Ex-All Blacks star wary of two Springboks ‘beasts’ ahead of third Greatest Rivalry series Test
Springboks front-row duo Ox Nche and Malcolm Marx has received praise from ex-All Blacks full-back Israel Dagg (inset).
Ex-All Blacks full-back Israel Dagg identified Springboks front-row duo Ox Nche and Malcolm Marx as players who he is wary of ahead of Saturday’s Greatest Rivalry Test in Soweto.
After two keenly contested encounters, the four-Test series is evenly poised at 1-1.
New Zealand made a fantastic start when they clinched a 33-16 victory over South Africa at Ellis Park in Johannesburg before the Springboks bounced back courtesy of a 33-26 triumph at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town last week.
Boks’ physicality is a genuine strength
The Boks are renowned for their outstanding physicality and over the years they have relied heavily on the dominance of their forwards to pave the way to victory in most of their internationals.
Although Dagg believes the All Blacks have stood up well in that department in the previous two Tests of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series, he knows that they will have to continue in that vein if they want to return to winning ways at the FNB Stadium where they were victorious against Springboks in their two previous Tests at the famous venue in 2010 and 2012.
Dagg was appearing on the Behind the Ruck podcast with ex-Springboks backline duo Juan de Jongh and Rudy Paige and the former asked him if he believes the Boks are still ahead in the physicality stakes to which he replied: “They were in Test One. Man, they were dominating, weren’t they? It was unfortunate.
“But I just think Ethan De Groot’s knee was really bad, and it probably just looked a little bit worse than it probably was.
“And then Test Two, I thought the All Blacks scrummed a whole lot better. I thought they had parity up front, and they probably added a bit of strength there.
“The line-out was probably a little bit of a problem, but that’s what happens when you’re going up against South African line-outs. They’re very, very good in the air. I’ve no doubt that’s a weapon of South Africa.”
Dagg then singled out Nche and Marx for special praise and highlighted their impact in the forward battle.
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‘The All Blacks have got to be careful’
“You’ve got Ox Nche. Man, what a player. What a beast,” he said. “Just carrying the fold. You’ve got Malcolm Marx, and he is such a baller. The All Blacks have got to be careful, probably just isolating themselves with one-off runners.
“If you get a little bit of clear air in front of Malcolm Marx, he’s going to turn you over. I think he had three on the weekend (in the second Test in Cape Town).
“So, there’s some beasts in there, some good players, but I honestly think the All Blacks took a lot from Test One, and they showed improvement in Test Two.”
