Stick: We have to be at our best for 80 minutes against the All Blacks

Springbok assistant coach Mzwandile Stick has urged his players to be on red alert from first whistle to last against the All Blacks in Wellington, citing the gift 14-0 lead given to the Kiwis in Auckland as fatal.

The Boks did not rock up on defence in the early exchanges at Eden Park, and slipshod tackling resulted in two easy tries to the home team within 15 minutes of kick-off.

“Last week we had two soft moments early in the match, and we’ve learned from that,” Stick said. “You can’t give the All Blacks a 14-point start and hope to win.

“So, this week we must be at our best for the full 80 minutes.

“We also need to make sure that we are clinical in our execution, and that we convert our chances into points. Way too many tries were left on the table last week,” the former Blitzbok said.

Stick’s area of expertise is the backline, and he said he was unsure why the combination picked for Saturday’s game has been the centre of so much debate.

“A lot of the players in the backline have been in the system for a long time, and we think they are good combinations,” said Stick.

“There’s a good mixture of players in this team. Most of the guys have played here before, some of whom have won two World Cups, so it’s not as though it is a completely new team.”

Stick said he was excited to see X-Factor players in Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Damian Willemse, Canan Moodie, Aphelele Fassi, Cheslin Kolbe, and Ethan Hooker playing off each other.

“I’m keen to see this side in action, and I think some of the new faces will bring a different skill set to the match, which is exciting.”

“We think they are a good combination,” Stick added. “They understand how we want to play the game.

“We are so used to seeing certain players in our backline, but we can’t always rely on the same individuals.

“I’m excited to see these guys get their opportunity, and they have a strong pack of forwards in front of them, who have a lot of experience.”