South Africa coach Heyneke Meyer believes his side can cause one of the biggest upsets in rugby history by beating New Zealand to claim the Rugby Championship title.
The Springboks go into Saturday’s match in Johannesburg needing to not only get the better of the All Blacks but also in the process claim a four-try bonus point and ensure they win by more than seven points so their opponents themselves do not pick up a bonus.
On paper it appears an extremely tough task against a side that have dominated their opponents in 2013 and comfortably beat Meyer’s men 29-15 in Auckland last month.
However, the ‘Boks have appeared to be an entirely different beast this year and now not only do they have their traditional power in the forwards, they also have an extra spark out wide thanks to the resurgence of fly-half Morne Steyn and the introduction of winger Willie Le Roux.
South Africa may also have history on their side, having defeated New Zealand at Ellis Park in the 1995 World Cup final, as well as beating them at the ground on their way to Tri-Nations glory in 2004.
It still looks to be a big ask but Meyer says he is feeling confident and believes his team can record what would be a monumental victory.
“I really want the team to go and score four tries,” the 45-year-old said. “By saying that it is a huge, huge challenge because the more rugby you play, the All Blacks play off your mistakes.
“No one will probably give us a chance but it is just great to go positive into this game and try to do what’s impossible.”
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