South Africa (SA) captain Siya Kolisi said his side were prepared for a new-look New Zealand challenge when the two countries conclude their “Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry” series in Baltimore on Saturday.
SA will be taking a 2-1 lead into the final match of the four-test series.
“We don’t want to draw the series, and that has been our mindset this week,” Kolisi told a pre-match press conference on Friday.
But they are up against a New Zealand side that has been freshened up with Richie Mo’unga returning at flyhalf and significant changes in the forward pack.
“The All Blacks have brought in new players and we’ve had to look at them and what they could bring differently this weekend, so we’ve done our homework,” the Springbok skipper said.
“But the key thing for us will be to make sure we enforce our game on them, and pitch up physically on the day.”
The Springbok’s power game has contrasted with the fast paced running approach from the Kiwis, making for an absorbing battle between rugby’s two top ranked teams.
“We’ve all seen in the last three games that if you are not at your best, they have what it takes to punish you.
“They get to know you, and you get to know them, so you have to find other ways and other weaknesses. This week we’re playing almost a new All Blacks team compared to last week, and Richie Mo’unga brings a different dynamic, so it might be different from the other games,” Kolisi told reporters.
“In my experience, it doesn’t get tougher than this. It’s like playing four Rugby World Cup finals in as many weeks given the quality of both teams. We both want to enforce our style of play on the game.”
—Reuters—
