Africa-Press – South-Africa. It will be his first time playing at the cauldron of Eden Park — where the All Blacks have not lost a Test match since 1994 — and mercurial Springbok wing Cheslin Kolbe is champing at the bit to weave his magic at the feared venue.
South Africa take on New Zealand in Auckland on Saturday, with both teams desperate for a win to boost their ambitions in the Rugby Championship that remains wide open after three rounds of matches.
“Every opportunity I receive to play against the All Blacks, especially with the history behind matches between the sides, is huge and that is a sentiment we all share,” Kolbe said.
“We are facing the No 1-ranked side in the world and as a player you want to measure yourself against them individually and as a team, to see where you are and if you are still on par, so I am excited.
“I have also never played at Eden Park before but I have heard many great things about it, so I will be thrilled if I get the opportunity to play this weekend.”
Kolbe is not the only Bok making his introduction to Eden Park — flanker Marco van Staden is too, and he’s also relishing the opportunity.
“Every Test one plays in the green-and-gold is big and no two teams are the same, so we are preparing as well as possible for the match. Having the opportunity to play in this match will certainly be special,” Van Staden said.
“It’s a significant stadium for the All Blacks, so anything we can learn from players who have faced New Zealand a few times away in the past we’ll definitely take to heart.”
The Springboks have not enjoyed much success at the iconic stadium, where they last played in 2013 and went down 29-15 against the hosts. But Kolbe said they are not dwelling on the past.
“The past is history and there is nothing we can do about that. All we can do is focus on what we can do now and whoever gets the chance to play needs to go out there and enjoy the occasion.
“A lot can change in a season and the main thing for us is to continue improving and developing as a team.”
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus will announce his match-23 squad on Thursday.
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