Savea wary of danger wounded Boks pose
SPOTLIGHT: New Zealand skipper Ardie Savea is wary of the danger a wounded Springbok side will pose on Saturday when the All Blacks face the hosts in the second Test of the Greatest Rivalry series at DHL Stadium.
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Savea faced the press at a media scrum on Friday afternoon following the All Blacks’ captain’s run.
The inspirational leader said his team will have to be at their absolute best to topple their arch-rivals for a second consecutive week on their home turf and highlighted the key areas the All Blacks need to sharpen up.
“I think a fast start [is needed] for us. We know Boks are a world-class team who are physical and dominant.
“I don’t think we’ll get away with the start we had last week again, so we need to turn up.
“We all know what happened in the past – they’re a very dangerous side, and it’s just the quality they have across the board.
“Yeah, we do know what’s coming. Hopefully we can confront them tomorrow [Saturday] night.
“We just got to be accurate, stay disciplined and not let them in at areas of the field where they can strike.
“It’s all good for me to talk about it now, but we know what’s in it.”
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The Springboks made two late changes to their side, with Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu starting in place of the injured Handre Pollard and Cheslin Kolbe replacing Kurt-Lee Arendse, who suffered a concussion in the first Test at Ellis Park.
For Savea, those changes are irrelevant, and he expects both teams to be better than they were a week ago.
“For me, no, it [the changes] doesn’t matter. In that Springbok side, their mindset is that whoever steps into that jersey [must deliver].
“As I’ve said, they’re all world-class players. For us it’s about showing that same amount of hunger, and we know they’ll be hungry as well.
“We understand they weren’t at their best, and that when they do lose, they will come back stronger.
“A lot of the same counts for us. We don’t want to look back after the fulltime whistle and sit there with our heads down.
“We’ve done our part to prepare well this week. We know what’s coming but also what’s required from us as a team to be able to respond as well.”
The All Black centurion also touched on the influence Dave Rennie has had on the team since taking the reins from Scott Robertson.
“He’s an awesome man and coach and cares deeply about the people around him. When you start with that, you can bring the best out of the boys.”
