And given both teams go into this weekend’s Round 4 game in the Rugby Championship unbeaten the atmosphere at the North Harbour stadium is likely to be white hot.
A win for the Boks would allow them to leapfrog the world champions into first place and would provide further evidence of their return to the top tier of the global game.
Last weekend Eben Etzebeth’a side fought out an epic 23-23 draw against Australia in Perth to leave the Wallabies still seeking their first win of the tournament. That result, on top of a double over Argentina in the opening two rounds, means they have travelled across the Tasman in confident mood.
The action so far has given Wales head coach Warren Gatland and his coaching team plenty to chew over as they come up with their strategy for the 2017 Under Armour Series, which will see the Welsh side take on Australia, Georgian, New Zealand and South Africa at the Principality Stadium in November and December.
It looks like being the ultimate challenge for Wales and the game against New Zealand has already been confirmed as a 74,500 sell-out. Tickets for the others games are also selling fast and full details on how to buy tickets is HERE (www.wru.wales/tickets)
The battle up front this weekend, especially between Etzebeth and All Black second row Sam Whitelock, is likely to be top of the bill. And Whitelock, a veteran of 90 Tests and 12 wins in 14 outings against South Africa, can wait for the action to get started.
“It’s one of those awesome Test matches you hope to be part of. If you go back through the history between South Africa and New Zealand, these are the games people talk about 10, 20 or 30 years later. No doubt this one will be the same,” Whitelock told SARugbyMag.
“They’re big, strong guys and there is always that physical battle – that’s what I love about it. They really pride themselves on it, so you always know it’s going to be physical.
“They’re really confident and when a team is confident things normally come off for them. In their first couple of games, they played typical South African rugby – their big, strong guys were carrying hard and they were using their skills when releasing the ball to go wide.
“Eben Etzebeth has developed massively from when he first arrived on the scene. He has really grown and evolved in that leadership role and seems to be really enjoying it.”
Springbok coach Allister Coetzee certainly seems to have turned his side around from the depths of despair that surrounded the game in South Africa after they were well beaten by Wales in Cardiff last year. Now he is looking forward to testing his young side’s progress against the World No 1 team.
“New Zealand is the benchmark and this contest is an exciting opportunity for our young team to measure themselves against the best rugby team around. This is a different side compared to last year,” he said.
“We have showed a lot of improvement up to now and last weekend in Perth was another opportunity to gain experience. However, we are now facing a team who doesn’t seem to have any weaknesses.
“They have great leadership and world class players, while Beauden Barrett is their catalyst. The patience and discipline of the All Blacks are some of their key strengths, so for us it will be a great occasion to measure ourselves.”
Rugby Championship Round 4 – Saturday, 16 September
New Zealand v South Africa (08.35 BST) QBE Stadium, Albany
Australia v Argentina (11.00 BST) GIO Stadium, Canberra
Under Armour Series 2017 – BUY TICKETS HERE (www.wru.wales/tickets)
WALES v AUSTRALIA – Saturday, 11 November 2017 (17:15)
WALES v GEORGIA – Saturday, 18 November 2017 (14:30)
WALES v NEW ZEALAND – Saturday, 25 November 2017 (17:15) SOLD-OUT
WALES v SOUTH AFRICA – Saturday, 2 December 2017 (14:30)
