South Africa lineout success against All Blacks no reason to relax, says Ruan Nortje

South Africa will continue to work relentlessly on their lineout play despite disrupting New Zealand’s set-piece in the second Test of the Greatest Rivalry series, Springbok lock Ruan Nortje says.

The Springboks won three of the 18 lineouts fed by the All Blacks in Cape Town, while also putting pressure on several other throws. South Africa, meanwhile, secured all of their own lineout possession.

Nortje believes that performance reflected the amount of preparation the Springboks devote to the area, but says they will not assume the same advantage will automatically be available when the teams meet again in the third Test at FNB Stadium in Soweto on Saturday.

“I wouldn’t want to harp [on] too much on it, because obviously we’re happy with the way the line-ups went, but it’s a new week, and we can’t just believe it’s going to go the same way,” Nortje told reporters on Tuesday.

The 27-year-old said South Africa’s lineout planning begins early in the week, with the squad reviewing its options and then putting them into practice during training.

“I think it’s just making sure we put as much work in as possible when we’re in camp. [On] Sunday night, we try to put in a lot of effort, a lot of time, working out what we want to do, and during the week, from Monday to Wednesday, executing in training.”

Nortje added that lineout management does not finish once the match begins. The Springboks must be ready to adjust if their opponents find ways to disrupt South Africa’s own throws.

“When we get in the game, if we’re under pressure, it’s all about trying to adapt and see what they do differently,” noted Nortje.

“With that, it goes a lot of credit to the coaches and players off the field. It’s a new week, a new challenge, I’d say.”

South Africa won the second Test in Cape Town, where the set-piece was one of the areas in which they exerted control. Nortje was pleased with the performance but insisted that a solid display would not be treated as the finished product.

“I think the set-piece was good, but we will never be satisfied with just good. We always strive to be as good as possible. So I think we just want to be better, that’s all.”

The third Test will be played at the Calabash, with a significantly larger crowd expected than the 56,000 spectators who attended the previous match in Cape Town.

Nortje said the possibility of playing in front of between 85,000 and 90,000 supporters would create a memorable atmosphere, although South Africa’s responsibilities would remain unchanged.

“I think it will be an amazing experience. I think last week was 56,000 people. Now this week, it might be 85,000, 90,000 people,” he said.

“So we can only imagine how awesome it will be. But for us, it’s just no matter where we play, we know what we have to do. We know what we have to stick to.

“I think for us, it will just be awesome to have so many people supporting you. I think it’s all about just feeding off the people and getting energy from them and enjoying every moment,” he added.

Saturday’s Test at the Calabash is scheduled to begin at 17:10.