Stokke expects even bolder All Blacks

Springbok assistant coach Mzwandile Stick expects Richie Mo’unga’s return to make the All Blacks an even greater attacking threat in Saturday’s series finale in Baltimore.

The Boks face a reshuffled All Blacks lineup in Baltimore on Saturday, with the tourists desperate to draw the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series 2-2.

Coach Dave Rennie made significant changes for the crunch fourth Test, with Richie Mo’unga starting at flyhalf, Josh Moorby back on the wing and Anton Lienert-Brown at outside centre.

MORE: Lienert-Brown plots Bok defeat to a fine detail

Stick admitted the coaching staff anticipated the shake-up.

“We know Richie Mo’unga is world-class. As the coaching staff, we expected that selection. Even Ruben Love, the way he’s been playing as an upcoming star, he’s been great for the All Blacks,” Stick said.

“They will be even more bold tomorrow when it comes to keeping the ball alive and trying to use the space in the wider channels, and we know how dangerous he is.

“We’ve played against him many times, and we’ve done our homework. The key thing for us is that we enforce our game onto them and ensure that we pitch up physically on the day.”

ALSO: Stateside showdown for No 1 ranking

The Boks hold a 2-1 series lead but know New Zealand’s quality means there is little room for error.

“We’ve seen in the past three games that if you’re not at your best, they’ve got what it takes to punish you because of the quality of players in their team,” Stick said.

“If you look at the outside centre position, they have a guy like Anton Lienert-Brown with his experience.

“It is a world-class team; we know they’re desperate to level the series, but in the same breath we want to make sure that we keep on making our people back at home proud, so we’ll give our best.”

MORE: Siya wired to win the Springbok way

Stick, who has been involved in some of the Boks’ biggest matches in recent years, says nothing compares to the demands of this series.

“In my experience, it doesn’t get tougher than this; it’s like playing four World Cup finals in four weeks,” he said.

Photo: All Blacks/Facebook