Former Springboks back Robbie Fleck has made a big prediction about All Blacks fly-half Ruben Love, but also claimed that he showed his ‘naivety’ in Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series.

The New Zealand playmaker started the first six Tests under Dave Rennie, including the three internationals in South Africa, but was replaced for the finale in Baltimore.

Richie Mo’unga was selected in the XV to earn his first All Blacks cap since the 2023 Rugby World Cup final.

Head coach Dave Rennie stated that Love wasn’t dropped, but Fleck felt that the 25-year-old’s performances decreased as the tour went on.

‘Performances dropped off’

“How well did he do in those provincial games leading up to the Test matches? He kicked nearly everything,” the ex-Springboks centre said on the Boks Unpacked podcast.

“A brilliant player but young and maybe a little bit naïve from the leadership in terms of not taking those points and those opportunities.

“A young fly-half who’s a brilliant fly, who’s going to be one of the better players we’ve seen on this planet in a couple of years, but he buckled under the pressure.

“He started off that last Test with a poor pass into touch and as the series went on, I felt that his performances dropped off and that pressure did come.”

Sir Steve Hansen’s verdict on Richie Mo’unga selection after ‘mental load’ placed on Ruben Love

Love has all the qualities to be a top Test player, having shown excellent passing and running skills, while at times stepping up to be the main decision-maker.

He has also kicked well at goal, the acid test for international 10s, but that area of his game went awry in the third Springboks encounter as the hosts claimed a 29-24 triumph.

“It’s those sort of moments. If you add those seven points, at the end of that game they’re possibly winning that third Test,” Fleck said.

“They were in there; there was that 15-minute period where South Africa absolutely dominated, but prior to that the All Blacks were looking good – prior to Ardie Savea going off, they were looking really good.

“A couple of points there, three points here, another two points there and it goes a long, long way to the end result.”

All Blacks’ lack of pragmatism

Fleck was joined on the show by Junior Springboks boss Kevin Foote, who believes that the All Blacks need to be more pragmatic.

Rennie has effectively brought in an all-out attack mentality, but Foote insists there are times when they need to take the three points.

“I would say take the points because they’ve got the ability to score tries. If you don’t have the ability to score tries then you’re in a pickle, but take the points, build the pressure and they’ve done that mistake before when they haven’t taken the points,” Foote said.

“They’re still lacking that competition in not playing with us in Super Rugby and I think that pressure and that physicality, if you’re not used to it, you can’t make that environment up.

“Take the points, build scoreboard pressure and when the tries come, they will take them.”

READ MORE: Nigel Owens weighs in on Ruben Love’s yellow card: ‘The law is quite clear’