“Jake White Breaks Down the Eden Park Showdown – You Won’t Believe His Verdict!”

There are so many questions that will be answered when the final whistle goes in Auckland on Saturday

Is Tony Brown’s influence with the Springboks taking them up the right or wrong path?

You know, are the Boks trying to play in a style which doesn’t fit their natural strengths?

Are New Zealand moving away from the foundations of what has made the successful?

That’s been the rhetoric that’s been emanating out of both fanbases all week.

Let’s be clear, I don’t believe the team that loses this Test are suddenly going to be backs against the wall and careering into a crisis.

However, I do think the team that emerges victorious is going to have a clear psychological advantage going forward as we head into 2026 and turn the corner towards the 2027 World Cup.

It’s not quite win or bust for the team that loses, but the odds of them being favourites going into the quadrennially played tournament lengthen.

So, which areas will win or lose the titanic tussle at Eden Park?

The All Blacks scrum functioned pretty well against the Pumas, but even with a scrum that was bested, Argentina still managed to eke out the win in Buenos Aires.

Now, in recent years, South Africa has always hedged their bets on the basis that their ‘Bomb Squad’ has always been better than every other reserve front row. It’s going to be fascinating to see which front row is going to be able to play through, or dominate, and then have a similar impact from the bench.

The influence of both benches has been scrutinised of late. Argentina, even in the first Test, which they lost, finished stronger than the ABs, after being 31-10 down.

The scrummaging battle with both sets of front rows is going to be massive. Elsewhere, I’ll be keeping an eye on the maul, where Jason Ryan has definitely improved the All Blacks since coming in in 2023. I have no doubt the Boks will be using their maul as an exit strategy to get penalties, three points or entries into 22s. It is going to be a crucial facet to who comes out on top in this game.

Winning clean line-out ball is key. It’s all about the quality you get on your own ball, and it’s how you disrupt the opposition. It’s why the Springboks routinely go for a rangy blindside like Pieter Steph du Toit, who is 6ft 7ins, or Franco Mostert, who is an inch shorter. Interestingly, the All Blacks have been questioned for never being able to adequately replace Jerome Kaino, who last pulled on an All Blacks No.6 shirt in 2015.

Ardie Savea and Sam Cane have been brilliant players, but weren’t especially tall. They’ve lacked a dominant No.6, which is why they’ve trialled Tupou Vaa’i there to see if he has the athleticism, and for Saturday, they’ve moved the 6ft 6in Simon Parker over from No.8 for only his second cap.

Why’s it so important? If there’s any doubt about going long in the hooker’s mind, he’ll end up throwing somewhere else in the line, and then it’s easier for the defence to second-guess where the ball’s going and spoil.

What people may not understand is a towering blindside counteracts the fact that you don’t give the opposition line-out ball at the back, which leads to powerful rolling mauls and penalties called against you. If you can counteract height with height and disrupt that ball, you in effect, set up a platform to actually stop the maul.