South Africa vs. New Zealand: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info, 2015 TRC Preview
Two of the powerhouses of rugby union clash on Saturday as the imperious New Zealand All Blacks travel to South Africa in the Rugby Championship.
The hosts were thwarted in their opening game against Australia, with the Wallabies stealing the win at the death with a last-minute try, prevailing 24-20.
The All Blacks began their bid to win a fourth straight TRC title in style, as they dispatched a hungry Argentina, winning 39-18.
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Here is how you can watch this TRC clash of the titans, with streaming and TV information:
Date: Saturday, July 25
Time: 4:05 p.m. (BST), 11:05 a.m. (ET)
Live Stream: Sky Go (UK only); DIRECTV.com (USA Only)
TV Info: Sky Sports 1 and HD (UK only); DIRECTV Channel 490 (USA Only)
All Blacks Pushing For Top Form
The names of New Zealand and South Africa will always be synonymous with exciting and powerful rugby, and fans will be expecting a classic encounter when the teams meet in front of 61,000 supporters at Ellis Park in Johannesburg.
The Springboks are still licking their wounds after their late loss to Australia in the first round of matches, and they will be looking for revenge against their Antipodean neighbours.
Head coach Heyneke Meyer has made a number of changes to his South African side for the game with the All Blacks, after a bad run of results in recent times.
South Africa have lost three of their past six games, losing to the Wallabies, Wales and Ireland, per Sky Sports.
It has been a very mixed last six months for the Springboks, and Meyer has recalled Heinrich Brussow to his starting selection, per RugbyWeek.com. Also brought into the squad are Francois Louw, Lood de Jager, Cornal Hendricks, Trevor Nyakane, Flip van der Merwe and Warren Whiteley.
Brussow has not featured for his country since the 2011 World Cup, and he is one of eight changes to the squad. Meyer explained his thinking with his selection, per RugbyWeek:
"Injuries have forced our hand a bit, but we've stuck with our planned rotational policy on the bench and it will be great to see what Heinrich, Vincent and Flip can do. The breakdown battle will again be huge and it will be good to see Heinrich and Francois play together. They are versatile players and I am convinced they will combine perfectly.
Heinrich has been great this season before he got injured and played his way into contention. As with other players returning from injury in Vodacom Super Rugby, he deserves an opportunity. We decided it was better to start with him and use Warren as an impact player later in the match.
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The All Blacks enter the contest as undoubted favourites, and they rested a number of key players in their first TRC game against Argentina. Returning for the trip to South Africa will be a trio of Smiths—Aaron, Ben and Conrad—as well as hooker Dane Coles, as reported by RugbyWeek.
Los Pumas were no match for their opponents on paper—and ultimately the All Blacks were comfortable in their win—but South Africa will note New Zealand's susceptibility at set plays and their lack of discipline.
All Blacks assistant coach, Ian Foster, highlighted this damaging issue and says his team have planned to improve, per Stuff (h/t RugbyWeek)
"We know when we look at our discipline last week against Argentina, for that middle part of the second half, we gave them soft penalties. We got a bit frustrated, we allowed them to get field territory and they got two tries. So we experienced ourselves what poor discipline does.
Poor discipline is not just about acting in a foul sort of way, it is about not nailing your role in every particular minute and we paid the price last week for that. Discipline is important through every game of test match rugby.
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ESPN.co.uk's John Mitchell also expressed his concern about some of the All Blacks' shortcomings, noting areas which must be improved:
"There are patent areas of improvement for the All Blacks. Argentina's two tries emanated from lineout driving mauls, and New Zealand's defensive structure, with the hooker at the back, concerns me somewhat. They certainly have to become quicker before the opposition get set. The All Blacks also found it difficult to clean out at the breakdown, as the Pumas had some big bodies in there that weren't easy to dislodge.
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South Africa have the talent to do New Zealand damage—they are better than Argentina, who gave the All Blacks a competitive match—but it is questionable whether they can attain the performance standard needed with so many changes.
New Zealand appear to be improving through the core of the team as they ease their way into TRC 2015, and several first-choice players will be brought back in after a rest.
The Springboks will have a buoyant crowd in attendance to provide the wind in their sails at Ellis Park, but it will not be enough against a strong All Blacks unit.
New Zealand should grab their second win of TRC 2015, and take one step closer to their fourth title in as many seasons.
The All Blacks' back row of Jerome Kaino, Richie McCaw and Kieran Read will play a vital role in this match, and their synchronicity will be key to the end result.
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