Former Springboks head coach Nick Mallett believes that South Africans should “not be too pleased with ourselves” by hyping up the Eden Park clash.
Rassie Erasmus’ men take on the All Blacks at the iconic Auckland ground looking to become the first side since 1994 to beat New Zealand there.
Many have described it as the biggest match since the 2023 Rugby World Cup final, but Mallett is not quite so sure and reckons there is a sense of “arrogance” in that claim.
‘We need to take a step back’
“I just think people have been talking about this being the biggest game since the Rugby World Cup final and perhaps between us two teams it is, but I think we just need to take a step back a little bit and not be too pleased with ourselves,” he said on SuperSport’s Final Whistle show.
“The World Cup, one point, one point, one point in the quarter-final, semi-final and final – you haven’t demolished anyone and you’ve just got through.
“We were nice and humble, we were very humble and we said: ‘Any side could win it’. But going into this Rugby Championship, no one thought that Australia was going to turn up like they did and no one thought after New Zealand beat Argentina that Argentina would have such a good reaction, and that the New Zealanders would be a little bit overconfident going into that game.
“Between France, Ireland and the four countries that are playing in the Rugby Championship, I think anyone can beat anyone on their day.
“To say that our game is the biggest since the World Cup I think might be a little bit arrogant.”
Mallett was joined on the show by Springboks’ legendary second-row Victor Matfield, who feels the game does not get any bigger for South Africa.
Comparison to 2009 Springboks
“There are six teams that can beat anyone, that’s true, but for a South African I really believe that this is the biggest game we’ve faced in a very long time,” Matfield said.
“What this team has achieved in the last eight years, it doesn’t matter if it’s by one point or 20 points – the first one (2019 World Cup final) they beat England easily.
“The position South Africa are in now is pretty much the same [as it was after the 2007 World Cup win]. We beat New Zealand three times in 2009, the Stormers made two Super Rugby finals, so South African rugby is on a high, we go down to Eden Park and this is our chance.
“We’re going to take that scalp, we’re going to take that victory and they just smashed us off the ground. The intensity that they brought there, there was just something different. That was almost the start of that double-winning All Blacks team.
“This team (2025 Springboks) is facing the same thing. They’ve won two World Cups and getting a bit older. They’re facing New Zealand at the home of New Zealand rugby, there’s not a bigger challenge.
“For me, Rassie lives for this, this team lives to do something special, so this would have been circled two years ago.”
The rarity of an away win over the All Blacks
The Springboks currently hold the most world titles having lifted the Webb Ellis Cup on four occasions, but they have struggled to beat the All Blacks on New Zealand soil.
“In world rugby, there are also other games. We play France, we play Ireland, they’re going to be big as well, but for us and New Zealand, and the history there is between the two teams, this is an opportunity for us,” Matfield added.
“We’ve won four World Cups out of seven attempts, but in 30 years we’ve only beaten New Zealand four times in New Zealand, and we’ve not beaten them at Eden Park.”