Boks won’t condone losing – Habana

Editor

Springbok wing Bryan Habana has revealed his team will not sacrifice the result while trying out new combinations when they face the All Blacks on Saturday.

With it being a World Cup year, there is plenty of experimentation going with most teams' selections but, despite that, Habana is adamant that winning remains the Springboks' main priority.

"Leading into a year like this every game is important," he said.

"We as the Springboks never condone losing whether it’s in preparation for the World Cup, or because we’re blooding youngsters or giving certain guys opportunities.

"When you pull that Springbok jersey on you have a responsibility to go out and do your country proud. As a team we want to win, but we also know the value of winning.

"We want to lay down a marker in terms of where we want to go, going into a very tough next three months. Coming up against a highly-rated New Zealand team would always be a clash Habana relished.

"It’s a great opportunity against an All Black side that we respect, and they probably respect us too. But respect is not going to win you the game. You’re going to have to go out there and put your hand up.

"Any time you come up against the number one team in the world it’s a massive opportunity.

"That last 30 minutes in the game last week (against Australia) we probably let a milestone slip. Coming up against the best team in the world at a stadium I really love playing at is going to be fantastic."