Dave Rennie questions Springboks media intentions as he refuses to be drawn into ‘mind games’
Dave Rennie questions Springboks media intentions as he refuses to be drawn into 'mind games'
All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie has questioned the Springboks’ intentions behind ‘airing’ the All Blacks’ disciplinary issues to the media, adding that he has ‘no plans’ to reciprocate.
Speaking to the media after announcing his team to face the old rivals at Ellis Park on Saturday, Rennie addressed the situation, saying: “We sent in clips of concerns that we’ve got. I’m sure they’ve done the same thing.
“I’m not sure why they’re trying to air that stuff in the media. I’ve got no plans on sharing any of the clips that we’ve sent in with the media.”
Springboks boss Rassie Erasmus is famed for his pre-game antics, often using various tactics to get into a rival’s head, but Rennie insists that he will not allow his team to get involved in the off-field theatrics.
Elaborating on the discussions had around the All Blacks’ indiscipline, Rennie said: “I think Felix [Jones] was pointing out a handful of things around, you know, we’re clawing a leg. We did that once. We got penalised. We threw a guy across the lineout once, got penalised. We were pulling at the back of them all, got penalised and sinbinned.”
Despite the previous indiscretions, the New Zealand boss claims that the team have moved on and adapted, concluding: “We’ve learnt, and the discipline was much better on the weekend, and we know that’s going to be important against Springboks.”
“It’s almost the Mecca”
The All Blacks have struggled against the Springboks in recent times. They’ve lost five of their last six meetings together, with the most recent a devastating record loss at home in Wellington.
This will be Rennie’s first match against the Springboks as All Blacks’ boss, but he is well aware of the challenge that his side will face.
“I think belief is a massive part of it,” he said. “You’re going to Ellis Park to play the Springboks. It’s almost the mecca, but we’re really excited by the challenge and being here for three weeks, we’ve had good prep.”
The Springboks certainly don’t need any help in their efforts to defeat the All Blacks on home soil, and Rennie is determined not to give it to them.
“We know we’re going to have to be at our best,” he stated. “We know we’re going to have to be disciplined, so we don’t give them easy entry into our 22, and we have to be really accurate.
“They’ve got an excellent team, and certainly we expect a lot of aerial attack, and if we can defuse that, that’ll give us some opportunity to attack.”
It certainly won’t be straightforward for the tourers, with South Africa able to turn the game on its head in an instant, so Rennie knows that his team will need to remain focused throughout.
“There’ll be times when it’s an arm wrestle, and you have to dig in. We want to play when it’s on to play. We need to bear up for a big chunk of this test footy, and we know the Springboks will ask a lot of us.
“We’re going to have to really empty out the tank.”
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