New Zealand’s All Blacks’ flanker Richie McCaw holds up the trophy after his team won the 2014 Rugby Championship at La Plata stadium in La Plata, Argentina on September 27, 2014. (AFP)
New Zealand face a stern test of their 22-game unbeaten run against a confident South Africa on what will be a record day for captain Richie McCaw in Johannesburg tomorrow.
The All Blacks have won the Rugby Championship but there is no such thing as a dead-rubber when they face-off against what they consider their most challenging opponents, especially in the cauldron-like Ellis Park (kickoff 15.05 GMT). Skipper Richie McCaw will reach yet another milestone when he makes his 134th appearance in an All Blacks jersey, breaking a 43-year-old record for total appearances he currently shares with the legendary Colin Meads.
All but one of those have been test matches, the odd one out against the Barbarians.
Springboks coach Heyneke Meyer and his All Black counterpart Steve Hansen differ on where the game will be won.
Meyer said he thought the battle among the loose-forwards would be the key area, but Hansen feels whoever gets the ascendancy in the tight-five will be able to let the backline talent on both sides play off the front foot.
“It will be won in the tight-five and that will let the loose-forwards play, so he (Meyer) is right in one sense, but the tight-five will have to do their job first,” he said.
“There will be moments in the game where that will be critical and if we get those right we’ll win, if they do, they’ll win it.”
South Africa have brought hooker Bismark du Plessis back into their side as the only change from the team that defeated Australia 28-10 last time out in the hope he will add some street-smartness in the front-row.
New Zealand have done the opposite, handing a starting debut to former wrestler Joe Moody, a prop who Hansen admits is a rough diamond.
The Boks will also give a late fitness test to number eight Duane Vermeulen, arguably their best player in the Rugby Championship this year.
Hansen, who singled out McCaw as the reason the All Blacks won the 2011 World Cup, was fulsome in his praise for the man who is very much the face of this New Zealand team.
“Personally I’d like to congratulate him publicly, he’s a great man but also a great player. For a long time the All Blacks have talked about better people make better All Blacks and he is a classic example,” Hansen said.
“He plays with a lot of passion and pride, the one thing that has impressed me most is his ability to keep playing at the same level and the same consistency. Even his poor games are good and that’s saying something.
“He’s done a lot in the jersey and when he finishes I am sure he will reflect back on it with a lot of pride. He shouldn’t have to buy another beer in New Zealand for the rest of his life anyway I don’t think Colin has.”
Teams: South Africa: 15-Willie le Roux; 14-Cornal Hendricks, 13-Jan Serfontein, 12-Jean de Villiers (captain), 11-Bryan Habana, 10-Handre Pollard, 9-Francois Hougaard, 8-Duane Vermeulen/Schalk Burger, 7-Teboho Mohoje, 6-Marcell Coetzee, 5-Victor Matfield, 4-Eben Etzebeth, 3-Jannie du Plessis, 2-Bismarck du Plessis, 1-Tendai Mtawarira. Replacements: 16-Adriaan Strauss, 17-Trevor Nyakane, 18-Marcel van der Merwe, 19-Bakkies Botha, 20-Schalk Burger/Warren Whiteley, 21-Cobus Reinach, 22-Pat Lambie, 23-JP Pietersen. New Zealand: 15-Israel Dagg, 14-Ben Smith, 13-Conrad Smith, 12-Malakai Fekitoa, 11-Julian Savea, 10-Beauden Barrett, 9-Aaron Smith, 8-Kieran Read, 7-Richie McCaw (captain), 6-Jerome Kaino, 5-Sam Whitelock, 4-Jeremy Thrush, 3-Owen Franks, 2-Keven Mealamu, 1-Joe Moody. Replacements: 16-Dane Coles, 17-Ben Franks, 18-Charlie Faumuina, 19-Steven Luatua, 20-Liam Messam, 21-Tawera Kerr-Barlow, 22-Colin Slade, 23-Ryan Crotty. Referee: Wayne Barnes (England).
