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Auckland - New Zealand flyhalf Dan Carter says to beat the Springboks you have to front up to them physically and tactically outsmart them.
The All Black pivot says their preparations have gone well this week and they are ready to tackle the Boks in Saturday’s Tri-Nations clash at Eden Park.
“It’s been a great week, but we realise that we have to step up against the world champions. To get a victory will just be the icing on the cake,” Carter said at the All Black team hotel on Thursday.
The Springboks beat the Kiwis thrice in last year’s tournament. However, Carter says that they have looked at where things went wrong and they have worked hard to rectify matters.
“We realise what they are going to bring to the party and we will just have to lift the intensity. The physicality will always be there.
Tactically we have to work out the way they play. We’ve been analysing them over the past month and hopefully we’ve identified a few areas where we can exploit them.”
The All Black general believes it doesn’t really matter who the Boks select in the back three because they have tremendous depth.
“If Jean de Villiers is selected on the wing, he brings a lot of experience. The younger guys add a lot of excitement. It doesn’t really matter who they select in the back three, they will be dangerous either way.”
Carter believes that the Boks will stick to what worked for them last year but will tweak their game plan a bit in this year’s campaign.
“Last year they put us under a lot of pressure in their kicking game. I think this time around they will keep the ball in hand more. The Bulls and the Stormers showed that in the Super 14 this year.
“The Boks will make the most of their opportunities. They will also use the kicking game as a real weapon and will continue to do so.”
Carter said of his opposite number Morné Steyn: “He’s been a valuable part of the South African side for the last couple of years and he’s really grown as a player with the ability to turn a test with his accurate kicking game. He has the ability to put you under pressure with his kicks and it is a big part of our game to limit his space.”
Auckland - New Zealand flyhalf Dan Carter says to beat the Springboks you have to front up to them physically and tactically outsmart them.
The All Black pivot says their preparations have gone well this week and they are ready to tackle the Boks in Saturday’s Tri-Nations clash at Eden Park.
“It’s been a great week, but we realise that we have to step up against the world champions. To get a victory will just be the icing on the cake,” Carter said at the All Black team hotel on Thursday.
The Springboks beat the Kiwis thrice in last year’s tournament. However, Carter says that they have looked at where things went wrong and they have worked hard to rectify matters.
“We realise what they are going to bring to the party and we will just have to lift the intensity. The physicality will always be there.
Tactically we have to work out the way they play. We’ve been analysing them over the past month and hopefully we’ve identified a few areas where we can exploit them.”
The All Black general believes it doesn’t really matter who the Boks select in the back three because they have tremendous depth.
“If Jean de Villiers is selected on the wing, he brings a lot of experience. The younger guys add a lot of excitement. It doesn’t really matter who they select in the back three, they will be dangerous either way.”
Carter believes that the Boks will stick to what worked for them last year but will tweak their game plan a bit in this year’s campaign.
“Last year they put us under a lot of pressure in their kicking game. I think this time around they will keep the ball in hand more. The Bulls and the Stormers showed that in the Super 14 this year.
“The Boks will make the most of their opportunities. They will also use the kicking game as a real weapon and will continue to do so.”
Carter said of his opposite number Morné Steyn: “He’s been a valuable part of the South African side for the last couple of years and he’s really grown as a player with the ability to turn a test with his accurate kicking game. He has the ability to put you under pressure with his kicks and it is a big part of our game to limit his space.”
