichmann also pointed to the remarkably narrow margins in the 1996 series.
“If you add up the points in our three-match 1996 series, it was a one-point difference,” he said.
“So the game is always going to be close between these two teams.”
Teichmann believes one of the greatest strengths of the modern Springboks is the depth available to Erasmus, allowing him to build a squad in which players understand and embrace their roles.
“Rassie has a big base of quality players,” he said.
“There are probably one or two positions where he has had a few injuries, and he might be under pressure, but with the rest, I think he’s got three or four players that he’s comfortable to choose.”
Most importantly, Teichmann believes the players have completely bought into Erasmus’s vision.
“Rassie always has a plan,” he said. “They’ve all bought into what he’s planned, the way they play, whether they’re playing or just part of the squad, they all buy into it.
“And it’s great to see, because we’ve been through some tough times before.
“Finally, for me, the beauty of the rivalry is that the respect is tangible.”
