The Springboks face the All Blacks next month in back-to-back Tests in New Zealand for the first time in 15 years.

New Zealand Rugby is nothing if not pragmatic. After four straight defeats to the Springboks, there was only one venue that would host the first match of the miniseries between the All Blacks and Boks - Eden Park in Auckland.

The All Blacks have not lost there since 1994. They've gone 50 matches without defeat in that time. There have been two draws - the Boks in 1994 and the Lions in 2017.

To understand the magnitude of fortress Eden Park, consider that the Boks have won four World Cups since the All Blacks last lost at Eden Park. Australia have lost 20 Tests at Eden Park since 1995. It makes this clash monumental.

The current Boks under Rassie Erasmus, whose association with the team as either head coach or director of rugby extends back to 2018, have in that time won the Rugby Championship twice, a British & Irish Lions series, two World Cups, and have beaten the All Blacks by a record margin (35-7 in 2023).

They've won Tests in New Zealand and set a record string...