‘The bus was rocking’ – All Blacks great reveals what will await Scott Robertson’s side at ‘feverish’ Ellis Park
Springboks fans celebrate at Ellis Park and All Blacks great Justin Marshall.
Justin Marshall has warned the current All Blacks side what could await them in their Rugby Championship clash with the Springboks at Ellis Park.
New Zealand are in South Africa ahead of two mammoth encounters against the Boks which will likely determine the destination of the title.
Marshall has plenty of experience of playing in the Republic and knows that Johannesburg is a particularly intimidating place to play.
Remarkably, 13 members of the squad that featured in the All Blacks’ last match against Argentina were not involved in the 35-23 victory at Ellis Park two years ago.
Boks intimidation factor
New Zealand coach Jason Ryan revealed that before the 2022 clash there were “a few hand signals and a few empty cans” from Springbok fans, and Marshall had a similar tale to tell.
“There are members in that All Blacks side that won’t have been there and been able to experience playing as All Blacks. That can be quite daunting,” he told The Platform.
“There’s nothing like Ellis Park. I remember one of the early years where we were going there and Ellis Park was basically feverish for our arrival.
“You drive down this little sort of square as you’re entering Ellis Park. You then go through these big gates and the bus basically goes underground before you get out and make your way to the changing rooms.
“But on that drive before the gates, that’s where everybody is entering the ground. This particular year we were driving down that area and there were South African supporters in their green jerseys, and they were just chanting, ‘Bokke, Bokke, Bokke’ on either side of the bus.
“For whatever reason, they just decided to start pushing the bus, so there were people on both sides of the bus and it was rocking. Where the hell do you get that anywhere else in the world?”
‘We’ll see who has the last laugh’
Marshall believes that there is little the players and coaches can do to get themselves ready for that potential reception, but the former scrum-half hopes that it gives the All Blacks added motivation.
“I don’t think you can ever prepare for that, I don’t think anyone can tell you what it’s going to be like, you just simply have to have the composure and the focus to turn up in a hostile environment and make sure you’re not intimated by it,” he said.
“In fact, you relish it. You’re out there to go, ‘you know what, you can rock the bus all you want and try and unsettle us as much as you want. You can bring altitude into it, we don’t care. We’re just here to beat you in your own backyard, and then we’ll see who has the last laugh.’”
