Former All Blacks scrum guru Mike Cron hopes Scott Robertson’s side can put the Springboks “in their place” when the teams clash in the Rugby Championship.

The top two sides in world rugby are set for a blockbuster double-header in September, with both heading into the southern hemisphere competition on the back of unbeaten July campaigns.

New Zealand whitewashed a weakened France in a three-Test series, while South Africa secured wins over Italy and Georgia.

While some lauded the Boks’ inventive tactics in the second Test against Italy – such as forcing a scrum from the kick-off and twice scoring from infield ‘lineout’ mauls – others questioned whether it breached the spirit of the game.

Cron, who spent 15 years as All Blacks scrum coach and is nicknamed the “scrum doctor”, believes the All Blacks will relish the chance to take on their fiercest rivals at Eden Park on 6 September and in Wellington a week later.

“That’s the ultimate, isn’t it? You still think back to the [2023] World Cup final, you know, I know, and you see some bloody things going on at the moment that are maybe not quite in the spirit of the game, you think it would be nice if the ABs get up and just give it to them,” Cron told DSPN with Martin Devlin.

ALSO: King Carlos hails Tonyball’s Bok impact

While New Zealand’s performances against a second-string France were far from flawless, Cron expects them to be battle-ready by the time they meet the Boks.

“It’s a difficult period for them,” he said. “I understand that period where you’re two and a half years out from a World Cup, you’ve got one eye on this Saturday and another on the World Cup selection. So I understand what Razor and his selectors are going through.

“It takes the boys a few Test matches to get up to international speed. The ABs will be a hell of a lot better heading into the Rugby Championship for having those three Tests and getting up to some sort of international speed.”

Photo: Phil Walter/Getty Images