Smith: Boks’ midfield holds edge

Conrad Smith believes the Springboks’ vastly more experienced midfield combination gives them an important advantage over the All Blacks ahead of Saturday’s third Test at FNB Stadium.

With the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series locked at 1-1, Smith has identified the midfield as one of the key areas to watch on Saturday.

Jordie Barrett has established himself as the first-choice 12 for the All Blacks, while Quinn Tupaea has formed a promising midfield partnership with him. Smith, however, believes Barrett and Tupaea still have some way to go before they can match the cohesion of Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel.

“Jordie’s become the first name we put on our team list,” Smith said on The Boks Unpacked X The Verdict podcast.

“He’s had a season at Leinster which I think has just added to his all-round game. He’s been a constant performer for us for three or four years, and he’s just producing some massive games in the big moments, which is what you want to see from your leading players.”

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While Smith is impressed by what Barrett and Tupaea are producing, he believes the Boks’ midfield pairing currently has a significant advantage in terms of time spent playing together.

“When you look at the South African combination, they have the experience which our boys currently don’t have,” he said.

“In four or five seasons, if Jordie and Quinn are still playing together, they might be as good as De Allende and Kriel. I remember playing against those two guys, so they are vastly experienced. If you have the intensity and the willingness, then so many other things go for you just because you’ve had so much time together.”

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With the series on a knife edge, Smith expects the weight of expectation to be heavy on both sides.

“There’s going to be huge pressure on some key individuals,” he said.

“There will be some interesting sub-plots to this game and there’s a huge amount riding on it, so there’s a lot of excitement from myself and some others I’m sure.”

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