Missing out on an hour and 20 minutes of sleep on a Saturday morning is a small price to pay to watch the Rugby Championship game between South Africa and New Zealand.

Just in case you were planning on hitting the snooze button for this weekend’s clash, here are a few reasons to avoid such an atrocity.

The Haka
If you hit that snooze button, you are likely to miss out on the most intimidating and thrilling war cry dance in sport, the Haka. We suggest you get your full eight hours of sleep before then.



The Game plan
The Springboks have been one dimensional in the Rugby Championship tournament thus far. Their physicality at the break-downs has been nullified and the kicking of possession away has been a constant problem. Giving the ball away to the likes Cory Jane and Israel Dagg will quickly see the game drift away from the South Africans.



So the question remains, what game plan will Heyneke Meyer adopt at Dunedin? We hope it’s not the same kick and chase game plan or we will be in for a long day.

Taking on the best team in the world
Being up against the best side in international rugby will be enough to give some of the Springboks enormous butterflies in the belly before kick-off. And perhaps meeting the All Blacks at this stage of the competition might be just enough to ignite the fire back into the Boks.



The Match-ups
This game would not be interesting if it was not for the fascinating battles between individual players. Flank Francois Louw will be up against a formidable opponent in All Back captain Richie McCaw. The World Cup winning skipper is regarded as one of the greatest openside flankers to ever pull on a rugby jersey.



In midfield, the contest between Conrad Smith and Bok captain Jean de Villiers, will be a marvel to watch. De Villiers needs to plan penetrative attack plays that will get the backline moving. For this to happen, Morne Steyn needs to step up to the plate. But we have a feeling Mr. Smith will have other ideas.

Don’t miss our live broadcast from the Forsyth Barr Stadium on SS1/SSHD from 08:30 and via live streaming on supersport.com.