The Springboks learnt lessons from the Wallabies and Kwagga Smith is confident the world champions will end the All Blacks’ dominance in Auckland next month.

In the aftermath of helping deliver a crucial 30-22 win over Australia in Cape Town on Saturday, Smith declared the Boks’ desire to break an 88-year Eden Park drought on 6 September in the first of a blockbuster Rugby Championship double-header against the Kiwis – the teams clash again in Wellington on 13 September.

The all-action loose forward scored the second of South Africa’s three tries on Saturday, having been promoted to start at No 8 following Jean-Luc du Preez’s late withdrawal due to illness. Victory moved the Boks to second in the World Rugby rankings, behind New Zealand who suffered a 29-23 reverse against the Pumas in Buenos Aires.

“It’s a massive game, going to Eden Park,” Smith said. “I think even when we lost the other game in Auckland a few years back, I was also disappointed we didn’t play well.

“It’s going to be a tough game. New Zealand’s obviously a great opponent. But I think for us, it’s just trying to get better every game and taking that confidence and learning from every game that we play to get better.”

He acknowledged the scale of the challenge awaiting the Boks in New Zealand, while stressing the significance of Saturday’s win following a shock Ellis Park defeat to Australia a week earlier.

“It was very important for us to get the win but at the same time, we learnt from the previous match [against the Wallabies]; we knew what we had to fix going forward. If you don’t learn and just lose, then you’re in a bit of trouble.”

Smith praised the Bok response to adversity. “As a group we knew what we needed to do, but it was important to show that out there [on the field], especially for the fans who come out and stand behind us – that’s special,” he added.

“You also learn the most from losing; if you just keep winning then sometimes you tend to brush small things off and carry on. I think when you lose, reality hits hard and you need to make sure you learn from your mistakes.

“That’s important for us: to learn and improve every weekend.”

When asked about his late promotion and preference between starting and impact roles, the two-time World Cup winner remained humble about his involvement.

“We knew J-L was touch and go, so I was already preparing more for eight than I was for six,” Smith said. “I’m grateful for the opportunity, but felt bad for J-L. He’s a really good person, but that’s how it works in rugby.

“If you get the opportunity, you’ve got to use it.

“I don’t care if I start or if I come off the bench. To get an opportunity to play for the Springboks is really special, and there’s such good competition in the loose forwards at the moment.”

Photo by Floris van Schouwenburg/Gallo Images