The All Blacks and Springboks collide at Eden Park for the first time in 12 years this weekend, in what is probably the most spoken about fixture since the 2023 Rugby World Cup final.<\/p>\n
Not only does the match pit the two top-ranked teams against one another, but it also sees rugby\u2019s greatest rivalry return to New Zealand\u2019s spiritual home \u2013 a rare occurrence in the modern era.<\/p>\n
In fact, it will be just the fifth time that the Auckland ground has hosted the fierce rivalry since the game went professional, with the All Blacks<\/a> nearly flawless, winning three and drawing one of the meetings.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the All Blacks have gone 50 games unbeaten in all international matches at Eden Park following a defeat to France back in 1994 and will be eager to defend that record.<\/p>\n Ahead of the epic showdown between rugby\u2019s most successful international outfits, we take a look at what experts and legendary figures of the game have had to say in the build-up.<\/p>\n Over the past 12 years, there has been a suggestion that the All Blacks have been shielding the record from South Africa, hosting the Springboks<\/a> at other venues around the country like Dunedin, Wellington, Christchurch and so on.<\/p>\n All Blacks shielding the record<\/p>\n Shortly after the official confirmation of the Test earlier this year, ex-England fly-half and popular pundit Andy Goode added weight to the debate, suggesting that the sentiment was in fact true.<\/p>\n \u201cI have heard that New Zealand don\u2019t like or don\u2019t want to play South Africa at Eden Park,\u201d Goode told The Rugby Pod.<\/p>\n The panel scoffed at the suggestion, but Goode replied, \u201cHave a look over history when the last time the Springboks played there was.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the All Blacks choose who the play, where they play, when they play. It\u2019s the first time, I\u2019m telling you now, it\u2019s the first time in a long time that the Springboks have got the invite to play at Eden Park.<\/p>\n \u201cThey [South Africa] could do it, they could end it. It\u2019s got to end at some point, doesn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n Rassie Erasmus responds to the notion that the All Blacks have shielded Eden Park record from Springboks<\/a><\/p>\n More recently, Springboks legend Victor Matfield reflected on the last time he played at the venue. South Africa entered that fixture in 2010 as favourites after knocking over the All Blacks on three occasions the year prior.<\/p>\n However, it all went pear-shaped for Matfield and co. while the former lock also stated that South Africa were \u2018screwed\u2019 over during the 2012 match after Bismarck du Plessis was red-carded.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve arrived once at Eden Park as favourites, after we won three games in a row and New Zealand smashed us,\u201d Matfield said on the Rivals podcast.<\/p>\n \u201cYou never arrive in New Zealand as favourites. The All Blacks are always favourites, especially when you play at Eden Park \u2013 it\u2019s going to be a massive Test match.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s going to be a nice build-up, it\u2019s one for the history books. I think the previous time, we were there, we should have won and then they gave Bismarck du Plessis a red card for one of the greatest tackles ever in world rugby on Dan Carter, and that screwed us a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n Over in New Zealand, former scrum-half Justin Marshall believes that the need to defend the Eden Park unbeaten run won\u2019t weigh heavily on Scott Robertson\u2019s side. However, he sees the match as an opportunity for the Springboks to add another gong to their armoury after winning two Rugby World Cups, a British and Irish Lions Series and two Rugby Championships<\/a> since Rassie Erasmus\u2019 return to the set-up.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think it will weigh on them. Look, they\u2019ll be aware of it because you can\u2019t hide from it. Everybody reminds you during the week about that record, and so that\u2019s just part of prep,\u201d he said on the Breakdown show.<\/p>\n \u201cBut they\u2019re better than that. I feel it\u2019s probably more motivational for Rassie Erasmus and the Springboks because it\u2019s the one box that an international team hasn\u2019t been able to tick in a very long time.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ve achieved everything. Back-to-back World Cup champions, number one team in the world, up until a couple of weeks ago, there aren\u2019t many things in the game they haven\u2019t been able to do.<\/p>\n \u201cHe would love to have that in his trophy cabinet. We were the team that finally broke the All Blacks down at Eden Park.\u201d<\/p>\n All Blacks legends and Rugby World Cup winners<\/p>\n Sean Fitzpatrick, a legend of the black jersey and the last All Blacks captain to taste defeat at Eden Park, says that both teams will be desperate for a result but feels that the visitors are looking a bit sluggish.<\/p>\n \u201cThe South Africans have got their backs to the wall, they\u2019re looking a bit tired, but I\u2019m sure at Eden Park, we\u2019ll see two teams that are desperate for a win,\u201d he told the DSPN podcast with Martin Devlin.<\/p>\n Rugby World Cup-winning All Blacks coach, Sir Graham Henry, also raised doubts about South Africa, who he believes to have gone backwards over the last 12 months.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that the South Africans have gone backwards from last year, but they will be hugely motivated for the All Blacks to,\u201d he told Newstalk ZB.<\/p>\n \u201cEden Park will be a massive Test. They have got the ability, there is no doubt about that, they have got more depth than anybody in the world right now \u2013 depth and talent.\u201d<\/p>\n Later in the week, he added, \u201cThe All Blacks will be hurting, and a hurting All Blacks side usually responds in the next Test. I\u2019m expecting something special.\u201d<\/p>\n Sir Graham Henry slams \u2018ridiculous\u2019 notion that the All Blacks are the \u2018dumbest and dirtiest\u2019 team<\/a><\/p>\n A fellow former World Cup-winning coach also weighed in on the fixture, with ex-Springboks boss Jake White writing that the All Blacks should be worried heading into the fixture.