‘Helluva athletes’ backed to hit Boks hard

The pace and power of loose forward Peter Lakai and prop George Bower could hold the key to victory for the All Blacks in the third Test of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series.

Head coach Dave Rennie will start Lakai at blindside flanker for Saturday’s clash at FNB Stadium, while entrusting Bower with the No 1 jersey for a second week in a row.

World Rugby’s 2024 Breakthrough Player of the Year Wallace Sititi is also set to make his first Test appearance of the series, named among the replacements.

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“He’s not a big loose forward compared to some of the other men on the field, especially in the opposition, but he’s really physical,” said Rennie on the 12-cap Lakai. 

“He hits in the tackle and clean, and he’s a helluva athlete, so you lose a little bit in bulk but he’ll give us plenty around the track, both sides of the ball.

“He’s started a couple of other Tests this year and he’s always fronted when we’ve given him an opportunity. Got a similar type of impact from Wallace on the bench.”

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Bower gets his second run-on Test outing of the tour, despite the return to training of fellow loosehead Ethan de Groot and lock Josh Lord after their HIA standdowns.

“Josh Lord has had his history of concussion so we decided to err on the side of caution … De Groot, similar to Josh,” Rennie said.

“He’s actually a good athlete, George. You’ll see him around the field, whether it’s carry, clean or tackle.

“I think scrum-wise, the scrum was interesting last game. I didn’t feel that they had the dominance that they had in that first Test … so we’ve got a lot of confidence in George to back that up this weekend.”

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The Kiwi boss named an unchanged backline and cover on the bench, but acknowledged the appeal of the freakish Rieko Ioane for workhorse Anton Lienert-Brown.

“With the big men, it’s probably about getting some fresh legs out there. With the backs, it’s a lot about continuity,” Rennie added.

“You can see when we’re accurate and get that right, we’re finding a lot of space, so we’re keen to keep them together.

“What we have in Anton, he’s a guy with a massive engine. Rieko gives you X factor. He doesn’t defend as well as Anton and probably doesn’t have the same level of work ethic, but he’s an absolute freak when he’s got ball in hand.”

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Photo: Phil Walter/Getty Images