Schalk Burger predicts Springboks will lose at Eden Park as ex-hooker claims All Blacks are vulnerable where Rassie’s men are ‘strong’
Schalk Burger believes that the Springboks won’t beat the All Blacks at Eden Park, but former hooker Hanyani Shimange sees weaknesses that Rassie Erasmus’ men can exploit.
The Springboks have arrived in Auckland, having travelled via Sydney for their two Tests against the All Blacks in New Zealand, the first of which takes place at the ground where the hosts are unbeaten in their last 50 Tests.
The clash between the two fierce rivals is arguably the most highly anticipated fixture on the international calendar this year as the Springboks aim to end the impressive unbeaten run that stretches back to 1994.
New Zealand boast an incredible win rate of nearly 90% at Eden Park, having lost just 10 times since 1921 at the ground and have beaten 12 different oppositions at the venue over the last 31 years.
That record includes four victories and a stalemate in their meetings with the Springboks, but this will be the first time since 2013 that the men in Green and Gold will visit the iconic stadium.
All Blacks are vulnerable
Erasmus and his charges arrive in Auckland off the back of a defeat to the Wallabies at Ellis Park in round one of the Rugby Championship, a result they avenged a week later in Cape Town.
Scott Robertson’s All Blacks won their opening game against Los Pumas in Argentina but fell to a defeat in their second meeting a week later.
While South Africa will be aiming to issue the All Blacks their first defeat at Eden Park in over three decades, Robertson is out to claim his maiden victory over the Boks since taking charge of the team, having lost twice to the world champions in 2024.
This all adds to what is already a fiery rivalry between the two nations, and speaking ahead of the epic showdown, former Springboks hooker Shimange believes there are chinks in the All Blacks’ armoury that play to the visitors’ strengths.
“I tell you what, the All Blacks are vulnerable in areas of the game where we were strong,” he said on The Verdict podcast.
“Their kicking and aerial skills are not great. They’re probably better than Australia in terms of the attack and their scrum is very good, but I don’t think that’s a massive swing – maybe a penalty or two either way.”
South Africa raced into an emphatic 22-5 lead in their competition opener against Australia in Johannesburg, but went on to concede 33 unanswered points in what Erasmus described as a ‘dogsh-t’ performance.
However, in Cape Town, they reverted to more conservative tactics masterminded by fly-half Handre Pollard in tandem with Cheslin Kolbe as they won the battle in the air and surged to an eight-point victory.
Shimange says that if Pollard is to start the two Tests against New Zealand, the All Blacks will need to improve their aerial game with the likes of Rieko Ioane and Sevu Reece, in particular, struggling in that department against Argentina and France.
“But for me, it’s in the air. France’s B team beat them with their kicking game and their aerial game. So, that’s what New Zealand needs to fix because if Pollard starts, they could be in real danger – they are not good in the air. We’ll get a lot of ball back there and we’ve got the X-factor to capitalise. It’s going to be an interesting build-up to that game,” he said.
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Springboks are underdogs
Still, Shimange is not underestimating Robertson’s charges.
“Look, we can’t deny the All Blacks at Eden Park, the record there, the pressure is there, but you rarely see New Zealand have two bad games in a row. That’s one thing about them,” he added.
“They have Wallace Sititi back now, Tamaiti Williams, and possibly Cam Roigard. We are underdogs going into this because of the record and what they’ve done, but it’s just who handles the pressure better.
“We were never ever going to go there as favourites, even if we had beaten Australia twice. It’s a position that the Springboks like, and I think that it will suit us, so I say South Africa.”
Shimange was joined on the show by legendary Springboks Burger and Jean de Villiers, who both tasted defeat at Eden Park in the Green and Gold jersey during their playing careers.
Burger predicts that Erasmus’ men will win one of the two matches in New Zealand, but suggests that it will be the second game that will be hosted at the Sky Stadium in Wellington.
Eden Park streak to continue
The former loose forward is concerned with the Boks’ back-row set-up for the first game in New Zealand, with Erasmus contending with an injury crisis at number eight, which will be eased when Jasper Wiese returns from suspension for the second match.
“I think we’ll get one of them, and it’s not the first weekend. It would be nice, though,” he said.
“Jasper Wiese is back for the second Test at number eight, and we need some reinforcements in the loose forwards.”
He believes that the Springboks will need to post a massive scoreline to overcome the All Blacks unless they manage to suffocate Robertson’s charges through their aerial game.
“This All Blacks side, when they have rhythm and they’re playing well, you’ve got to be able to score 40 points,” Burger continued.
“So we’ll have to play right, unless with our kicking game we put them in the hurt locker and they can’t exit. But jeez, it’s a hard one to call.
“It’s so open [The Rugby Championship] because I don’t think there’s much between these sides this season.”
READ MORE: In numbers: The All Blacks’ INSANE 50 game unbeaten run at Eden Park since 1994
