The All Blacks are leaving nothing to chance as they prepare for Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry, with loose forward Wallace Sititi insisting every match against South Africa’s United Rugby Championship (URC) franchises will be approached with the same mindset and intensity as a Test.
New Zealand begin their four-match tour against the Stormers in Cape Town on Friday before taking on the Sharks and Bulls ahead of the opening Test against the Springboks at Ellis Park later this month.
While the midweek fixtures may not carry the weight and status of a Test match, Sititi says the squad have no intention of treating them as anything less than elite-level contests, starting with the inaugural URC winners at DHL Stadium on Friday (7pm kick-off).
“Those midweek games against the franchises, we treat them like they’re Test matches, and we know the quality of the teams, so we’ll prepare accordingly,” the loose forward said on Monday.
While the Kiwis do not face the local sides in Super Rugby since they were forced out, there are still talks in the New Zealand camp about previous years when they still toured to SA during the Southern Hemisphere club tournament.
The 23-year-old wasn’t on the Super Rugby scene yet, but he’s embraced the challenge of facing the Stormers, Bulls, Sharks and Lions.
“A lot of the boys talk about the tours coming out here, and how they really enjoyed it. And also, we know how good South African footy is. So, would playing them in Super Rugby make us better rugby players? Yeah, 100%, it’s quality opposition. However, like I said, I wouldn’t know what it’s like.”
The All Blacks, who received a hero’s welcome in Cape Town, know they cannot afford a slow start on Friday. While they are unbeaten after impressive performances in the Nations Championship, a rocky start could leave them vulnerable heading into the Test series.
For Sititi, the midweek matches provide another opportunity for the squad to build momentum and continue developing combinations under new head coach Dave Rennie before the series begins.
The Stormers are renowned for their physical pack and pride themselves on their scrum and rolling maul. Likewise, the All Blacks know those are areas in which the Springboks will also test them, making a strong start against their first opponents at the set piece a significant confidence boost.
However, the Stormers also love to play an expansive brand of rugby, and with the prospect of two attacking players pulling the strings at scrumhalf and flyhalf in Imad Khan and Junior Springbok Yaqeen Ahmed, the Kiwis will face a stern defensive examination.
Sititi believes matching the South Africans in the collisions will be essential if the All Blacks are to impose their own style on the contest.
“They’re a big pack, that is what we know,” he said of the Stormers.
“But they are a big forward pack that loves to run the ball, loves the collision battle, so we’ve got to respect them up front. They love to use the ball as well, so we’ve got to be able to match them up front. We want to give our backs out wide all the opportunities they want.”
