Baltimore (AFP) – South Africa captain Siya Kolisi said the Springboks will be ready to face a much-changed All Blacks side as the world champions look to wrap up a series victory in Baltimore on Saturday. The Springboks face the All Blacks in the fourth and final Test of their “Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry” series at the M&T Bank Stadium after taking a 2-1 lead from the opening three Tests in South Africa.
New Zealand coach Dave Rennie has made a raft of changes to his starting line-up for the series decider from the All Blacks side beaten 29-24 in Johannesburg last Saturday. Those changes include an entirely new-look front row, with veteran hooker Codie Taylor returning to captain the New Zealanders either side of props Ethan de Groot and Fletcher Newell.
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Kolisi said the New Zealand changes had sharpened South Africa’s preparations for a game they are strong favourites to win. “We know what’s coming,” Kolisi told reporters on Friday. “The All Blacks are great. It has been a tough three games so far. It has been really hard, but we definitely want to win the series. It’s a new team that they have, so that’s also good for us in terms of, it gives you something. We had to look at new players because we know they’re going to bring something different this coming weekend. We’d definitely love to win the series. We don’t want to draw the series.”
South Africa assistant coach Mzwandile Stick said the All Blacks’ recall for mercurial fly-half Richie Mo’unga hinted that New Zealand were preparing a more expansive game-plan. “Richie Mo’unga, he’s world class,” Stick said. “We expected he would get an opportunity in this game, and I think they’re going to be even more bold tomorrow when it comes to keeping the ball alive and trying to use the space in the wider channels. We know how dangerous he is, but we’ve played against him many times. We’ve done our homework.”
Saturday’s test is being played in Baltimore as part of World Rugby-backed efforts to boost the profile of the sport in the United States as the country prepares to host the 2031 Rugby World Cup. A sell-out crowd of 71,000 is expected at the M&T Bank Stadium for what is the highest-profile Test match ever played on US soil. “America has been great so far,” Kolisi said Friday. “It’s very humid but I think the guys, most of them, they’re used to it, especially the guys that have stayed in Durban. We’re just excited to get this opportunity to make sure that we also keep promoting the rugby in the US.”
© 2024 AFP
