By Adnaan Mohamed
The All Blacks are desperate. The Springboks are hunting. Baltimore is the battleground.
There will be nowhere to hide when the Springboks and All Blacks slug it out in Baltimore on Saturday.
This is rugby stripped down to its studs: four games in a row, two wounded heavyweights, one series trophy and enough national pride to power a stadium.
The Boks lead. The All Blacks want to drag them into the gutter and level the series.
Siya Kolisi has seen this movie before. He knows the haka comes with teeth.
“We definitely want to win the series,” said the Springbok captain.
“We don’t want to draw it, and that has been our mindset this week.”
Translation: the Boks have no appetite for polite handshakes and participation medals.
They want the trophy.
They want the win.
And, above everything, they want South Africans to puff out their chests.
“We’ve all seen in the last three games that if you are not at your best, they have what it takes to punish you. But so do we, and we want to make sure we keep making our people proud.”
The stakes are already sky-high. Then rugby decided to throw another log on the fire.
Saturday marks Rassie Erasmus’ 100th Test match in his two Springbok roles as head coach and Director of Rugby.
For Kolisi, this four-Test marathon has felt less like a series and more like a succession of World Cup finals.
“In my experience, it doesn’t get tougher than this. It’s like playing four Rugby World Cup finals in as many weeks given the quality of both teams.”
That is not hype. That is a warning label.
The All Blacks have changed personnel and brought Richie Mo’unga back at flyhalf. Assistant coach Mzwandile Stick expected the move and reckons New Zealand could unleash an even more adventurous attack.
“Richie is world class and we know him well,” said Stick.
“I think the All Blacks are going to be even more bold tomorrow when it comes to keeping the ball alive and using the wide channels, and we know how dangerous they are.”
So expect the ball to fly, bodies to fly and somebody’s game plan to eventually crash into the advertising hoardings.
The Bok answer?
Bring the thunder.
“The most important aspect for us is to enforce our game on them physically and go from there,” Stick said.
That phrase, enforce our game, should make the All Blacks nervous.
Because the Boks are not arriving in Maryland to admire the scenery.
They are arriving to impose themselves.
Kolisi, meanwhile, has no intention of allowing outside noise to hijack the Bok blueprint.
“Our system isn’t rigid. We can play set-piece rugby and a kicking game. We don’t have a system that says we have to play a certain way. It’s one that creates opportunities for us to play.”
And Baltimore is already buzzing.
Stick says South Africans are everywhere, dressed in green and gold and travelling from across the United States to back their team.
“There are a lot of South Africans here and the vibe is great, so we are excited about the opportunity to promote rugby in the USA.”
Even Stick got a taste of American sporting culture, watching baseball and ticking an item off his bucket list.
His verdict on the pitchers?
“I thought (Kagiso) Rabada (Proteas bowler) was fast until I saw those pitchers.”
Now the Boks need to throw a few fastballs of their own.
Kick-off is 17h00 Baltimore time, 23h00 SA time, live on SuperSport.
Erasmus has 100 Tests to celebrate.
Kolisi has cap 107.
The All Blacks have desperation.
The Boks have a trophy to grab.
Baltimore has been warned.
