World Cup winning All Blacks Stephen Donald and Mils Muliaina have backed New Zealand to embrace the challenge of starting the Rugby Championship with back-to-back Tests against the Springboks in the South Africa.
Donald and Muliaina were both part of Graham Henry’s rebuilding All Blacks team which lost both Tri-Nations Tests to the Boks in the Republic in 2009.
It would be a low point for that particular Kiwi group, who would go on to win the World Cup in 2011.
The current All Blacks team has travelled to South Africa in a similarly pressured position, after a first home series loss to Ireland which has put head coach Ian Foster under the pump and cost assistant coaches John Plumtree and Brad Mooar their jobs.
Ex-flyhalf Donald, who was in the 2009 squad due to the injury-enforced absence of Dan Carter, says he respects the challenge posed by the Boks but told Stuff.co.nz that there is an upside to the embattled All Blacks facing the world champions on their home turf.
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“I think it’s the best place to be in,” Donald, who played 23 Tests between 2008 and 2011, said. “Things are down in the dumps at the moment, but you’ve still got guys there who have beaten South Africa in South Africa. I don’t think they’ll be daunted by it, but will know it’s going to be as tough as it gets.
“It should be exciting for them. As a backs-to-the-wall scenario, you don’t get any bigger, but it’s bloody doable. There are parts of the New Zealand game that will always trouble the Springboks, and if they don’t get their kicking game perfect, and it doesn’t flow on to their defence being able to set, all of a sudden a big part of their game is gone.”
All Blacks centurion Muliaina said the two Tests in Nelspruit and Johannesburg could be a free swing for New Zealand, seeing as they have lost four of their last five Tests.
“The key thing is they don’t listen to the outside noise, and that’s really hard when you’re under the pump. This is a good thing. They’re going to the hardest place to tour but the most satisfying when you win, and they’re away from home where they’re criticised most,” he said.
“It’s sink or swim. You’ve got to be in it for the whole 80 minutes – one mistake, one missed high ball and they lift to another level, and when they’re riding in confidence they make you pay.
“A lot is talked about how the All Blacks can put 20 points on you in a flash, and these guys are the same. They feast off their crowd, off opportunity … man, they’re a different beast over there.”
Photo: Jono Searle/Getty Images
