The much anticipated 4 match rugby test series between the Springboks and All Blacks kicks off tomorrow . The first match is at Ellis Park which is in Johannesburg and is roughly 30 minutes from where I live.
There has been a lot of hype this week on social media with the All Black press and supporters having being lured into thinking they are the better team due to the results of the warm up matches which they won. These matches are nothing to gauge anything by as all those teams are in pre season and at best were at 60% with one team fielding a third string outfit.
Tomorrows match will be a humdinger as the first of four will set the tone for the remainder of the series. Whoever can come away one nil up will be in a great position and why this match is that important. The Springbok coach mentioned he expects both teams to average 1.5 players injured per game so by the time we hit the fourth match the teams will look very different. The madness knowing that half the team will be walking wounded over the next month is highlighting the physical demands of a contact sport and why very few sports even come close to what these players will be feeling after each match.
Having depth and quality players in your squad is paramount and the All Blacks have 6 players starting tomorrow who have very little big match game experience. This could be crucial as they have selected the strongest team possible for match number one and we in South Africa expect the Springbok team to change each week due to a rotation policy which is all about player welfare and longevity.
Studies show a player takes 7 days to recover from one physical match so by the time a player hits the third match the chances are he is operating on 70% and why rotation is required. The All Blacks will stick to the same players or the core of the team due to the depth of their squad not being on par with the Springboks and this is where the weaknesses will be found. This is a collective team effort and no one player is more important than the next and this is how the sport has changed over the last 20 years.
All eyes will be on the first three or four scrums tomorrow because that is the series right there and we expect the Springboks to dominate this set piece. The All Blacks have selected their biggest players and this is going to be the brutal part of the game that will tell everyone whether the All Blacks have improved in this area or not. Having the players to contest is one thing, but do they have the skills and technique that have been built up over many months to counteract what is coming their way?
From the SA camp there has been no big talk and full respect to the opposition has been given which has been great to see. There is no bragging as both camps must be nervous on edge because this means so much to both sides. Playing four matches over consecutive weekends between the number one and two ranked teams in the world is something the rugby fans have been patiently waiting on for nearly a year since this was announced.