The lack of contact also means that the players are not as familiar with each other as those who faced each other 15 years ago, when Super Rugby was arguably at its peak.
“You get to know the players better when you compete with them. There is something unknown about them, but it can also be to our advantage, because they haven’t seen us,” said Quagga-Smith, who will make his 32nd Test start on Saturday.
The All Blacks name their team Thursday and believe this weekend’s meeting will provide an important sign of their progress, following their opening rugby championship victory against Argentina last Saturday.
“We don’t get much [matches] Against them now, so we can test ourselves against the big front beams, which is what it’s going to be [at the Rugby World Cup] “It’s a good time for us,” All Blacks’ forwards coach Jason Ryan said.
Both teams agree that the Boks’ game plan won’t change much from what has historically made them successful. “They’re so clear in their DNA, you have to respect and admire them,” Ryan said.
This plan relies on forward domination and bullying the opposition into collisions, as the Australians discovered last week.