Auckland – Dan Carter doesn’t normally give too much away in the leadup to a Test, so it was interesting to hear the All Blacks playmaker practically paint a target on the back of his Springbok opposite this week.

If Carter is the king of five-eighths in world rugby, the acknowledged master in the most influential position on the field, then Morne Steyn is very much the young prince.

And Carter didn’t mind raising the stakes ahead of Saturday’s Tri-Nations opener against the Springboks at Eden Park by painting his rival as the Bok who must be shackled. “He’s been a valuable part of the South African side over the last couple years, and he’s really grown as a player,” said Carter. “He’s the kind of player that can turn a game with his accurate kicking game. “So we need to put him under pressure. We’ve talked this week about shutting down his time and space and put his kicking under pressure. That can relieve the pressure on us a little bit. “That’s a big part of our game – stopping their game getting any flow. There’s also the penalties. We’ve been punished in the past by giving away too many penalties with his goalkicking accuracy. We just can’t afford to do that.”

It’s pretty standard stuff, but telling that Carter has chosen to highlight the game plan so vividly. Perhaps the All Blacks feel that Steyn, into just his second season of Test rugby, can be rattled. Not that they’ve managed it yet, with the Boks No 10 having guided his side to a sweep of the New Zealanders last year – and playing key roles each time. He scored 53 points in the three Test victories, including a record haul in Durban when he scored all of his side’s points in a 31-18 win.

Carter believes tactics are going to be vital as the All Blacks look to haul in these runaway Boks and protect their outstanding Test record on Eden Park. Right up there with that other crucial facet when you square off against the South Africans. “You have to be very smart tactically and you also have to bring that physicality because that’s what they’re going to bring,” added Carter. “Tactically we have to work out the way they like to play and try to work out opportunities that provides for us. Hopefully we’ve nailed it.”

Carter said the All Blacks had spent a lot of time over the past month studying the Boks game and had arrived at “a few ways we can exploit them”. He was also predicting a slightly more wide-ranging approach from them this time round. “I think they’ll be a bit more expansive than they were last year, when obviously they put us under a lot of pressure with their kicking game. The way the game’s gone with slight changes I guess there are more opportunities to keep ball in hand. “The Bulls and Stormers did that extremely well this year, made the most of their opportunities, but also used their kicking game as a real weapon. “I think they’ll continue to do that this year because they put us under a lot of pressure in the past playing that style, but with a bit more balance between kicking and keeping the ball in hand.”

Carter also shrugged off the delay in the Springboks team naming as having any sort of significance . “We know what to expect from them,” he said – though did say they would miss master halfback Fourie du Preez who is out for the season. He also hinted he’s ready to take his own game up a level after missing the first tweo tests against the Boks last year. “I’ve been pretty happy with the way I’ve played in June, but the Tri-Nations is another step up, we’re up against the best teams in the world and I need to really deliver and step up to these challenges.”

Sounds like Carter is up for the battle. To that end don’t be surprised if the Boks aren’t putting the same sort of emphasis on the New Zealand No 10, that the All Blacks are on theirs.

Courtesy of Sport24