Springboks v All Blacks
Kick-off: 3am Sunday 1 September (NZT)
Ellis Park, Johannesburg
Live blog coverage on RNZ Sport
Analysis - The two most intriguing personalities in world rugby go head to head for the first time in a test match this weekend, when the Springboks host the All Blacks at Ellis Park. Despite the stunning array of talent across both teams' playing rosters, Scott Robertson and Rassie Erasmus are the headline acts.
Both said the exact same thing about each other this week when asked, that they'd "shared a few beers over the years".
"We had a good little rapport that we connected in," said Robertson.
"You look at his journey and how he's got to where he's got, it's pretty remarkable."
Erasmus too was highly complimentary of his All Black opposite.
"I just think people must understand although Razor is a fantastic coach, and he might be the best coach in the world, and New Zealand is a rugby mad country," he said.
So, how did these two end up where they are?
Let's go back to the late 90s, because that's where the similarities start. Both men were big, mobile loose forwards that were picked for test duty a season apart after strong performances for their provincial and Super Rugby sides. It wasn't a happy beginning in international rugby for either of them - in 1997 Erasmus was part of only the second Springbok team to lose a Lions series, while Robertson was thrown into the disastrous 1998 campaign and became one of the very few All Blacks to start their careers with three test losses in a row.
Rassie Erasmus. Photo: Andrew Cornaga / www.photosport.nz
One of those was against Erasmus's Springboks in Durban, a dramatic encounter that almost certainly would've gone the other way had TMOs been around.
While the Boks to win a then record-equalling 17 tests in a row, Robertson's experience in test rugby went through another turbulent All Black season that ended in failure at the 1999 World Cup. His playing journey saw success at the Crusaders but he was never able to nail down a consistent starting spot in the All Blacks.
Both men finished their test careers within a year of each other as well, before eventually becoming coaches. The routes they've taken to get to the coaching boxes at Ellis Park this weekend are similar in that they were both mostly carved out in their own countries, although Erasmus did have a stint in Munster for two seasons.
Scott Robertson. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/Photosport
But really, the biggest similarity between the two is how much they've captured their respective publics' imaginations. Both are larger than life figures and know it, however they very much highlight the nuances between the two cultures.
Erasmus clearly represents the 'strong man' style of leadership that South Africa looks to, given the challenges it faces as a country. The Springboks are seen as the shining example of how the Rainbow Nation can come together and achieve brilliance, with Erasmus as the genius pulling the strings and being one step ahead of the rest of the world in figuring out how to win test matches.
Meanwhile, Robertson simply stands for what New Zealanders crave the most: consistency and results. It doesn't matter what year you look at his time at the Crusaders, it always ended up the same way - with a trophy in his hands.
Both have eccentricities. Robertson's propensity for breakdancing after each title win isn't something anyone ever thought a New Zealand rugby coach would ever do, while Erasmus is the only coach in the world to openly trash talk people on social media.
It is fair to say Erasmus is certainly more cunning in his approach, probably because he's been involved with the Springboks on and off as a coach since 2007. This week saw him first rule out Eben Etzebeth, then bring him straight back into the team the next day - a move that left most of the South African journalists at his very long press conference unsurprised.
Scott Robertson, Rassie Erasmus Photo: PHOTOSPORT
This test on the weekend may well be the start of a fascinating personal battle within an already iconic rivalry. Robertson and Erasmus are the two big personalities in test rugby now that Eddie Jones has been banished to the relative wilderness of coaching Japan, so every word they utter in regard to one another is of interest.
It has been a lot of mutual respect. However, Robertson couldn't help but do a thinly veiled call out for a dance battle between the two at some stage at his team naming press conference, which drew a decent laugh.
But on Sunday morning NZT, the smiles stop and the work begins. The outcome of these two tests will go a fair way in shaping each teams' seasons already.
Springboks: 1. Ox Nche 2. Bongi Nbonambi 3. Frans Malherbe 4. Pieter-Steph du Toit 5. Ruan Nortje 6. Siya Kolisi (c) 7. Ben-Jason Dixon 8. Jasper Wiese 9. Cobus Reinach 10. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu 11. Kurt-Lee Arendse 12. Damian de Allande 13. Jesse Kriel 14. Cheslin Kolbe 15. Aphelele Fassi
Bench: 16. Malcolm Marx 17. Gerhard Steenkamp 18. Vincent Koch 19. Eben Etzebeth 20. Elrigh Louw 21. Kwagga Smith 22. Grant Williams 23. Handre Pollard
All Blacks: 1. Tamaiti Williams 2. Codie Taylor 3. Tyrel Lomax 4. Scott Barrett (c) 5. Tupou Vaa'i 6. Ethan Blackadder 7. Sam Cane 8. Ardie Savea (c) 9. TJ Perenara 10. Damian McKenzie 11. Caleb Clarke 12. Jordie Barrett 13. Rieko Ioane 14. Will Jordan 15. Beauden Barrett
Bench: 16. Asafo Aumua 17. Ofa Tu'ungafasi 18. Fletcher Newell 19. Sam Darry 20. Samipeni Finau 21. Cortez Ratima 22. Anton Lienert-Brown 23. Mark Tele'a
