Jake White admitted that Saturday’s Tri Nations Test between South Africa and New Zealand holds little significance – with both sides already focused on the World Cup later this year.
“The reality is that both nations have put huge premiums on the rugby World Cup this year,” said White from Christchurch today.
“One can look at this Test in isolation and feel aggrieved, but let me tell you, if the World Cup final is between South Africa and New Zealand in France, people aren’t going to worry about what happened in Christchurch.
“You’ll see the best players playing each other in France and I guess that’s where everyone wants to get to on October 20,” concluded the South African coach.
The Boks have not won a Test in New Zealand since 1998 and the second-string team looks unlikely to change that statistic. In the history of two of rugby’s fiercest rivals it’s hard to think of a Test that means as little as Saturday’s Tri Nations encounter.
Jake White admitted as much when he took the Bok B’s over to Australia and NZ.