Rassie Erasmus has responded to the notion that New Zealand Rugby has shielded the All Blacks\u2019 Eden Park record from the Springboks.<\/p>\n
South Africa will return to the ground dubbed as the All Blacks \u2018fortress\u2019 for the first time in 12 years this Saturday in round three of the Rugby Championship.<\/p>\n
New Zealand last tasted defeat at the venue back in 1994, falling to France, but now they boast a 50-game unbeaten run, which includes two draws. One of those stalemates came against the Boks shortly after the loss to Les Bleus.<\/p>\n
Since that draw, the All Blacks have hosted the Boks at Eden Park on just four occasions, with fixtures between the two nations taking place in Wellington, Dunedin, Christchurch, Hamilton and other grounds in Auckland.<\/p>\n
New Zealand won all four of the other meetings at Eden Park, beating the Springboks 55-35 in 1997, 26-15 in 2001, 32-12 in 2010 and 29-15 in 2013.<\/p>\n
Motivated to end Eden Park record<\/p>\n
The lack of fixtures between the rivals at the All Blacks\u2019 spiritual home ground has fueled speculation amongst fans and pundits that New Zealand Rugby has purposefully avoided hosting South Africa there in order to protect their unbeaten record.<\/p>\n
Erasmus was asked if he believed that to be the case on Monday, and the Boks boss was wary not to give a direct answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember when they took us to places like Albany, Mount Smart, and Wellington. When we beat them at Wellington, they took us back there the next year again to maybe rectify that, and I think it was a draw,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n
The head coach added that there is no better motivation for the Springboks than to end their rivals\u2019 unbeaten run at Eden Park.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know the record at Eden Park, and I really don\u2019t think that can motivate us more,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor us to play New Zealand in New Zealand, number one and two in the world currently, there isn\u2019t really anything else that can motivate you more.<\/p>\n
\u201cAustralia beat us two weeks ago at Ellis Park, and that\u2019s done and dusted, that record is gone, but now it\u2019s over, it\u2019s onto the next match.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople make a hell of a hype about that, but internally, you can\u2019t get more motivated. You play New Zealand in New Zealand.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rassie Erasmus: Springboks \u2018won\u2019t experiment\u2019 against All Blacks with Siya Kolisi \u2018touch-and-go\u2019 for Eden Park showdown<\/a><\/p>\n Though the record is something that South Africa will be targeting, Erasmus explained that it is no different to any other Test match against the All Blacks in New Zealand, with a Springboks victory in Aotearoa being a rarity in itself.<\/p>\n \u201cSince I\u2019ve been involved, it\u2019s just twice that we haven\u2019t been beaten here, and we drew one of those. It\u2019s massive to come and win here,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cTo win the World Cups was great, and so was the Lions Series, but we haven\u2019t been very successful here over the years. So for us, not even the Eden Park thing, just to win in New Zealand is a massive thing.\u201d<\/p>\n Scott Robertson makes blunt admission about All Blacks v Springboks encounter<\/a><\/p>\n Not taking the All Blacks lightly<\/p>\n Last week, former Springboks boss Jake White wrote in a column that the All Blacks\u2019 aura had disappeared after their defeat to Los Pumas in Argentina.<\/p>\n That came off the back of several scathing reviews of New Zealand\u2019s performance, including one renowned journalist dubbing Scott Robertson\u2019s team as the \u2018dirtiest and dumbest\u2019 team in the world.<\/p>\n Despite the scrutiny, Erasmus is not taking the All Blacks lightly.<\/p>\n \u201cWe always say that there are a couple of realities. There\u2019s what the All Blacks believe is their reality in their camp, and then there\u2019s what we believe is a reality in our camp, and then there\u2019s a reality out there which people believe in,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n \u201cFor us, they\u2019re the All Blacks, and they\u2019ve lost one game this year; they have won eight out of their last 10 matches, and they\u2019re number one in the world.<\/p>\n