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Springboks: Felix Jones highlights ‘the two main themes’ world champions are focusing on ahead of All Blacks clash Springboks assistant coach Felix Jones believes the world champions and the All Blacks will be well prepared when they face off in Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Test series opener in Johannesburg on Saturday. The All Blacks have been in outstanding form on their South African tour, winning all three matches so far against the Stormers, Sharks and Bulls, respectively. Dave Rennie’s troops will now go head-to-head against their arch-rivals in Saturday’s eagerly anticipated encounter at Ellis Park before they also do battle at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town (August 29), the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg (September 5), and the M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, USA (September 12). Springboks in fine form The Springboks‘ preparation for Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series has seen them beating the Barbarians, England, Scotland, Wales, and Argentina in their previous matches in 2026, and Jones is confident that both teams will be ready for what should be an entertaining encounter this weekend. “I think both teams are going to feel really prepared going into the game,” he said. “New Zealand have had their franchise games, and we’ve had Argentina for some players, while a group of players remained behind in South Africa to do specific work. “I don’t think any preparation really replicates the level of intensity you’re going to experience when New Zealand plays South Africa. But I think both teams would say going into this game that they feel prepared.” Jones highlighted some consistent threads in the All Blacks’ style of play during their previous fixtures on this South African tour. “They clearly have a very strong identity around what they’re trying to do in each area of the game, and those threads were present in the franchise games too, even in the wet-weather in Durban,” he said. “They are really committed to the direction they’re going in. “If you look at the metrics, you’d see significant shifts in their kicking volume, the amount of ball they’re trying to keep in hand, their phase count, and their possession time, so there’s been a clear shift in what they’re trying to do.” Commenting on what the Springboks’ coaching staff have picked up from the All Blacks’ matches against the South African franchise sides, Jones said: “A lot of it was confirmation of what we saw in the Nations Championship in terms of how they’re trying to attack, defend, and play with their kicking game. “A couple of things caught the franchises out and a couple of themes were consistent across the feedback (we received). One was around the breakdown, where they experienced tucked shoulders going in, which the franchises weren’t happy with, and a reversed-arm non-wrapping action. “The other was that the franchises were actually quite happy with the opportunities they created, getting into scoring positions around 10m out, with multiple lineout opportunities there, but they were frustrated they couldn’t score from the driving maul. ‘Those were probably the two main themes’ “It’s tough when there’s someone pulling or trying to lift a leg or going off their feet. Those were probably the two main themes. “We’re all for the physical side of the game, as everyone is aware. We just want it to be within the laws. So, we’re aware of it going into the game.” Jones added: “We’ve coached against Dave Rennie (All Blacks head coach) with Glasgow and with Australia, and the word ‘brutal’ follows his coaching, and there are some amazing elements to how quickly they get their ruck speed going. “But World Rugby’s number one priority is safety, so we just want to make sure that physicality and brutality stay within the laws.” Want more from Planet Rugby? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for world-class coverage you can trust. Zooming into the match itself, Jones emphasised the importance of a strong start, saying that New Zealand have always prided themselves on racing out of the blocks. “We saw that in Auckland last year where they scored early and we had to grind our way back,” he said. “So, we know we have to start with a huge amount of intensity. It’s almost a given when you play New Zealand that they start fast.” READ MORE: Springboks: Fresh update issued on Siya Kolisi and Ox Nche ahead of All Blacks opener