Steven Kitshoff is backing the Springboks on Saturday but isn't pretending the build-up has been ideal. Speaking on the For The Love Of Rugby podcast with Dan Cole, Kitshoff's main concern is match sharpness — Erasmus rotated heavily across the five matches leading into the Greatest Rivalry series, meaning combinations haven't been properly tested under pressure. Meanwhile, Kitshoff believes the All Blacks arrive more battle-hardened from their franchise fixtures. His read: expect the Boks to need 30-40 minutes to hit their stride, with New Zealand potentially exploiting that window for a fast start. On the flip side, Kitshoff says the Boks have been put through a brutal training block to compensate — players he's spoken to describe it as being 'properly flogged' — so the conditioning base should be there even without game time.
The other major talking point is the scrum. Kitshoff expects the Boks to go 'full metal jacket' at Ellis Park, treating the set-piece as a penalty machine that funds their territory game. He's measured about the All Blacks' scrum — it had a soft moment against the Stormers before improving against the Sharks and Bulls — and rates Lomax as a serious threat. His view is that whichever pack wins the scrum battle will largely dictate the game's shape: the Boks want to mine penalties from it, the All Blacks will try to keep the ball alive and minimise exposure. Kitshoff's prediction is a high-scoring Springbok win, 38-32.