The intensity of a Test match against the Springboks is like no other rugby match, according to fly-half Ruben Love.
Sir Graham Henry shared the playmaker’s admission in a long-form interview where he discussed the All Blacks’ season so far under new head coach Dave Rennie.
The legendary coach was recruited to Rennie’s support staff as a selector for the team and has kept a close eye on the team, having travelled to South Africa for Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour.
Ruben Love’s admission and the All Blacks’ improvement
Henry, who coached the All Blacks to Rugby World Cup glory in 2011, believes that Super Rugby is not sufficiently preparing New Zealand players for the demands of international rugby – highlighted by Love’s comments – but believes the current coaching team has the squad on the right trajectory.
Rennie’s remit was to get the team back on track for the World Cup in Australia next year after the sacking of Scott Robertson, and there have been signs of improvement in the team’s performances even after the three successive defeats to the Springboks.
Henry admits that the game is vastly different now compared to when he was head coach of New Zealand and believes that it will take some time for the players to adjust to the tweaks that the coaching team is making.
“There are a lot more moving parts to the game in 2026 than there were in 2004 when I started as All Blacks coach,” he explained in an interview on DSPN with Martin Devlin.
“There’s a lot more coaching of all those moving parts, and that takes time, and it takes time for the guys to get a feel for that and get used to it and make it second nature to them. It’s taken time.
“Again, that South African tour is still knocking on the door, and the guys are still learning from that tour, like the intensity on the field.
“I was talking to Ruben Love, for example. He said, ‘I’ve never experienced so much pressure playing rugby. Wow.’ He said it’s just a massive difference from playing Super Rugby or the Test matches he had played prior. The South African team is a very, very good side.
“They are well coached and good people and hugely motivated; they’re the hope of their nation: a diverse group of young guys playing together, being the best in the world in a country that is frankly struggling socially and financially. I’ve only got total respect for them.”
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Super Rugby is failing to prepare players for international rugby
Shortly after revealing the conversation he had with Love, Henry was asked whether Super Rugby Pacific is able to adequately prepare the All Blacks for international rugby, and his answer was an emphatic ‘No’.
Devlin followed up by asking, “Then how do we prepare them for that?”
“That’s a hell of a good question,” Henry replied.
“They’ve gone through that experience; hopefully it stays in the back of their minds for the next two years or the next 18 months. We’ll play South Africa again next year, but they are learning to play the best in the world at Test match level.
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“In my time as a Super Rugby coach, we played the South African provincial teams, and we’d go to South Africa and maybe play the Sharks and Lions on a tour.
“So, you’d experience that at that time, and then you’d play the other two teams at home. So, we had four games against the South African provincial sides. We don’t do that anymore, so you’ve got to learn to play that at Test match level.”
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