When days are dark, rugby friends are few.
And on Saturday when New Zealand host South Africa in Wellington, the All Blacks are ready to go to a “dark place” to beat the Boks and add more pressure on Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus.
With the Springboks not having won an away match under Erasmus, the coach admitted earlier in the week that this match might be his last in charge of South Africa.
While it might be an over-exaggeration, Erasmus’s words will serve as a rallying call to his troops.
And All Blacks looseforward Liam Squire knows this, but says his team won’t back down from the challenge and will go to a “dark place” to beat the Boks.
Squire says: “They’re a physical team and you also know that it’s going to hurt.
“You’ve got to be up for that challenge and you do go to a dark place when you play against the Africans.
“It’s an exciting challenge for us.”