The first night when the DHL Stormers pushed them for 68 minutes was the exception, but so far the tour games played by the All Blacks as part of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry have been disappointing.
While the Cape team pretty much telegraphed what would happen at scrum time when the Kiwis faced the Springboks, the Hollywoodbets Sharks were very under-strength and almost an academy team when the faced the tourists at Kings Park and at Loftus the Vodacom Bulls played like the team their coach Johan Ackermann said beforehand they would be - underdone.
Stormers coach John Dobson said at the start of the tour that the club teams playing against the All Blacks were playing to ensure that they would be part of future RGR tours, with the next one scheduled to come to South Africa due in eight years from now.
He hoped one of the teams would knock the Kiwis over. So far his team has come the closest, and coincidentally lost by the same margin as the Boks did in the first test - 17 points.
In both instances that margin flattered the winners, it was much closer than that, but the reality is that the All Blacks go into their final tour game against the 10Bet Lions at Ellis Park on Tuesday night unbeaten on tour and with the jury out as to whether the local professional clubs will play New Zealand next time.
CHANGE ALREADY BEING CONSIDERED FOR FUTURE TOURS
Indeed, SARU president Mark Lawrence said as much during the interviews at the trophy unveiling ceremony in Bryanston last week - he said invitation teams will need to be considered as future All Black opponents, particularly for the midweek games.
The weekend games have been well attended, with 47 000 turning out on a Friday night for the tour opener at the DHL Stadium and more than 30 000 for the Bulls game, figures that need to be put in perspective - the ticket prices are considered by many to be disproportionately high for games where everyone knows the hosting team is not only well below full strength but also playing out of season.
The Lions team that plays on Tuesday night is arguably an exception - only scrumhalf Morne van den Bergh, who will be on the bench in the second test in Cape Town on Saturday, is away with the Boks. The team selected is basically at close to full strength, and looks an exciting one on paper, bolstered as it is by the availability of Bok squad members Quan Horn and Boan Venter.
LIONS ARE DEEPER INTO PRE-SEASON THAN THE OTHER CLUBS
As the Lions are also two and a half weeks deeper into their pre-season, they could also have greater capacity to push the All Blacks for 80 minutes than any of the other club teams have. That is particularly so if you consider that they have apparently been training hard against the Springboks in the time that the national squad has been on the highveld.
Hopefully there will be a bigger crowd than expected for the game as if the Lions can somehow find a way to play like they do on their home ground during the season, with some big scalps having been claimed at Ellis Park in recent years, this could be a highly entertaining game.
For All Black coach Dave Rennie, this game might not feel like it arrives at an optimum time, with the first game of the test rubber having been won and most of the focus now surely on Cape Town, plus some players apparently having to back up in both of the next two games because of injury.
With a test now having also been played, he will also feel that there is less relevance to the game than there was when his squad players were being introduced to the realities of playing against South African teams in South Africa. The All Blacks have already played at Ellis Park on this tour, and they won. The game was just three days ago.
A MOMENT KIWIS HAVE LOOKED FORWARD TO SINCE 2023
What it does offer him though is the opportunity to see what New Zealanders have been looking forward to ever since he played his last game in the black jersey against the Boks in the 2023 Rugby World Cup final - the return to international duty of flyhalf Richie Mo’unga.
It may feel that his reintroduction is less necessary given the form of Ruben Love, but Mo’unga does bring experience and is a superb game driver when on form.
A good game against the Lions may not push him into the conversation for the immediate challenge of the second test, although a bench role is definitely a possibility, but certainly for the games that come after that, when the attrition rate from playing games in quick succession against a team as physical as the Boks are could become problematic.
It is likely to be a good night out for those who venture to Ellis Park, regardless of the result, for the Lions are one team that no-one will ever accuse of slowing down the ball. Fast tempo rugby has been in their DNA ever since a Kiwi coach, John Mitchell, coached them to Currie Cup success in 2011 and that was carried on by Johan Ackermann, then Swys de Bruin and now Cash van Rooyen.
The Lions feel they have nothing to lose, and that is true, except it would be good for the preservation of these meetings against local teams in future tours if the Lions do what Dobson hoped for at the start of the tour - knock the All Blacks over.
Teams
10Bet Lions: Quan Horn, Kelly Mpeku, Henco van Wyk, Richard Kriel, Erich Cronje, Chris Smith, Nico Steyn, Francke Horn (captain), Batho Hlekani, Siba Mahashe, Ruan Delport, Etienne Oosthuizen, SJ Kotze, PJ Botha, Sebastian Lombard. Replacements: Morne Brandon, Boan Venter, RF Schoeman, Hyron Andrews, Sikhumbuzo Notshe, JC Pretorius, Haashim Pead, Boeta Chamberlain.
New Zealand: Beauden Barrett, Fehi Fineanganofo, Rieko Ioane, Timoci Tavatavanawai, Emoni Narawa, Richie Mo’unga, Noah Hotham, Semisi Tupou Ta’eiloa, Ethan Blackadder, Wallace Sititi, Patrick Tuipulotu, Sam Darry, Pasilio Tosi, Samisoni Taukei’aho, Siale Lauaki. Replacements: Bench: Bradley Slater, Ofa Tu’ungafasi, Saula Mau, Jamie Hannah, Peter Lakai, Kyle Preston, Josh Jacomb, Anton Lienert-Brown.
Referee: Angus Gardner (Rugby Australia)
Kick-off: 7pm