Erasmus asks Ellis Park crowd to stay silent for the haka — and delays squad announcement out of respect for All Blacks

Rassie Erasmus has made a direct appeal to the Ellis Park crowd ahead of Saturday's first Test against the All Blacks: stay silent during the haka.

"I would love it if the people at Ellis Park do the same as the guys in Cape Town where it's quiet, where we hear the haka 100% because I think it's something special," Erasmus told a Johannesburg press conference on Monday.

The request came partly informed by the experience of Johan Grobbelaar and Elrigh Louw, who faced the haka for the first time when the Bulls met the All Blacks last weekend. Erasmus said both players spoke of how intense and affecting the experience had been, and credited New Zealand's execution of the small details within the game as a key part of what makes them formidable.

Erasmus will hold back his squad announcement until Thursday — a deliberate tactical decision. "The announcement on Thursday is respect for New Zealand and knowing how tough this one is going to be. The less time they have to prepare for our team, the better." That contrasts with his standard practice of naming squads the Monday before Tests against England, Scotland and Wales.

Attack coach Tony Brown was also kept out of last week's trip to Argentina, working instead with players expected to feature on Saturday. Erasmus confirmed the Boks have developed specific plans for this match, though he acknowledged New Zealand under Dave Rennie — whom he rates highly from their Munster-Glasgow encounters and Rennie's three wins from four Tests coaching Australia against the Boks — will likely have done the same.

"He will have made plans which he will not show in the franchise matches, and they will definitely not do exactly the same stuff that they did in the Nations Championship," Erasmus said.

He nonetheless expects New Zealand's fundamental approach to remain consistent: high-tempo ball-in-hand rugby, dangerous attacking kicks, and ruthless breakdown work. "They won't go away from the way they're attacking. But they'll have one or two great starter moves. They are very focused, brutal at the breakdown."

Erasmus also acknowledged that New Zealand's current standing — below the Boks in the world rankings — is temporary. "We're 100% sure that New Zealand's going to get up there again. Obviously they're going to beat us again in future, hopefully not this weekend."

Kickoff at Ellis Park on Saturday is at 17:10.