All Blacks coach Scott Robertson expects beaten South Africa to revert to ‘DNA'
New Zealand coach Scott Robertson believes that South Africa will "play to their strengths".
WELLINGTON – New Zealand coach Scott Robertson says the All Blacks will not alter their approach to playing South Africa in light of the Springboks' surprise capitulation to Australia at Ellis Park.
South Africa's 38-22 loss at their Johannesburg stronghold last Saturday stunned the rugby world while putting their Rugby Championship defence on shaky ground before a potentially decisive, two-test tour of New Zealand in September.
The Springboks have tried to move to a more expansive, ball-in-hand game style away from their usual strengths of physical dominance and tactical kicking – but Robertson suggested it may not last.
'No. We know how they're going to play – they'll play to their strengths,' he told reporters on Tuesday.
'It's just their DNA. It's about how you stop them, but also how you play your own game.'
After conceding a 22-0 lead, Australia ran in six unanswered tries to beat the hosts at Ellis Park for the first time in over 60 years and trigger renewed optimism under coach Joe Schmidt.
Robertson, however, declined to conjure even faint praise for the Wallabies, saying that he was more focused on the All Blacks' second test against Argentina in Buenos Aires.
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Singapore What led to Changi Airport runway incursion involving 2 China Eastern Airlines planes in Aug 2024
Singapore Singapore seals carbon credit deal with Thailand, its first South-east Asian partner
Singapore CPIB nabs 9 suspects for alleged match-fixing in national basketball league
Singapore Live Singapore-raised seafood on sale at 3 Giant supermarkets from Aug 19
Asia Singaporean man sentenced to 72 years' jail in Malaysia for murdering wife and stepson
Singapore Court to assess if teen who advertised vapes for sale on WhatsApp can receive probation
Life Local indie theatre The Projector ceases operations from Aug 19 after a decade
'It was a game of small moments – a bounce of the ball, a pass. South Africa played beautifully for a long period, and then it just turned, didn't it?' he said.
'It shows how discipline, accuracy and limiting errors can change things quickly. I'll turn the page when we get past this week and we'll start talking about those teams.'
The All Blacks saw off an Argentina fightback to win 41-24 in Cordoba last Saturday despite a lack of cohesion in the back-line at times.
Rieko Ioane's move to the wing and Billy Proctor's promotion to starting number 13 remain under the microscope, with neither dominating their positions.
Robertson defended both players, saying Ioane was getting better every week and calling for patience for five-test Proctor.
'He's a long-term project, and we're sticking with him,' he said of Proctor.
Meanwhile, lock Patrick Tuipulotu and centre Anton Lienert-Brown have been ruled out of the second test against Argentina after suffering head knocks in the opener, Robertson confirmed.
Tuipulotu was taken to hospital and failed a head impact assessment, while Lienert-Brown had a late head-on-head clash with Santiago Chocobares which earned the New Zealander a yellow card. REUTERS
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
8 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Yeo's boost for Yip Pin Xiu and teammates for World Para Swimming Championships
SINGAPORE – In five weeks' time, the world's top athletes will be in town for the World Para Swimming Championships, with the Sept 21-29 event also serving as a platform for Singapore's para-swimmers to shine. With the local heroes in the spotlight, the hope is that the increased exposure will translate into more support and sponsorships for para sport. Local food and beverage company Yeo's is one supporter who has got the ball rolling. On Aug 20, it announced a one-year partnership with the Singapore Disability Sports Council (SDSC) to support local para-swimmers Yip Pin Xiu, Wong Zhi Wei and Danielle Moi – the trio have been appointed as ambassadors. Seven-time Paralympic champion Yip said: 'I'm so proud to be a Singaporean, and Yeo's is also a Singaporean brand, homegrown, we grew up drinking it. 'So to have this kind of partnership, the support, where you see the Singaporean community giving to our local athletes, I feel very appreciative of it, that there is this connection. 'In Singapore, our sporting culture is always improving. So to see companies also come on board to support athletes, really shows that they are also starting to value athletes a bit more, because really (previously), we only endorsed celebrities, but now it's also a bit more towards the athletes.' Wong, who has three golds from the Asean Para Games, added: 'It's my first partnership with any brand, so I guess it's an exciting but also somewhat uncertain time, because I never done anything like this, but I am grateful for the opportunity to become an ambassador for them. