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Pressure is on the Boks, says Wallabies centre

Cape Town - Wallabies midfielder Reece Hodge says the pressure will be on the Springboks when the teams clash in a Rugby Championship encounter in Port Elizabeth on Saturday.

In an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, Hodge said it would be tough for the Springboks to back up their 36-34 win over the All Blacks in Wellington earlier in the month.

South Africa’s upset win was built on a staunch defensive effort - the Boks made a whopping 235 tackles in a game they enjoyed just 25% possession and 21% territory.

It was a huge physical effort to defeat the world’s No 1-ranked team and Hodge is not so sure the Boks will be able to produce the same effort this weekend.

“They’re going to be a lot more confident but I also think there is still a fair bit of pressure on them in terms of they’ve had a great game and a great win against the All Blacks but their fans, like ours, are going to want to see some consistency. It's a huge occasion for them, as it is for us,” Hodge said.

Hodge though acknowledged that the Wallabies will be underdogs at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

“Something this squad has got to get a lot better at is winning on the road and winning consistently and piecing together two, three, four good performances back-to-back,” Hodge said. “This is the start of that. It’s an away game and the records are stacked against us. We’ve got to win at the end of the day.”

Both match-day squads will be named on Thursday.

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