South Africa vs New Zealand - THE RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP 2022 AUG 13
Rugby Championship match South Africa vs New Zealand (13 Aug 2022). Preview and stats followed by live commentary, video highlights, and match report.
Overview
After facing-off during the first round of fixtures, the Springboks and the All Blacks will meet again, this time at Emirates Airline Park, in Johannesburg. Both sets of players will be more familiar with their opponents this time round, but South Africa will still have home advantage; can their fans propel them to victory, or will New Zealand be too strong?
SOUTH AFRICA V NEW ZEALAND - TEAMS AND PREDICTION
RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP, ROUND TWO: Despite his team’s dismal form, All Blacks head coach Ian Foster said it was foolish to rule his team out of contention for the Rugby Championship title.
New Zealand tackle arch foes South Africa in Round Two in Johannesburg on Saturday and a sixth loss in seven Tests will almost certainly spell the end for likeable but beleaguered ‘Fossie’.
The ferocity of the Springboks last weekend delivered a 26-10 first-round triumph over the All Blacks in Mbombela, pushing Foster ever closer to the exit door.
That beating â€" the biggest in South Africa since 1928 â€" left not only Foster but also captain and flank Sam Cane at the receiving end of a barrage of condemnation.
With all that noise surrounding those men, Foster is just focused on the job at hand.
“The challenge is still there. We’re not out of anything,†said Foster.
“I know there’s a lot of messaging that says we are, but we’re not.
“We think this is a massive chance for us to go into a big ground [Ellis Park], a massive occasion and, again, show that we are growing our game. And that’s our goal.â€
Despite his team’s poor performance in the defeat in Nelspruit last weekend, Foster resisted making sweeping changes to the line-up that’s been largely utilised throughout the season to date.
Richie Mo’unga comes in for Beauden Barrett in one of four changes to the starting line-up. Mo’unga was introduced in the second half last Saturday and his presence led to a noticeable improvement by a team outplayed in the opening 40 minutes.
There are three changes to the pack that began in Mbombela with props Ethan de Groot and Tyrel Lomax promoted after making significant impacts when they came off the bench. They replace loosehead George Bower, now a replacement, and tighthead Angus Ta’avao, who drops out of the matchday 23 for the showdown between old foes.
The other alteration is in the back row where flank Shannon Frizell, scorer of the only All Blacks try in Mbombela, takes the place of Akira Ioane, who will start on the bench.
“Ethan and Tyrell both played well last week,†Foster explained. They’re both strong scrummagers and we’re looking at a bit of a change-up, particularly with Fletcher Newell coming off the bench for his first Test and having Cody [Taylor] and George [Bower] alongside him in the second half, at a time that the South Africans have a big focus on the scrum.
“We dealt with their second half scrum well last week, and, with [Malcolm] Marx going back into his normal role off the bench, I’m confident we ‘ve got good combinations in the second half as well.â€
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