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore 18 persons nabbed and 82 vapes seized in HSA ops in Raffles Place and Haji Lane Singapore 3 Sengkang Green Primary pupils suspended for bullying classmate, with 1 of them caned: MOE Singapore Woman trapped between train doors: Judge rules SBS Transit '100% responsible' Singapore Religion growing in importance for Singaporeans: IPS study Life Record number of arts patrons in 2024, but overall donation dips to $45.74m Life 'Loss that's irreplaceable': Local film-makers mourn closure of Singapore indie cinema The Projector Singapore Nearly 2 years' jail, caning for man caught with at least 100 sexually explicit videos of children Singapore Grab users in Singapore shocked by fares of over $1,000 due to display glitch 'We are part of a movement that hopes to push the envelope on what sport is. You've heard from (Yeo's chief executive) Mr Ong previously, on wanting to redefine sport, whether it is making it more inclusive or including e-sports in it, and so this is part of the movement that we are in.' While the company did not disclose the amount of the partnership, Yeo's chief executive Ong Yuh Hwang said at the partnership announcement at the Delta Sports Complex on Aug 20: 'We're always looking for opportunities where we can make a positive social impact to the community. '(We want to) enable the para-athletes to be able to compete on an international stage, to support them financially, on their training, nutrition, equipment and transportation. 'We're fully aligned with what SDSC is doing to promote inclusivity and accessibility in sports… And with that, we hope to inspire all Singaporeans to reach out for their dreams.' Yeo's have also supported Olympic bronze medallist and kitefoiler Max Maeder and the Singapore Sailing Federation. They previously sponsored the Singapore Premier League and e-sports' Mobile Legends Bang Bang: MPL SG2021 professional league. Ong said that the company wanted to give the athletes 'maximum impact' by narrowing their partnership to Yip, Moi and Wong. 'We found that these three athletes meet the criteria that we set. Their track record, results that they have delivered and our plans. So going forward we will assess on how we can further expand the scope,' he added. 'Hopefully our action will be able to serve as a small catalyst to inspire the rest of the corporations and the public to be able to take part in this activity as well… To help SDSC to help even more young athletes to live to their fullest potential.' While Singapore's team list has not been finalised for the World Para Swimming Championships, Moi is looking forward to a possible debut in front of a home crowd. She said: 'The short term goal is to go one competition at a time (starting with the world championships) and hopefully I qualify, I want to try giving all my best out there.'
Straits Times
39 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Trump administration imposes fresh sanctions on four ICC officials
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump's administration on Wednesday imposed sanctions on two judges and two prosecutors at the International Criminal Court, as Washington kept up its pressure on the war tribunal over its targeting of Israeli leaders. Washington designated Nicolas Yann Guillou of France, Nazhat Shameem Khan of Fiji, Mame Mandiaye Niang of Senegal, and Kimberly Prost of Canada, according to the U.S. Treasury and State Department. ICC judges issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Israeli defense chief Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leader Ibrahim al-Masri last November for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Gaza conflict. Guillou is an ICC judge who presided over a pre-trial panel that issued the arrest warrant for Netanyahu. Khan and Niang are the court's two deputy prosecutors. The move comes less than three months after the administration took the unprecedented step of slapping sanctions on four separate ICC judges, saying they have engaged in ICC's "illegitimate and baseless actions" targeting the U.S. and close ally Israel. ICC, which had slammed the move in June, describing it as an attempt to undermine the independence of the judicial institution, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The ICC, which was established in 2002, has international jurisdiction to prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes in member states or if a situation is referred by the U.N. Security Council. The United States, China, Russia, and Israel are not members. