Former New Zealand national player notes that long tour in South Africa increases resilience of young players

After two matches on South African soil, the All Blacks showed the Springboks that they are ready to adapt to any challenges posed by the great rugby rivalry.

In the first match, the teams secured a tight victory over the Stormers in Cape Town. However, on Tuesday, they displayed a completely different level of play, achieving a convincing 54-0 victory over the Sharks in Durban, despite extremely difficult weather conditions.

This result highlighted the team's ability, under the guidance of Dave Rennie, to adapt to circumstances. Despite the rain and slippery surface, the team maintained its attacking potential and also demonstrated an ability to win using a more pragmatic approach.

These actions did not go unnoticed by the Springboks' head coach, Rassie Erasmus, and his coaching staff, who closely studied the All Blacks' game ahead of the first test match next Saturday at Ellis Park stadium.

In the wet conditions, New Zealand's attacking power was not suppressed; their passing game was particularly impressive, as they repeatedly found space behind the Sharks' defense. The team's ability to recognize opportunities and change tactics in difficult situations will be another warning for the world champions.

The third and final match against the United Rugby Championship team will take place on Saturday when the All Blacks face the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria. This match presents a different challenge, as the altitude will test the visitors after they have faced contrasting conditions in Cape Town and Durban.

Loftus, located at an altitude of approximately 1,350 meters above sea level, will provide the All Blacks with a final test before traveling to Johannesburg for the first test match. If they can overcome the effects of altitude and show another convincing performance, the New Zealanders will conclude an impressive three-match cycle against top South African teams in the URC.

More importantly for the Springboks, the All Blacks demonstrated across three very different environments that they are not preparing for the great rivalry using only one style of play. Although they intend to dominate the Bokke through their polished technique and high-tempo style, they can easily switch to a more measured approach when the situation demands it.

Regardless of the conditions awaiting them at Ellis Park, Erasmus will know that they will likely be prepared after these three encounters.

During the first match of the greatest rugby rivalry, which took place on Friday evening at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town, Stormers winger Seabelo Senatla scored a touchdown after a brilliant lineout maneuver that allowed him to break through the All Blacks' defense.

Stormers Rugby Director John Dobson stated that before the match against the All Blacks, his team conducted a useful exchange of information with the Springboks coaching staff. The Cape Town team is now ready to provide unofficial feedback to the world champions following the 38-21 defeat.

Dobson noted that discussions with Rassie Erasmus and his coaching staff are part of the growing coordination between the South African teams and the Springboks ahead of the main rugby confrontation.

Despite the Cape Town team battling the world second-ranked team for 65 minutes, they ultimately exhausted their energy in the opening match of the tour. Nevertheless, they demonstrated brave and emotionally charged play in front of more than 47,000 spectators.

According to Dobson, they will likely speak with the Springboks coaches about the information they received during Friday's meeting. Dobson said after Friday's battle: 'We (the Stormers and Bok coaches) talked last week, just for general synchronization. I think it's quite smart, and I will probably give feedback (on the match). There will be some, but nothing official.'

He continued: 'But we are South African teams, and I think they will be interested to know how we perceived this confrontation; I know they will be interested. So we will provide some feedback on what we found. I don't think it's unusual, but yes, we shared some thoughts over the week, and it was really useful. We have developed a good relationship with the Springboks.'

The experience of the Stormers against the All Blacks may provide valuable insights for the Boks, who will face New Zealand in the first match of the four-match series in Johannesburg a couple of weeks later. This week they will play against the Sharks and Bulls, and these two franchises should also pass on some internal information to the world champions before the start in Ellis Park on August 22nd.

Dobson believes this exchange has already proven worthwhile, as the Springboks coaches provided information that helped the Stormers prepare for Friday's match. His team dominated the scrums and rucks, which was a pleasing sight for Cape Town fans.

For the Springboks, the immediate experience of the Stormers could be another useful source of information in the preparation for the anticipated tough tournament against their main rivals. Additional information from the Sharks and Bulls could give the world champions an early advantage before the open test match in Johannesburg.