All Blacks coach Steve Hansen insists that the Springboks will start Saturday’s Rugby Championship Test against his side as favourites.
The last time South Africa beat the All Blacks was in 2014 when Heyneke Meyer was coach. Last year, the Boks were thrashed 57-0 by their arch-rivals in Albany, before going down 25-24 at Newlands.
The Boks have recently suffered back-to-back defeats against Argentina and Australia, while the All Blacks have won their last nine Tests in a row.
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Hansen, though, is adamant that the world champions will head into Saturday’s game as underdogs.
‘The last one could have gone either way. They should probably be the favourites, I reckon,’ Hansen said. ‘We know that South Africa are going to be desperate to put a performance on the park. Very rarely do they lose twice in a row, let alone three times in a row.
‘You’ve got to have the mindset which is that of the underdog. If you sit at the top and say “we’re going good here”, you won’t be there for too long.’
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Photo: PhotoSport