Sean Fitzpatrick, who captained the only New Zealand team to win a Test series in South Africa, said the current All Blacks must get "everything right" when they face the Springboks in a four-Test series beginning at Ellis Park on Saturday.
The world champions and top-ranked South Africa will host second-ranked New Zealand across four consecutive Saturdays, with matches in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Baltimore. The series, marketed as the "Greatest Rivalry", represents the first extended tour between the nations since 1996.
Fitzpatrick, speaking at the unveiling of the Greatest Rivalry trophy in Johannesburg, emphasised the margin for error against the Springboks. "New Zealand will need to be right on their game, they cannot afford yellow cards or bad scrums," he said. "They need to get everything right, which is difficult, but that is what Test rugby against the best is all about."
The 1987 World Cup-winning hooker, capped 92 times before retiring in 1997, added: "They need a bit of luck too. Ideally you want to go 1-0 up so you can really pile on the pressure for the second Test in Cape Town."
Fitzpatrick acknowledged the challenge posed by the Springboks' varied arsenal. "The Springboks definitely have a lot of options in how they want to play – their defensive line speed, the size of their pack, their ability to break tackles," he said. "But the All Blacks know all that, (head coach) Dave Rennie knows that."
The All Blacks scored 22 tries in warm-up victories over the Stormers, Sharks and Bulls franchises ahead of Saturday's opening Test.