Goldie warns Ellis Park pressure can overwhelm All Blacks in Joburg

New Zealand have won six of their 16 Tests against South Africa at Ellis Park, but Jeff Wilson says the Johannesburg venue can overwhelm players who have not experienced it before. The All Blacks lost 31-27 there in 2024 after beating the Springboks 35-23 at the same ground two years earlier.

The latest meeting will open the four-Test Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series on Saturday, with 62,000 spectators expected at the sold-out stadium. Wilson, a former New Zealand international with 60 Test caps, believes players who have already faced the atmosphere will be important to those visiting Ellis Park for the first time.

Wilson described the ground as a particularly difficult place for opponents because of its altitude and strongly partisan support. He said New Zealand would need to use the intensity around the match as motivation, even though much of the crowd’s support will favour South Africa.

The All Blacks arrive with six straight wins since Dave Rennie became head coach. Their run includes victories over France, Italy and Ireland in New Zealand during July, followed by wins against the Stormers, Sharks and Vodacom Bulls on their South African tour.

Those results have created optimism around the New Zealand squad, but Wilson said the Springboks would offer a more meaningful measure of the team’s progress. He believes the series will show whether the All Blacks have genuinely returned to their best level or are still moving towards it.

Wilson also expects the contest to remain close across the four Tests, with momentum likely to change both during individual matches and from one week to the next. He said one side could control a match before the other responds in the following encounter, making adaptation a key factor throughout the series.