Loftus a happy hunting ground for All Blacks

The Springboks will be searching for just their second win over the All Blacks at Loftus when the teams meet in Pretoria this Saturday.

The first and only time the Springboks have managed to overcome New Zealand in Pretoria was way back in 1970, when the hosts pulled off a 17-6 victory.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OeIlMIRrTA

Since then, it has been a happy hunting ground for the All Blacks, who claimed a 33-26 victory in 1996, while surging to a comfortable 34-18 victory three years later.

The Boks also won’t have fond memories of their home clash against the Kiwis in 2003, with the visitors claiming a resounding 52-16 win at Loftus.

Most recently, the All Blacks were also comfortable winners at Loftus back in 2006 as they recorded a 45-26 victory in front of a capacity crowd, with that result piling further pressure on then-Bok coach Jake White.

There is set to be another sell-out crowd at Loftus this Saturday, and it’s something that Bulls flyhalf Handré Pollard said the team was really looking forward to seeing.

‘I can just imagine if it’s Loftus, Springboks vs All Blacks and it is full. It will be unbelievable, so I’m looking forward to it a lot. It is something that we [Jesse Kriel and myself] have always talked about, to play in front of a full Loftus.’