All Blacks expect Springboks to raise their game in Cape Town rematch

All Blacks coach Dave Rennie expects South Africa to produce a substantially improved performance when the two sides meet in the second Test of the Greatest Rivalry series in Cape Town on Saturday.

New Zealand won the opening match 33-16 at Ellis Park last weekend, but Rennie believes the final scoreline did not reflect the pressure his team faced during parts of the contest.

The Springboks controlled the All Blacks in several periods, particularly during the early scrums, and Rennie is preparing for a response from the hosts as they attempt to level the series.

South Africa are expected to be highly motivated after losing at home, with Rennie acknowledging that the result will increase the intensity of Saturday’s meeting.

“We’re aware that the Boks will come out [guns blazing] for a potential bounce-back. They’ll obviously be very disappointed with last weekend.

“There’s been a lot of talk around how they bounced back last year [after defeat at Eden Park].

“We have to lift our level because we know that the Boks will be better as well. We don’t totally focus on what the Boks can bring. We’ll mostly focus on what we can bring.”

Rennie made the comments after confirming his team for the second Test. The All Blacks have impressed during their tour of South Africa, winning all of their matches so far, but their coach says further improvement will be required if they are to maintain that record.

New Zealand’s victory at Ellis Park was built on a strong finish, despite the contest remaining close for much of the match. Rennie expects the same pattern could emerge again, with both teams possessing the attacking ability to change the game.

“It could be an absolute arm-wrestle, and both sides have got enough X factor that I guess, like we did last week, we finished pretty strong in what really was a very tight match,” said Rennie.

The All Blacks coach said he would be satisfied with another narrow victory, underlining his expectation that the rematch could be decided by only a small margin.

“I’ll take a one-point win.”

The second Test will be played in Cape Town on Saturday, with kick-off scheduled for 17:10.

Rennie’s comments come after a late change to the officials for the match, with illness forcing a replacement referee for the Boks versus All Blacks encounter.