Brutal scrum dominance combined with an accurate kicking game helped the Springboks power their way to a colossal victory over the All Backs ahead of Saturday’s deciding fourth Test in Baltimore, wing Ethan Hooker said.
Hooker was one of the standout players in an enthralling showdown in front of 85,976 fans at the FNB Stadium in the final clash on SA soil in Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Series.
The win enabled the Boks to open a 2-1 lead in the four-Test series with New Zealand still able to snatch a share of the spoils if they bounce back at the M&T Stadium (kickoff 11pm SA time).
“The job starts again now. We are already shifting our mindset for Baltimore,” Hooker said.
“It’s going to be a neutral venue, so it’s going to be different; we won’t have 90,000-odd people screaming for us.
“We’ve got to balance that out, but it’s a challenge, and we’ll get ready for it.
“A lot of our success at the FNB Stadium came from scrum dominance.
“We really got the ball rolling there, and I think we got our contestable kicking game right, so we started getting our ball back quite a bit.
“We focused a lot more on ourselves rather than on them, got our structures in place, and built momentum from there.
“Obviously the crowd helped a lot as well.
“As soon as you start getting momentum, the crowd joins in, and it just lifts you.”
Hooker said he had enjoyed a hotly contested battle in the air against the New Zealanders
“I enjoy the aerial contest,” he said.
“Having the wind factor, and them being so good in the air, it really tests yourself, and you have to think a lot more than in other games.
“It’s a big contest, and I pride myself in my contest.
“I love going up against these guys because of how good they are in the air.”
Hooker said winning the Man of the Match award had come as a surprise.
“It was the last thing on my mind. I was so exhausted after 80 minutes, and I’m so happy that we won,” he said.
“Someone told me that I’d won the award, and I was like, oh look, there’s a Man of the Match. It completely went past my mind.
“There’s 23 of us, and we’re all putting it [all in] on game day.
“We all just give it our all. I’m not really focusing on the opposition; I’m playing for myself, my family and for South Africa.
“If I walk away with Man of the Match, it’s just the cherry on top.”
Bok coach Rassie Erasmus said his team would not get carried away by the win in Soweto because a tough challenge lay ahead in Baltimore.
“I know a lot of people said that this is the series here in South Africa, but it is not,” he said.
“We’ve played three games here, and we’re one up, but the final game is still to come.
“I know we can’t lose it anymore because there’s no points difference or tries scored.
“But the trophy was actually designed in two halves to be shared if it’s a draw. So, it’s game on.”
“We will assess the injuries, and we start planning, and it’s number one and two again.
“It’s the greatest rivalry, and we play to try and win the series, and they will try to draw the series.
“So, no, it’s going to be flipping important.”
“We are happy, and it was epic. It was intense.
“I think the scoreboard at the end showed how close the game was. We’re just happy we won.
“Now we’re on the same flight, and now we must try and go replicate that in Baltimore.
“They were definitely on top [in the first half].
“All of us, I think, envy the way they can handle the ball, and they’re certainly brilliant at that.
“Luckily we went in level at half-time. which gives you some hope.”
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