Matt Pearce: Super Sport Commentator ahead of the Rugby Championship clash between the All Blacks and South Africa

The Springboks are confident despite the All Blacks’ undefeated streak at Eden Park. 

The Rugby Championship clash is hotly anticipated, both rugby heavyweights having shown vulnerability with a loss apiece.  

Matt Pearce, Super Sport Commentator and voice of South African Rugby, joined D’Arcy Waldegrave to give his perspective ahead of the showdown. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Waldgrave from News Talk SEDB.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
We're joined now by Matt pe Is.

Speaker 3 (00:13):
He is the voice of South African rugby, commentating your
commentsts for Supersport over in South Africa. He's going to
give us a South African perspective on the Big Test,
whether you like it or not. Half the combatants are
South African tonight, so we need to touch on that,
so let's do it.

Speaker 4 (00:32):
Good morning, Matt, morning, Good to be on the show.
What a time to be in Auckland, Very very special day.
This one is loomed large for a very long time.

Speaker 2 (00:41):
Yeah, and it's loom large since it was I suppose
penciled in and then biroed it and everyone knew and
it's all roads lead to Rome. All rugby fans are
looking at this match this evening. It's it's not as
big as a World Cup final, but it's the next
best thing. Tell me about what the team naming says
to you about the style that both teams are going

(01:02):
to implement in this game. What does the selection say
about at how they're going to play?

Speaker 4 (01:08):
Look, it's interesting, you know, Scottie Robertson's been saying all week,
you know, we know what's coming. And it was quite
a funny moment when I asked him a question at
the first press conference of the week. You know, he
sort of looked to the skies from his standing position
at all the press conference microphones.

Speaker 5 (01:26):
He cast his eyes heaven when he said, we know.

Speaker 4 (01:28):
What's coming, and there will be an element of that
for sure. And in Canaan Moody and Chesslain Colby, you've
got two wingers who are very, very strong under the
high ball.

Speaker 5 (01:40):
You've got a fly half in.

Speaker 4 (01:42):
Andre Pollard, who knows how to run a game. He's
a big game player. He loves the big moments, he
loves the pressure. He's also not mister goalkicking Test rugby.

Speaker 5 (01:55):
This year. Grant Williams at scrum half is.

Speaker 4 (02:00):
Electric with the speed of his break, but he's also
brought a much stronger kicking element to his game in
the last year or two and that's what's earned him
the opportunity to start. So will there be an aerial contest,
of course there will.

Speaker 5 (02:17):
It's part of Test rugby.

Speaker 4 (02:18):
I see the weather forecast is for a lot of
rain early in the day, tomorrow, but not a huge
amount during the game.

Speaker 5 (02:27):
But undoubtedly the ball.

Speaker 4 (02:29):
Is going to be a bit slippy, so yes, you
can expect a lot of kicking. But I think the
Springboks do pride themselves on having added a few strings
to their bow in the last few seasons and there
is an element of experimentation still present in their game.
They used almost fifty players in test rugby so far

(02:53):
this year, just under fifty, and they used fifty last
year in getting eleven Test wins out of thirteen matches,
So there is that element of building squad depth, but
they never want to do it at the expense of results.
But interestingly Russia Rasmus was open. He said, you know,

(03:14):
I've picked a five to three bench because I do
believe we're going to need pace in the second half
of the game.

Speaker 5 (03:25):
We're going to need good energy.

Speaker 4 (03:26):
We're going to need pace across the ground in order
to counteract the threats that New Zealand bring.

Speaker 2 (03:33):
Did anything surprise you met with the New Zealand selections.

Speaker 4 (03:37):
I mean we were a little bit surprised at the
back three selection by the All Blacks. I know our
pundits were thinking that Will Jordan might play on the
wing with Damien McKenzie at fullback, but not the case.
They were found out a little bit against Argentina with
the high balls. So yeah, it'll be interesting. I think

(04:02):
where New Zealand have really built some good depth. I
was chatting to my co commentator Hanyani Shamangi about this.
You know, he's a front row forward, he's a former
Springbok hooker and he was saying, you know that the
quality of the props in New Zealand has has definitely advanced.
If you look at Nuel and the Grout and Williams

(04:22):
and Lomax, these are now all experienced all blacks and
if anything, with some of the injuries and the retirements
that have occurred in the Springbok environment, there's a couple
of the front row forwards who are finding their.

Speaker 5 (04:37):
Way a little bit.

Speaker 4 (04:38):
So maybe there's a little advantage there for the all
blacks off the bench in the second half. But then
if you look further down the bench Fabian Holland, do
per see Karifi Kyle Preston, you know, these are really
inexperienced players at this level playing against South Africa for
the first time, and you counteract that with the likes
of alert ja a Quaha Smith at CBS Reiner. These

(05:02):
are experienced Springboks coming off the bench.

Speaker 2 (05:04):
All right, mate, put your neck on the line. Who's
going to win this?

Speaker 5 (05:07):
Listen?

Speaker 4 (05:08):
It's a fascinating, fascinating matchup. Honestly, don't think that any
result in this game would surprise me. Does that make sense?
It's such a tough one to call. You know, both
teams have had their challenges in the first two rounds
of the Rugby Championship, but both teams go to another
level when they play each other, and that's exciting because you're.

Speaker 5 (05:31):
Not quite sure what you're going to get.

Speaker 1 (05:33):
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