Erasmus, “New Zealand Game A Must Win for Us.” Wellington International Stadium will be the host to round 4’s heavyweight clash pitting New Zealand and South Africa. The Boks will come into this game wounded after suffering back to back defeats to Los Pumas and the Wallabies. This will be the first of two meetings between these sides with the second leg set for the 6th of October at the Loftus Versfeld. So, let’s see the game preview, prediction of All Blacks vs South Africa Rugby TRC Road 4.

Both Sides last Game

In the previous game, Mbonambi was preferred to Malcolm Marx but that decision proved costly for the Boks as the former gave away a try in a 23-18 loss to the Wallabies through an erratic lineout throw. Marx is almost guaranteed a starting berth this time in this must-win game.

New Zealand, on the other hand, has won all their matches with 22+ margins in this year’s edition. The latest being a 46-24 win over the Argies. The scoreline is deceptive of the real proceedings as the world champs had to dig deep for the win over the resilient Pumas.

All Blacks vs South Africa Rugby TRC Road 4 Fixture & Live Stream

All Blacks and Springbok will meet in the upcoming Saturday or 96th game and 44th in New Zealand’s home soil. Let’s have a look at the fixture of Rugby Championship 2018 Road 4 game between New Zealand and South Africa Rugby.

  • Teams: New Zealand vs Springboks Rugby
  • Date: Saturday, 15th September 2018
  • Kickoff: 19:35 (Local), 07:35 GMT
  • Venue: Westpac Stadium, Wellington, New Zealand
  • Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
  • Assistant Referees: Pascal Gauzere (France), Nic Berry (Australia)
  • Television Match Official(TMO): Rowan Kitt (English)

NZ vs SA Rugby Stats Comparison

All Blacks vs South Africa Rugby TRC Road 4 will be staged up between the so far unbeaten and one game-winner in between the previous 3 rounds. The NZ Rugby already establish their strong position in this year’s one of biggest tournaments Rugby Championship 2018. On the contrary, SA Rugby so far in a far behind position than the All Blacks.

New Zealand Rugby

Attack:

  • Tries – 18
  • Points Scored – 124
  • Carries Averaged per Game – 154
  • Offloads per Game – 12
  • Passes per Game – 217.33

Defense:

  • Tackles – 447
  • Tackles Missed – 74
  • Tackle Success – 86 %

Set Pieces & Phases:

  • Rucks Success – 96%
  • Scrums Success – 100%
  • Lineouts Success – 86%

South Africa Rugby

Attack:

  • Tries – 11
  • Points Scored – 71
  • Carries Averaged per Game – 136.33
  • Offloads per Game – 12.67
  • Passes per Game – 162

Defense:

  • Tackles – 354
  • Tackles Missed – 66
  • Tackle Success – 84%

Set Pieces & Phases:

  • Rucks Success – 96%
  • Scrums Success – 83%
  • Lineouts Success – 83%

Are there any changes in New Zealand All Blacks Rugby Squad

Having missed the first rounds, Sonny Bill Williams is fit to feature again. Equally, Ryan Crotty’s also recovered and is available for selection. Unfortunately, they will have to do without Brodie Retallick and Ngani Laumape who succumbed to injuries. Patrick Tuipulotu was promoted as a result.

South Africa Springboks Rugby Squad

Erasmus seems like he’s succumbing to pressure and will field a strong squad to face the current world champs. That means that Marx Malcolm will retain his position ahead of Mbonambi. Springboks would rather get results as compared to testing their squad depth, according to Erasmus.

SA and NZ Rugby Key Players to Watch

Dynamic Boks’ loosehead, Siya Kolisi will surely terrorize New Zealand’s loose heads. He has impressed already with his terrific ball carrying and thunderous defensive displays. Furthermore, he is a natural leader and is, therefore, expected to rise up to the occasion.

New Zealand has great depth. It also brags the possession of top quality armory in the form of Beauden Barrett and Liam Squire. After the spectacular performance of Shannon Frizell against the Argies, expect a higher intensity game Liam Squire in particular on this Saturday.

All Blacks vs Springboks Rugby Head to Head

The latest game between these two sides saw All Blacks completely demolish the Boks by 57 to nil. The Boks are winless in the last 5 meetings with the All Blacks. The two teams have played a combined 95 times which saw them draw three times. All Blacks won 57 with the Boks winning 35.

All Blacks vs South Africa Rugby TRC Road 4 Prediction

The All Blacks are unbeatable at home and when they line up to face the Springboks, a South African Win will be considered a very big upset. This will be a straight-forward win for the All Blacks against a South African side that’s been marred by defensive flawed in the recent games. The predicted score will be to win All Blacks by 42-24.

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