Ex-All Blacks skipper Taine Randell feels Saturday\u2019s third Greatest Rivalry clash in Soweto will be \u201cthe biggest Test that a lot of these players have played in their careers\u201d.<\/p>\n
The series is currently deadlocked at 1-1 after New Zealand clinched a 33-16 victory in the opening Test at Ellis Park in Johannesburg before South Africa bounced back with a 33-26 win in their second encounter in Cape Town this past weekend.<\/p>\n
The All Blacks<\/a> and Springboks<\/a> are the most successful nations in the history of Test rugby, with the men in black having a 76% winning record and the Boks are second best with 64%.<\/p>\n However, South Africa have won the most Rugby World Cup titles (four) while New Zealand are next best with three triumphs at the global showpiece.<\/p>\n With such impressive records and after two thrilling encounters \u2013 with Saturday\u2019s clash at the FNB Stadium and the fourth Test at the M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, USA still to come \u2013 the Greatest Rivalry<\/a> series is evenly poised.<\/p>\n And with so much at stake, Randell<\/a>, who made 51 Test appearances for New Zealand as a loose forward between 1997 and 2001, believes both teams will be determined to secure victory this weekend.<\/p>\n \u2018We all thought there was going to be a huge Springboks response\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cWell, this is what makes this game so interesting,\u201d he told The Platform NZ<\/a> podcast. \u201cWith the first game, we won, and I think, again, against a lot of people\u2019s predictions, we all thought there was going to be a huge Springboks response.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was, but on the scoreline, it wasn\u2019t really. There was only one try in it, and we scored more tries than they did. That\u2019s what makes this third game so compelling. There\u2019s going to be no change in styles.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just going to be a change of will and determination. Well, not a change; it\u2019s going to be whose will and determination.\u201d<\/p>\n Ex-All Blacks captain reveals Springboks\u2019 \u2018only difference\u2019 and how it helped them to win second Greatest Rivalry Test<\/a><\/p>\n Randell also highlighted the fact that both the All Blacks and Springboks have stuck largely with a core group of players so far during the Test series despite both camps having more than enough cover in their extended squads to chop and change personnel.<\/p>\n That brings him to the conclusion that the players who are going to be involved in this Saturday\u2019s showdown are set for a unique Test experience.<\/p>\n