All Blacks coach Steve Hansen says the Springboks will be ‘more dangerous’ when the teams meet in Albany on Saturday.
The Boks have not beaten the All Blacks since 2014, and suffered two big defeats to them last year (41-13 in Christchurch and 57-15 in Durban).
However, the Boks have claimed five wins and a draw from six Tests this season, and will go into their first clash with New Zealand with far more confidence than they did last year.
‘South Africa are playing really well,’ Hansen told the All Blacks’ website. ‘They seem to be incredibly tight with each other, so they’re obviously building something from a culture point of view and that’ll make them more dangerous.’
The All Blacks are at the top of the Rugby Championship log with 14 points from three wins, but were given a big fright by Australia in Dunedin and Argentina in New Plymouth.
Hansen said his side would be looking to improve on Saturday, particularly at the breakdown.
‘We’ve got to be able to stay on our feet a little longer to make sure we can get people there too rather than just flopping at defenders’ feet so they can get a free shot at the ball. So that area we’ll look at,’ he said.
