All Blacks preparing for physical battle in Johannesburg

All Blacks assistant coach Jason Ryan is confident the New Zealanders will compete with South Africa's pack.

"We'll have to. We're confident that we've got a game that will suit us," he told allblacks.com.

Their initial goal in the expected good conditions will be to get into the game early and play quality rugby. The scrum and maul are important against such a big pack, and at altitude, they have to be smart about how they use the ball.

Ryan said the All Blacks were growing in their maul defence.

"We've got some new cattle in there now with the experienced boys that we lost, but we've been impressed with how the boys are buying into our system," added Ryan.

"Our lineout boys have done a great job, especially Toops [Tupou Vaa'i] in the last couple of weeks.

"Toops has done an outstanding job. One of the great things I admire about him is his work during the week, which sets him up to play well. He's a reasonably experienced lock now. He's learnt a lot from Brodie Retallick at the Chiefs. He set them up, as did Sam Whitelock when he was in the All Blacks.

"So, it's great to see those younger boys come in and take their opportunity and play well. He was outstanding in the second Test against Argentina. They were probably his best Test matches in the All Blacks, so the sky's the limit for him."

Ryan said he gained plenty from last year's Rugby World Cup warm-up loss at Twickenham, in addition to the experience he gained in the 2022 and 2023 Rugby Championships.

"They dinged us up pretty fiercely," he admitted.

"It's the best contest you can judge yourself in, especially in the forwards. That's where the contest is won or lost."

Ryan said that, after the last few seasons' experiences, the All Blacks were confident in their abilities.

"They're clear and haven't got too much clutter because when you're playing in this arena, it's the best to test yourself.

"What I've learned is removing a little bit of stuff during the week helps them execute under pressure."

Captain Scott Barrett has worked hard to have his hand ready to play and will be available.

"What I know about Scooter [Barrett] is the bigger the contest, usually the better he goes. He'll have confidence in his game and getting straight into it."

Coping with the intimidatory nature of 64,000 fans at Ellis Park was something they were aware of, especially for the younger players in the side. Ryan said former captain Sam Cane has been outstanding in making players aware of the atmosphere.

"He'll deliver some messages as we get closer to the game and give the boys confidence."

That included dealing with the bus trip through raucous home fans to get to the stadium.

"One of the great things about this environment is we pride ourselves on setting young guys up to succeed so they can go out, embrace it and play.

"As long as they can play free and play with a lot of physicality and a clear mind, it's a simple formula."

Vaa'i said he was looking forward to testing himself against the Springboks and was keen to see the side build on its best start this season in the second Test against Argentina.

"It gives you a lot of confidence heading into the back end of the game, to let the shackles off and just do your thing."

He prepared by absorbing all the information and then backing his abilities and strengths to match South Africa's physicality for 80 minutes.

"From my experience being here, they'll never stop and never go away. They've got a strong set piece  which is something we're focusing on this weekend."

READ MORE: Pressure on Aphelele Fassi's shoulders ahead of massive All Blacks Test