mens
international
Springbok strongman Jasper Wiese revealed the tense atmosphere on the charter plane shared by the South African and New Zealand rugby players as they headed to USA for the fourth and final Test in rugby’s greatest rivalry.
The flight carrying both teams and support staff ended its journey in Baltimore, Maryland, where the teams will play at M&T Bank Stadium on Saturday. No.8 Wiese said: “I don’t think it was too friendly on the flight.”
Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus painted a happier picture, saying: “The New Zealanders had their place and we had our place. I saw Beauden Barrett and Sia (Kolisi) having a cold drink together and taking pictures. Codie Taylor was sitting across from me.”
However, Wiese gave a clearer indication of the atmosphere at 30,000 feet en route from Johannesburg, which included a two-hour stop at Spain before the final 10-hour leg to the USA.
In an interview with the media upon arrival, Wiese said: “I’m not going to sugar coat it – there wasn’t a lot of conversation. Maybe I was sitting in the back of the plane, so I didn’t talk to a lot of them. But you can imagine how they felt on that flight after the loss. It would have been the other way around if we were in their position.”
The All black people must repeat their first Test triumph if they are to prevent the Springboks from winning the four-Test series 3-1, and Wiese believes New Zealand’s desperation will be evident when the teams meet again.
“You know how desperate they will be in this last game,” added Wiese. “It’s something we know is coming. I don’t think it’s been too friendly on the fly, but we also know how much it means to them. It’s not just us in the competition, it’s them, and I think they’re going to come out firing this weekend.”