Epic semifinal awaits Boks
The All Blacks showed just why they are the number one side in the world by demolishing France in the World Cup quarter-finals and Springbok wing, Bryan Habana knows the enormity of the challenge that lies ahead.
"Everyone knows the All Blacks have been the number one team in the world for the last four years, they have been playing some fantastic rugby and their quarter-final performance was really special.
"The challenge that now lies ahead is that we have been playing knock-out rugby for the last six weeks but we are going to need to improve in every aspect of our game against an All Black side that showed last week [against France] how good they can be.
"To beat the number one side in the world, you have to be better than your best in every facet of play -your discipline has to be unbelievably good, your defence has to be as sound as it's ever been before and your physicality and intensity has to go 10 notches up.
"We are looking forward to the challenge, we understand the threat they pose and how big that threat is. Hopefully we can go out on Saturday and get that momentum that we have been having over the last few weeks continuing into what is going to be an epic semi-final clash against one of our great rivals.
"Whenever you play against the All Blacks, the intensity automatically lifts 10-fold. Being the successful team that they have been over the last two decades or so, your level of wanting to prove yourself against the best in the world definitely increases. That intensity, that physicality and that pressure cauldron you get put into tends to bring the best out of you," Habana said.
Assistant coach Ricardo Loubscher concurs with the speedster and also highlighted a key area of the game they will be placing massive emphasis on in the lead up to the encounter.
"Our discipline needs to be good defensively. We will be in for a big, physical battle. If you look at the last few performances, it will come down to opportunities and we need to be accurate with our execution.
"We dropped a few high balls at the weekend and we expect the semi-final to be a massive kicking game, so yes, that area is a concern for us but it's something we can sort out and will definitely be a focus point for us [at training]," Loubscher said.
