Issue is Black and White for Boks

SPRINGBOK coach Jake White believes that beating the All Blacks would be like winning the World Cup.

White's side will have their unbeaten record tested by the New Zealanders, who are on a high after the series win against the British and Irish Lions.

White is relishing the challenge of playing the All Blacks, having seen his Boks face France twice and Australia three times in a period of eight weeks.

He said: "I don't think people fully appreciate the magnitude of the wins against the Wallabies.

"It took a big effort to beat them in Pretoria and to get a win against the world's top team on Saturday would in our minds be a bit like winning a World Cup.

"Obviously, it is not the World Cup, but it means that we would have knocked one and two over in three successive weekends.

"And that's what we will have to do in 2007 to win the World Cup," He added.

"We have to get past a quarter-final, semi-final and final. The only difference is that the opposition would not have had three weeks off, as the All Blacks have," White said.

White added that the All Blacks deserved their number one rating, simply because they were the most consistent team in world rugby.

"They've won something like 38 out of their last 44 tests! That takes some doing. So I don't think we put them on a pedestal when we praise the quality of the All Blacks.

"They are the world's best team and deserve that respect."

White said that respecting New Zealand did not mean his players do not believe they can beat them.

"We came close in Christchurch and we went one better in Johannesburg last year. There is belief in this Bok squad and it was this belief that contributed to the turnaround against Australia at Ellis Park.

"We are building something very good with the Boks and every test is a step towards the World Cup in France."

White is also enlisting his old friend Clive Woodward in an effort to become the first side to shock Graham Henry's All Blacks this year.

As coach of the Lions, Woodward suffered the embarrassment of a 3-0 loss to the All Blacks in the Test series, but White believes some tips from the World Cup winning coach could swing the scales in the Springboks.

"The Lions team didn't come up to expectations, but it takes nothing away from the All Blacks victory.

"The Lions played as well as they were allowed to play and in the second Test they played as well as any team would play against the All Blacks."

White said he would be contacting Woodward who is working in football with Southampton about some ways to counter Graham Henry's incredible squad.

"I spoke to Clive last week and he was very disappointed at the results when he was in New Zealand," White said.

"If there were things he could change if he had to do it again, he would.

"I will talk to him this week again about how to play the All Blacks."