The All Blacks will be a „step up” in the competition after South Africa cruised past Australia to start their Rugby Championship campaign in style, coach Russi Erasmus said.
The two-time defending world champions scored just four tries of the game in a 30-12 victory in front of 58,197 fans at Perth’s Optus Stadium on Saturday.
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South Africa made 10 changes after last week’s 33-7 win in Brisbane, but their depth of talent and firepower off the bench crushed a scrappy Wallabies in wet conditions.
„We’ve always struggled against Australia,” Erasmus said as South Africa won four straight against the Wallabies for the first time since returning to international rugby in 1992.
“We’re always happy with a win and to get two bonus-point wins here and have all 33 players on tour playing was fantastic.
„We could have scored a few more tries so it could have been a big win difference, but we’re happy to get five points two weeks in a row.”
Heavy rain lashed the ground as several players were sent off with head injuries amid a fierce contest.
Australia hit the death toll, but South Africa lost stand-in captain Salman Morata early in the game when he was caught with a knee to the head.
„(Moirat) will go into the (concussion) protocol… we have a week off, so don’t expect him to miss the next game,” Erasmus said.
The Springboks will next play two Tests against a rejuvenated All Blacks, starting with a clash in Johannesburg on August 31.
It will be the first time the powerhouses meet since South Africa won 12-11 in last year’s tense World Cup final to retain the title.
After a shock defeat to Argentina in Wellington last week, New Zealand took revenge and cruised to a 42-10 victory at Eden Park on Saturday.
„We saw how New Zealand turned things around after last week’s results, so we know the challenge ahead of us…it will definitely require another step,” Erasmus said.
“With all due respect to Australia, they’re in a rebuilding phase and (new coach) Joe Schmidt is still finding his feet, so the next two Tests will be tough.
„We face them in Johannesburg at the height and then enjoy playing them in Cape Town, so we’re excited for what will be a short series against them.”