Faf de Klerk: We cannot switch off against All Blacks

South Africa and New Zealand will meet in the Rugby Championship at Mount Smart Stadium in Auckland on Saturday.

The All Blacks are the reigning Rugby Championship title holders. They have won the tournament eight times in the last 10 years. South Africa have not won it since 2019.

What Faf de Klerk said

“There’s always massive respect between the Springboks and All Blacks,” said Springboks scrumhalf Faf de Klerk.

“The biggest challenge for us will be the fact that the All Blacks have the ability to make something out of nothing, so we cannot switch off in the game. We have to be in control and alert all the time because against New Zealand, if you lose concentration, you could find yourself behind the posts.

“They’re a world-class team and if we do well against them, we’ll know we are on a good place.”

South Africa have an early lead in the Rugby Championship, which also includes Argentina, after beating Australia in Pretoria last week.

“Fortunately, we had enough depth within our squad to send some players to New Zealand early. But the guys really set the standard last week, and we have to pull up our socks to remain at that level,” concluded de Klerk.

Will Eben Etzebeth play?

Lock Eben Etzebeth was appointed Springboks captain for this match. Whether he participates, though, remains in the balance. Etzebeth’s father passed away earlier this week.