South African Rugby

South African Rugby

All Blacks told to relax ahead of clash

Tue Jun 19, 2007 12:56PM BST
SYDNEY (Reuters) - New Zealand coach Graham Henry wants his players to relax instead of hitting the training pitch ahead of this week's Tri-Nations clash with South Africa.

Saturday's match has been billed as a possible preview of this year's World Cup final but Henry has ordered his players to stay calm and rest.

The All Blacks have been told to play golf or go fishing, with Henry hoping the short break will help the players freshen up before the Durban clash.

"We don't want to overdo it otherwise we'll be worse off," Henry told the New Zealand Press Association.
"We've just got to be intelligent as to how we prepare."
Despite dominating world rugby for the past three seasons, the All Blacks have always struggled in South Africa.
They have lost one match in South Africa each of the past three years, yet have not been beaten by any other team in the world since 2003.
"It's obviously the biggest challenge that we face in rugby at the moment, which is stimulating," Henry said.