The Springboks are loathe to ever want to accept the tag of favourites going into a showdown, but against the All Blacks in round three of the Rugby Championship in Johannesburg on Saturday, they will be the odds-on favourites for the win.
The New chapter in old rivalry between Springboks and All Blacks does however, transcend talk of favourites versus underdogs and promises to be a top-drawer game of rugby. The Boks have confirmed that Eben Etzebeth will play from the bench, and that could prove the difference in the test match.
The Springboks realise that this is the type of match that will dictate the mood of the country on the Monday following the Saturday showdown. They accept the heavy responsibility of playing for South Africa, and as the captain Siya Kolisi underlined, the Green and Gold is playing for all of South Africa.
Kolisi says his team thinks things like that and uses it as motivation.
"We are in a place of privilege having the honour of representing the whole of South Africa, not just some, everybody in South Africa. And what you do with what you are gifted with, your talent you are able to control someones moods. On Monday I know how nice it is on Monday for people to go into the office and talk about how lekker the weekend was when the Springboks have won. So we think about all of that."