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore 18 persons nabbed and 82 vapes seized in HSA ops in Raffles Place and Haji Lane Singapore 3 Sengkang Green Primary pupils suspended for bullying schoolmate, with 1 of them caned: MOE Singapore Woman trapped between train doors: Judge rules SBS Transit '100% responsible' Singapore Religion growing in importance for Singaporeans: IPS study Life 'Loss that's irreplaceable': Local film-makers mourn closure of Singapore indie cinema The Projector Singapore COE premiums up in all categories except motorcycles; Cat A price climbs 2.5% to $104,524 Singapore Nearly 2 years' jail, caning for man caught with at least 100 sexually explicit videos of children Singapore Grab users in Singapore shocked by fares of over $1,000 due to display glitch It has high-profile war crimes investigations under way into the Israel-Hamas conflict and Russia's war in Ukraine, as well as in Sudan, Myanmar, the Philippines, Venezuela, and Afghanistan. The sanctions freeze any U.S. assets the individuals may have and essentially cut them off from the U.S. financial system. REUTERS
Straits Times
39 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Women's Rugby World Cup to offer players ‘mental health support'
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox TWICKENHAM – Women's Rugby World Cup chiefs have promised to offer players 'mental health support' after saying that female athletes are '30 per cent more likely' to suffer social media abuse than their male counterparts. While the likes of tournament hosts England are a professional side who have become used to increasing scrutiny, several of the other 15 competing teams are semi-professional or amateur outfits for whom the World Cup will provide a whole new level of exposure. 'Supporting athletes, having an athlete-centred approach, I think, is fundamental to everything that the competition is doing and that we are doing at World Rugby,' said Sally Horrox, the global governing body's head of women's rugby. 'So our performance teams have been working very closely on programmes with the unions to make sure that there is mental health support, for example, for those athletes who are away from home. 'Some of them have families, some of them have other jobs. The game in many parts of the world is still an amateur to semi-professional game, so they will be experiencing something very, very different. 'So we take our responsibilities very seriously.' Tournament organisers said on Aug 19 they expected the Sept 27 final at Twickenham to feature a sell-out crowd of over 80,000 – a record for any women's rugby match. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore 18 persons nabbed and 82 vapes seized in HSA ops in Raffles Place and Haji Lane Singapore 3 Sengkang Green Primary pupils suspended for bullying schoolmate, with 1 of them caned: MOE Singapore Woman trapped between train doors: Judge rules SBS Transit '100% responsible' Singapore Religion growing in importance for Singaporeans: IPS study Life Record number of arts patrons in 2024, but overall donation dips to $45.74m Life 'Loss that's irreplaceable': Local film-makers mourn closure of Singapore indie cinema The Projector Singapore Nearly 2 years' jail, caning for man caught with at least 100 sexually explicit videos of children Singapore Grab users in Singapore shocked by fares of over $1,000 due to display glitch More than 375,000 tickets have been sold across all 32 matches at this World Cup, with a huge global television audience anticipated as well. 'We're ready to break records in attendances, viewership and engagement,' tournament director Sarah Massey said during the launch event at Twickenham. 'This is going to be the biggest global celebration of women's rugby that we have ever seen.' But with that opportunity come attendant risks and World Rugby, in April, announced a collaboration with the Signify Group to use the data organisation's 'Threat Matrix' that monitors social media platforms to detect and report abusive posts and comments. 'No one deserves that type of abuse in this environment,' added Horrox. 'And sadly, female athletes, are 30 per cent more likely to experience this type of abuse than men.' World Cup favourites England open the tournament against the United States in the northeast city of Sunderland on Aug 22, with the Americans boasting a breakout social media star in Ilona Maher, who has amassed over eight million followers. Meanwhile in men's rugby, world champions South Africa will play Japan at Wembley on Nov 1 – the first time they have met in England since the Japanese recorded one of the greatest upsets in Rugby World Cup history in 2015. Japan, then as now coached by Eddie Jones, overcame the Springboks 34-32 in an absolute thriller of a match in Brighton. South Africa have gone on to beat the 'Brave Blossoms' twice since then, both times in Japan, as well as being crowned world champions in 2019 and 2023 giving them a record four victories in the sport's quadrennial showpiece. AFP
