The All Blacks have lost their enforcer Brodie Retallick for Saturday’s Rugby Championship clash against the Springboks.
Retallick suffered a shoulder injury in their 46-24 win over Argentina last weekend and has been replaced in the squad by Patrick Tuipulotu.
His replacement, however, is unlikely to start the match, with Scott Barrett and Sam Whitelock manning the middle of the All Blacks’ engine room at the end of the match against the Pumas.
And Barrett knows that, without Retallick, the All Blacks have lost some muscle against a physical Springbok side.
But he is looking forward to locking horns against the South Africans.
Barrett tells Stuff NZ: “Eben [Etzebeth], he’s been out for a while and I’m sure he’s looking to play some positive rugby.
“He’s a massive mountain of a man and he’s a big, hard South African.
“Franco [Mostert], he’s got a huge engine on him.
“A good lineout forward and he’s been a big driver for the Lions in the Super Rugby in the last three years, so a good leader there and they’re both quality players.”
Of facing the physical Springboks, he adds: “Any game against the Springboks is going to be physical, for sure.
“They want to dominate you physically up front and some of the backs are big ball carries, so we have to prepare for a huge physical battle.”