Rennie refuses pressure talk as All Blacks enter South Africa series as underdogs

Dave Rennie deflected questions about which side carries more pressure into the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series opener, telling reporters on Thursday he has no interest in “mind games” as his All Blacks squad prepares to face world champion South Africa in Johannesburg.

New Zealand enter the first Test as underdogs. The Springboks have won five of the two teams’ last six meetings, including a narrow victory in the 2023 Rugby World Cup final, and will play in front of a sold-out home crowd at altitude — 1,753 metres above sea level — conditions that will add a punishing physical dimension to an already demanding contest.

“I’m not going to try and heap that on them and play mind games,” Rennie said. “But I’m sure they’re excited to play at home in front of a sold-out crowd; we’re excited to play there as well. It’s one of the toughest challenges in rugby. So, we’ll embrace that.”

Asked to elaborate on that assessment, Rennie was unequivocal about what winning a Test series in South Africa means to him personally. “I would say, absolutely. Because it’s such a big challenge. But we’re loving it. We’re working hard. We’re connecting really well, and we’ve got a lot of great people, players and staff. It’s important that we enjoy the week.”

The coach acknowledged that drawing first blood in game one would be an advantage, while tempering expectations about its decisive weight. “I guess whoever doesn’t win the first Test will say it doesn’t matter, because you’ve still got three to go,” he said. “Look, I’m sure both sides want to start well. We see it as being a really tough tour, so drawing first blood would help.”

Rennie was candid about the physical demands his players will face across the four-Test series. “There’ll be times where it’s an arm-wrestle. But you have to dig in. We want to play when it’s on to play. We’ll need to bar up for a large chunk of it. It’s Test footy, and we know the Springboks will ask a lot of us.”

With 44 players on tour, Rennie said the expanded squad has served a purpose well beyond matchday selection, helping to embed the culture and game model he is building with the team. “It’s been brilliant,” he said. “To get 44 players here, to really immerse them in the culture we’re trying to develop, and the game model — we’re confident we’ll leave here in a much stronger place 12 months out from a World Cup.”

Rotation across the four Tests is expected, with the coach signalling that the series’ real deciders are likely to come in games three and four.