Nche expects All Blacks response as Springboks target Soweto series win

Ox Nche believes the All Blacks will respond strongly when South Africa face them in the third Test of the Greatest Rivalry Series at FNB Stadium after the Springboks levelled the contest with a 33-26 victory in Cape Town.

South Africa recovered from their defeat at Ellis Park the previous weekend by making a fast start at DHL Stadium on Saturday. New Zealand applied significant pressure late in the match, but the Springboks held on to secure the win and restore momentum in the series.

Nche praised South Africa’s defensive performance, while acknowledging that the team still has areas to address before the next meeting in Soweto.

“I think we played and defended very well,” said Nche.

The Springboks prop felt South Africa could have been more threatening with the ball and made better use of the opportunities they created. He also said they had not protected possession as effectively as they wanted.

“I feel like we could have done better in attack and taken a few more chances, and we didn’t look after the ball as well as we could have. But the result is what matters.”

The victory followed a week of reflection for South Africa after their loss at Ellis Park. Nche said the squad had worked specifically on correcting the shortcomings exposed in that match, rather than allowing the defeat to affect their preparation.

“We saw the mistakes we made last week and tried to fix them this week.

“They’re [the All Blacks] probably feeling now the way we felt last weekend, and they will obviously come back better, so it’s our responsibility to keep improving and capitalise on our chances.”

That response from New Zealand is now expected to provide the next test of South Africa’s progress. Although the Springboks improved defensively in Cape Town, Nche’s comments underline the need for greater accuracy in attack and improved ball retention if they are to build on the result.

The All Blacks had South Africa under pressure during the closing stages of Saturday’s match, but the hosts’ early advantage proved decisive. The Springboks will now look to produce another complete performance in the next Test, with Nche stressing that their responsibility is to continue improving rather than rely solely on the outcome in Cape Town.

The third Test in Soweto kicks off at 17:10 at FNB Stadium.