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Boks not short of motivation

INSPIRED: SA captain Jean de Villiers, centre, in action against Australia on SaturdayPHOTO: GIANLUIGI GUERCIA/AFP
INSPIRED: SA captain Jean de Villiers, centre, in action against Australia on SaturdayPHOTO: GIANLUIGI GUERCIA/AFP

THE Rugby Championship is no longer on the line so the Springboks' clash against the All Blacks at Ellis Park this weekend will simply be about the best two teams in the world clashing for good old-fashioned glory.

The All Blacks secured their third consecutive Championship title with a 34-13 win over Argentina in La Plata at the weekend. New Zealand scored four tries and the bonus point means they cannot be caught even though the Boks also secured a bonus point when beating Australia 28-10 at Newlands.

Trophies, titles and world ranking position are not in play, but 93 years of history at one of rugby's most iconic venues will underpin a test that is also about redemption for the Boks.

They narrowly lost the first clash 14-10 in Wellington earlier this month and have now lost five in a row to the world champions - their second worst sequence in history.

"We never look back in terms of regrets, only at analysing where we can improve," captain Jean de Villiers said. "[On Saturday] against Australia was an improvement on the previous week and now we have to improve again when we meet the All Blacks.

"Part of our process is to improve every time we play and if we play like we did tonight and take it up a level, then we will have a good chance of beating them. It's important for us as a group to beat them, but this will be a massive challenge."

New Zealand beat the Boks 38-27 at Ellis Park last year, puncturing the aura of one of the Boks' favourite venues.

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