Cobus Reinach says Springboks must learn from All Blacks defeat before Cape Town rematch

Springbok scrumhalf Cobus Reinach says South Africa must use last week’s 33-16 defeat by the All Blacks to improve as a team when the sides meet again in Cape Town on Saturday.

New Zealand won the opening Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Test at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, but Reinach believes the Springboks can take valuable lessons from the result as they prepare for the second match of the series.

“They put us under pressure and made me do things that led to my yellow card, but it’s now up to us to work on that and see how we can defend certain things better or make a better plans,” he said.

“The review after a loss is never good, but it’s learnings, and as long as we take the lessons and grow as a team, we will be in a good place.”

Reinach said the All Blacks’ approach at the breakdown had created problems for South Africa, although he did not believe New Zealand had specifically targeted the team’s scrumhalves.

“I don’t think they targeted us as individuals as No 9s, they went after our breakdowns quite hard and tried to slow down the ball with throwing their legs and other things” said Reinach.

The pressure at the breakdown forced the Springboks to find quicker and more effective ways to secure possession, something Reinach said had been a focus in training this week.

“We felt the pressure and we knew we had to get the ball out somehow, and we have to work out ways around it. When we train, we try to emulate that, and try to figure out ways in which we can improve.”

Although defeat is never easy to accept, Reinach acknowledged that New Zealand had earned their victory and said the response from South Africa would be important.

The Springboks will complete their main training block in Johannesburg on Wednesday morning before travelling to Cape Town later in the day. Their final preparation will take place during the captains run on Friday.

The match at the stadium in Cape Town will kick off at 17:10 on Saturday.

The fixture will also mark major career milestones for two senior Springboks. Flanker Pieter-Steph du Toit is set to win his 100th Test, while prop Ox Nche will make his 50th appearance for South Africa.

Reinach praised both players and said reaching those landmarks reflected their importance to the squad, as well as the qualities they bring as individuals and teammates.

The Springboks will hope the return fixture produces a different result from the meeting at Ellis Park, where the All Blacks established control and held South Africa to 16 points.

Kurt-Lee Arendse’s availability for the Cape Town Test follows a head injury assessment, while Rassie Erasmus has also explained his captaincy decision ahead of the All Blacks match.