Willemse says not much to take from 43-10 win against All Blacks last year
· Citizen
The Springboks won’t be taking much from their most recent clash against the All Blacks, ahead of their next meeting, on Saturday at Ellis Park, in the first Test of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series, according to utility back Damian Willemse.
Last year, in the Rugby Championship, the Boks lost to the All Blacks at Eden Park but a week later bounced back to clinch their biggest ever win over their old foes, 43-10 in Wellington, a game in which Willemse was named man-of-the-match.
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Despite that result, and the fact that the Boks have dominated the All Blacks recently, winning five of their last six Tests, Willemse pointed out they will still have to be at the top of their game on Saturday, especially after the last time the two met at Ellis Park, back in 2022, the visitors walked away with the win.
“We are focused on the game and want to win the first one. It is a great test for all of us to go up against world-class players. The team is really focused and we had a good week of preparation,” said Willemse.
“However, we can’t take too much from our last match against them. This is a different Test and it’s almost a year on from when we played them (in Wellington). They have new coaches and new plans they will be looking to execute. We will have to be sharp and accurate with our plan and as individual players.”
Ruben Love threat
A player the Boks have been keeping an eye on ahead of the game is rising All Black flyhalf Ruben Love, who despite making his debut back in 2024 had only played five Tests until the start of this season.
However, a fantastic Super Rugby campaign, in which he helped lead the Hurricanes to the title, elevated him to the starting flyhalf role, with him starting all three of the All Blacks’ Nations Championship games and he will again don the number 10 jersey on Saturday.
“He (Love) is a great player, he can kick, he can pass and step and has everything. He had a tremendous Super Rugby campaign and he has his halfback (Cam Roigard) and Jordie (Barrett, inside centre) that play with him, so he will be settled,” said Willemse.
“We’ve been following and tracking his development. He can spark anything for the All Blacks as he’s shown. He is a very accurate kicker too with a steady head on his shoulders.
“He hasn’t shown any area of weakness, if I can call it that. It will be a great test to go up against him.”