Boks to storm Eden

"To be the best, you have to beat the best where they are unbeatable."

Those were the words of Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer when he named an unchanged 23 to take on world champions New Zealand at Eden Park on Saturday.

The tourists have been modest all week, but those 14 words revealed a steely determination underneath all the mutual respect displayed this week. These Springboks believe they can win.

New Zealand have not been defeated at their biggest ground since losing 23-20 to France in 1994. They followed that defeat with an 18-18 draw against the Boks in 1994 and have since won 30 consecutive games at the venue.

Meyer has opted to go with the power of Flip van der Merwe at lock, preserving Juandré Kruger's natural athleticism for the final 20 minutes of the match, in the only selection that could even remotely be described as difficult. The Boks have been strong this season because replacements have added value to the effort rather than robbed the team of momentum.

"Tests like this are won on the last 20 minutes, actually in the last 10 minutes," Meyer said.

"You have to have a bench that makes an impact."

Outside of the second row it was an easy decision for the coach to stick to the same team that pulverised Australia 38-12 in Brisbane last week, securing their first win in that city for 42 years.

"It's good to be able to pick an unchanged team but we have to make a huge step up this weekend because we are facing a great team playing at its best," Meyer said.

"The All Blacks do not have weaknesses.

"They have a brilliant kicking game and a superb running game. They defend and scrum well and have a strong lineout, which is why they are the world champions and the top-ranked team in the world.

"To beat them you cannot focus on one area of the game. Flip, and all the forwards for that matter, have to be brilliant in everything."

The Springboks currently top the Rugby Championship standings with 14 points and New Zealand are second with 13, while South Africa also lead the try-scoring count with 14 in the competition. The All Blacks have scored 11 tries.

Springboks: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Willie le Roux, 13 JJ Engelbrecht, 12 Jean de Villiers (captain), 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Willem Alberts, 6 Francois Louw, 5 Flip van der Merwe, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.

Replacements: 16 Adriaan Strauss, 17 Gurthrö Steenkamp, 18 Coenie Oosthuizen, 19 Juandré Kruger, 20 Siya Kolisi, 21 Jano Vermaak, 22 Pat Lambie, 23 Jan Serfontein.