Dave Rennie expecting Springboks ‘curveballs’ from ‘innovative’ Rassie Erasmus but teases that the All Blacks ‘have got a few ourselves’
All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie and Springboks boss Rassie Erasmus.
Dave Rennie insists that the All Blacks will bring their own innovations to counteract the “curveballs” he expects to see from Rassie Erasmus’ Springboks.
South Africa and New Zealand are set to go head-to-head in the Greatest Rivalry series with four Tests scheduled between the arch-rivals.
The Boks go into the contest as favourites having won back-to-back Rugby World Cups and maintained their position at the top of the World Rugby rankings.
Change in All Blacks head coach
Although the All Blacks replaced their head coach earlier this year, they are still second in the standings and enjoyed a positive Nations Championship under Rennie.
This will be a mighty challenge for the new boss, however, with Erasmus and the Springboks leading the way in a number of areas in the game.
“He’s a big personality in the game, he’s had a lot of influence and he’s very innovative around what he’s done,” Rennie said.
“I think the fact a lot of people talk about our game is a positive thing and he’s been a big part of that over the last eight years. We’ll expect a few curveballs coming in the series but we’ve got a few plans ourselves.
“We’ve got a massive amount of respect for him and what he’s achieved in the game.”
The All Blacks open their South African tour with a game against the Stormers, who have managed to name a strong side despite the absence of some of their Springboks.
A good performance on Friday could put them in Test contention going forward and Rennie is “sure it’s a motivating factor” for those players.
“What Rassie’s shown is he’s prepared to take a punt on good young players coming through a system,” he said.
“He’s used an enormous amount of players already this year so I would imagine everyone is excited to perform well and apply pressure, or get their name in the hat.”
Gruelling South Africa tour
After facing the Stormers, the All Blacks go head-to-head with the Sharks and Bulls before the first international of the series against the Springboks.
It is a gruelling tour and one which tests where Rennie’s New Zealand side truly stand with just over a year to go until the World Cup.
“We’re touring a country that holds the World Cup the last couple of times, it’s a proud rugby nation. A lot of our players haven’t played a lot of footy in South Africa, some for a while and some never, since the South African sides went north,” the All Blacks boss said.
“It’s a massive challenge but it’s exciting. We’re going to play strong sides, I would say reasonably hostile crowds and challenging environments.
“There’s the time zone to deal with initially, there’s altitude and a number of things a lot of our players haven’t experienced a lot of recently.
“We’re really excited. The first three games gives us a chance to create competition for places for that first Test side and the fact that everyone will get a chance to play, there’s a real buzz within the group.”
