Boks are a serious threat to All Blacks

All Black coach Graham Henry rates the Springboks as the most difficult team to beat in world rugby.

Speaking at coaches’ conference in Wellington, Henry stated New Zealand struggled to intimidate the South Africans.

“They are very hard to play and are the most difficult side to construct our attack against,” he said. “They have the same traditions in rugby as the All Blacks and they don’t fear the All Blacks as some other teams do. We wish they did, but they don’t.”

Under Henry the All Blacks have won four from seven in Tests against the Boks. South Africa is yet to win in New Zealand with Henry at the helm, but at home the coach believes they are a completely different side.

Henry said that home ground advantage did play a part in effecting the referee.

“Home advantage is critical, our results show that. I think the referees get under pressure from the home crowds and that affects their decision-making, and that’s a concern.”

The two sides will face off in the Tri-Nations firstly in Durban on 23 June and then in Christchurch on 14 July. There is a chance that they will meet in the World Cup in France, where home ground won’t be a factor.

The two sides have met on neutral ground in this tournament twice before. In 1999 the Boks beat the All Blacks 22-18 in a third place-playoff in Cardiff, while the New Zealanders thrashed them 29-9 in the 2003 quarterfinals in Melbourne.