Boks need new plan to turn tables on All Blacks, says Reinach

A new plan is needed if a badly wounded Springbok side wants to bounce back and turn the tables on New Zealand in the second Test of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry (RGR) series in Cape Town on Saturday, scrumhalf Cobus Reinach says.

After a flawed performance when they lost the opening encounter in Johannesburg, nothing less than a victory will be good enough at the Cape Town Stadium to keep the Boks’ hopes of lifting the RGR trophy alive (kickoff 5.10pm).

Another All Black win would give the tourists a 2-0 advantage in the four-game contest, leaving the Boks having to win the final two Tests to level the series at 2-2.

“We were just a bit inaccurate in a few departments at Ellis Park and this week, and we have to fix it,” Reinach said. “Luckily in this competition we have four chances to get our game better.

“Credit to the All Blacks because they put us under pressure. It is now up to us to look at that and see how we can make a different plan. A review after a loss is never good, but it’s learnings.

“We were so close; we were very dominant up until about 60 minutes. As long as we learn as a team and grow as a team, we are in a good place.

“I don’t think they targeted the nines. I think they went after our breakdown quite hard, trying to slow down the ball. Throwing their legs around and things like that.

“We felt the pressure and knew we needed to get the ball out somehow. When we train against each other we try and emulate it and see how we can improve.”

Reinach said it would be a magnificent occasion when Pieter-Steph du Toit runs out to play his 100th Test in Cape Town.

“Playing 100 Tests is a huge milestone, and it shows what type of player and person he is,” he said. “He’s probably not the most vocal guy, but he talks with the way he plays and leads with the way he plays. I’d rather play with him than against him.”

Bok coach Rassie Erasmus said the Boks may have been guilty of over-analysis ahead of the first Test at Ellis Park.

“Last Saturday’s game was very much about decisions I made during the week,” he said.

“Trying to change things up, maybe being too clever, making substitutions at the wrong time and perhaps over-analysing our plans. It came down to the plans we made as a coaching team.

“We’re proud South Africans. When we went out onto the field, we could see the fans and what it means to people, so we are desperate to win this game in Cape Town.

“We are playing a very good side, the No 1 team in the world on Saturday. It comes down to executing the plan, staying aligned and bringing intensity to training sessions.”

We’ve almost got to reset and look forward. We’ll take a lot from the game in Johannesburg and I thought our leaders did a very good job of managing various situations.

—  Dave Rennie, All Blacks coach

All Blacks coach Dave Rennie is expecting a brutal battle among the forwards in Cape Town.

“I think it’s important we don’t get carried away with it [the first Test win],” he said. “We’ve almost got to reset and look forward. We’ll take a lot from the game in Johannesburg and I thought our leaders did a very good job of managing various situations.

“We had a lot of key moments, both in defence and attack, and we’ve learnt a lot about ourselves, and I reckon we’ll be better this weekend, and I think South Africa will be too. I think they’ll double down [on their power in the scrums].

“They’ll probably feel they had the edge at scrum time, and in the aerial contest, again, they’re very good in that area. They probably made a few errors, uncharacteristically, and I think they’ll double down on that and try to do it better.

“They’ve got amazing depth, even if they’ve lost a couple of players. The Springboks have got plenty of guys who can fill in.”

The Herald