Stephen Donald believes the All Blacks’ set-piece and kicking game will be crucial if they want to beat the Springboks in their Rugby Championship Test at Eden Park on Saturday.

There has been plenty of hype ahead of the encounter at Eden Park, with most rugby enthusiasts believing that the clash between the All Blacks and the Springboks is the biggest Test since the Rugby World Cup final in France.

Much has been said and written about the All Blacks having not lost at Eden Park since 1994 and they are currently on a 50-match unbeaten run at the ground – a record which includes 48 victories and two draws.

Battle between the world’s leading Test teams

Adding spice to the eagerly anticipated clash is the fact that New Zealand are currently ranked as the top team in World Rugby’s official rankings, while South Africa occupy second position.

The All Blacks are also setting the pace at the top of the Rugby Championship table with six points, while the Wallabies are in second position, just one point adrift, with the Springboks and Los Pumas having each amassed four points.

Apart from the All Blacks’ excellent record at the venue, the Boks are also determined to break a hoodoo at the ground, as they last won a match there in 1937.

Despite their poor record at Eden Park, the Springboks have been in fine form under the guidance of their head coach, Rassie Erasmus, and the current world champions head into this weekend’s clash in a confident mood after clinching four consecutive victories against the All Blacks.

Although they have battled in recent Tests against the world champions, Donald is backing the All Blacks to extend their 31-year unbeaten record at Eden Park and highlighted the importance of having an accurate kicking game against the Boks.

“I just think that if we can dominate, or not dominate, but have our set piece on our terms (and) if we get our kicking game right, which for me is keeping the ball on the park and isolating their back three,” he told The Aftermatch with Kirst & Beav.

“And then getting into a bit of a kicking duel with them.

“Because again, what does that mean? Because it means their forwards are constantly moving. And we saw when the Aussies got that happening in Johannesburg, it opened up space for them.

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“Because we’ve got the attacking ability, but you just have to open up the space in the first place.”

He also emphasised how important winning the set-piece battle will be if they want to get the better of their arch-rivals.

‘Our set piece will be brilliant’

“The other thing which I guess I’ve sort of glossed over, which I have no worries about, is our set-piece. Our set piece will be brilliant,” he said.

“It’ll be scrum time. I think they’ll be confident, particularly with (Tyrel) Lomax coming back in.”

Lomax has been ruled fit for the clash with the Boks after recovering from a fractured thumb, but Donald believes he can make an impact whether he is in the All Blacks’ starting line-up or on the bench, and he feels the same about other front-rowers as well as the team’s lineout operators.

“I think it’s irrelevant,” added Donald. “Like we always think ‘Oh, you’ve got to be an athlete to come off the bench and make an impact’. But if Mule (Atu Moli) comes off the bench, his greatest impact could be scrum penalties.

“Or if Lomax comes off the bench, or De Groot off the bench, I don’t think you have to pick guys off the bench who are just these super athletes, especially when it comes to our props, because we know that they’re going to bring guys on who are going to try and get scrum penalties.

“I think as long as all those guys are great scrummagers, I think set piece-wise, we’re fine. Lineout-wise, I think we’ll be fine again, because they’ve committed or made a bid of Tupou Vaa’i at six.

“We’ve got three locks on the field (Captain Scott Barrett, Fabian Holland and Vaa’i). So therefore, three great targets, Codie Taylor, great lineout thrower.

“I don’t have any concerns there. So we’re going to get our ball on our terms.”

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