<\/p>\n He believes that the side has lost its aura after losing to Argentina yet again and that they should be worried that the story of this Rugby Championship has been one of records being broken.<\/p>\n \u201cJustin Marshall was bemoaning the loss to Argentina. He said all the blood, sweat and tears expended maintaining that 35-year unbroken winning record over Los Pumas has disappeared in just five years,\u201d White wrote in his Rugby Pass column.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ve now lost home and way. That\u2019s taking nothing away from Argentina who have been quite magnificent now they\u2019ve been bedded into the old Tri-Nations since 2012, but the All Blacks aura has disappeared.\u201d<\/p>\n He added that the fixture is make or break for the All Blacks.<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes you have to stop the bus and reboot. This is where I think New Zealand rugby are now. This is make or break for them. They weren\u2019t happy when they were No 1 in the world between World Cups, but the narrative is that they\u2019re building depth and building for the World Cup. That\u2019s a very different mindset to the continued excellence they espoused a decade ago and prompted James Kerr\u2019s iconic Legacy book.\u201d<\/p>\n Schalk Burger\u2019s prediction<\/p>\n A star player under White, Schalk Burger is one of the few pundits who laid down an early prediction and for his country, it was not a positive one.<\/p>\n The former flanker aired his concerns over the Springboks\u2019 back-row depth following a plethora of injuries, accompanied by the suspension of star number eight Jasper Wiese.<\/p>\n While he believes that Erasmus\u2019 men will pick up a win in New Zealand, it won\u2019t be at Eden Park.<\/p>\n \u201cI think we\u2019ll get one of them, and it\u2019s not the first weekend. It would be nice, though,\u201d he said on The Verdict podcast.<\/p>\n \u201cJasper Wiese is back for the second Test at number eight, and we need some reinforcements in the loose forwards.\u201d<\/p>\n He continued: \u201cThis All Blacks side, when they have rhythm and they\u2019re playing well, you\u2019ve got to be able to score 40 points.<\/p>\n \u201cSo we\u2019ll have to play right, unless with our kicking game we put them in the hurt locker and they can\u2019t exit. But jeez, it\u2019s a hard one to call.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s so open [The Rugby Championship] because I don\u2019t think there\u2019s much between these sides this season.\u201d<\/p>\n In June, ex-Crusaders and Wallabies head coach Robbie Deans sang the Springboks\u2019 praises during his stint as the Barbarians coach.<\/p>\n He believes that the Springboks are no longer a one-dimensional outfit and said that beating the All Blacks at Eden Park would be one of their target.<\/p>\n \u201cNo doubt, it\u2019ll be on their radar,\u201d he said. \u201cThey are an experienced group and know how to win. There is a lot of footy to come before that [Eden Park], but it will just prepare them for that moment. It\u2019s going to be a great occasion.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cThey can play any way they choose, and they\u2019ve developed the ability to do that.<\/p>\n \u201cIt helps over time because it takes the load off your group. Historically, they were quite one-dimensional, but good at it. Now they\u2019re much more ambitious.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ve got some talent that other nations would give anything for. Players that can unlock a game, and that makes it hard.\u201d<\/p>\n Springboks team v All Blacks: Winners and losers including \u2018inspired\u2019 Rassie Erasmus selection as \u2018luckless\u2019 run continues<\/a><\/p>\n King Carlos and Strannes\u2019 view<\/p>\n Ex-All Blacks fly-half Carlos Spencer also weighed in on the fixture when he was in South Africa with the Black Ferns XV.<\/p>\n He said that Eden Park isn\u2019t a hostile or intimidating venue for visiting team but added that history that the All Blacks have built there is always in the back of visiting teams\u2019 minds.<\/p>\n Still, he believes the Boks could put that record to the test.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s intimidating \u2014 it\u2019s just the history of Eden Park, the All Blacks not losing a Test match there (since 1994). Teams think about that a lot,\u201d Spencer said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you look at where South Africa is at the moment \u2026 if there\u2019s a team that can break that history, it\u2019s the Springboks. And it could happen this year.<\/p>\n \u201cFingers crossed it doesn\u2019t happen!\u201d<\/p>\n In an exclusive interview with Planet Rugby, former Springboks fly-half Joel Stransky said that the timing of the match could suit the hosts better than his former team.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s a massive record,\u201d Stransky said. \u201cSo if you think about the evolution and transition now that\u2019s happening (with the Springboks), if it is with any of the guys that end up playing that game, I mean, it will be a tough stage. It will be tough to beat them at Eden Park, and it\u2019s fair for everyone.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd the timing might be better for the All Blacks than it is for us, in terms of the fact that their young team is maturing and coming to the fore.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ve got some old heads there, and they have got a lot of great young players coming through. We\u2019re in a similar situation.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I think the one thing that we know for sure about this Boks side, for them it doesn\u2019t matter where they play. They just have the absolute confidence to go out between four lines and have any setting in the world, and believe they can win. And that\u2019s important.<\/p>\n \u201cPhysically, obviously, it\u2019s important to deliver, but mentally it\u2019s so, so tough to believe. But this team believes, right? They know they can win anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n