Share

Smal: NZ team could be special

Christchurch - Ireland's assistant coach and former Springbok, Gert Smal, thinks the All Blacks have the makings of a great team in the squad selected by new coach Steve Hansen.
 
According to the allblacks.com website, Smal said he didn't know where New Zealand got their players from but there was an amazing amount of talent seemingly on call for the selectors.

"This one (team) is very special I think," he said.

"But in saying that we're not going to sit back and see what they can do. We also can play a little bit and we also showed two years ago that even with 14 men we can score two tries if we keep our possession and have a go at them, and that's what we're going to do on Saturday."

Ireland were conscious of managing the players' workloads after a long season and there was every chance that a nearly full muster would be available for selection for the second Test. This was despite the fact that several players took things easy at Tuesday's training run.

"It's not ideal going into big Test matches like these but I think it is quite important that we have them fresh," Smal said.

New Zealand won the first Test against Ireland in Auckland 42-10.

 
We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
How much would you be prepared to pay for a ticket to watch the Springboks play against the All Blacks at Ellis Park or Cape Town Stadium this year?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
R0 - R200
33% - 1818 votes
R200 - R500
32% - 1778 votes
R500 - R800
19% - 1084 votes
R800 - R1500
8% - 461 votes
R1500 - R2500
3% - 187 votes
I'd pay anything! It's the Boks v All Blacks!
5% - 254 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE