Blair takes Erasmus' last-minute front-row switch 'with a pinch of salt' ahead of third Test

All Blacks assistant coach Mike Blair has played down Rassie Erasmus’ late team-naming tactics, insisting New Zealand will not restructure their preparation around individual Springbok selections after South Africa overhauled their starting front row just 60 minutes before the second Test at DHL Stadium in Cape Town.

Ox Nche, Malcolm Marx, and Wilco Louw were all dropped from the original starting lineup before kickoff, with Erasmus explaining post-match that the decision hinged on a pitch inspection. The Springboks’ coaching staff had planned to assess the playing surface on arrival at the stadium, and when the weather forecast improved, the heavier trio were held back for the second half, where damper conditions were expected to suit them better.

Speaking to reporters in Cape Town ahead of the squad’s move to Johannesburg for the third Test, Blair acknowledged the tactic but refused to let it dictate New Zealand’s approach.

“You take notice of it, but you take it with a pinch of salt as well,” Blair said. “Listening to what he said after the second Test about how he changed the team around depending on the weather, it shows that they’ve got the capability of doing that. So it gives us a little bit of an idea potentially of what they might be thinking.”

Blair stressed that the All Blacks will not invest significant preparation time in planning for a player who may not ultimately take the field. “We’re not going to spend huge amounts of time planning for a certain individual in a certain position when we’re pretty aware that can change right up until kickoff,” he said.

Instead, New Zealand’s focus remains on South Africa’s collective identity rather than personnel. “We understand the South African DNA in terms of their game, in terms of how they defend as well, and a lot of the individuals coming into that will fit within that system. So we prepare for the team’s ethos, as opposed to the individuals.”

Despite losing the second Test — scoring one fewer try than the Springboks — Blair believes his side showed clear improvement from the first Test at Ellis Park, particularly in their ability to carry ball.

“I think we had big improvements from Test one to Test two,” he said. “Having the ability to balance our game is important in that space. We still want to play with tempo and move around their pack, but there are different ways to fatigue the opposition as well, which we’ve looked at.”

The series is level heading into the third and final Test in Johannesburg, with both teams having claimed a victory apiece.