Peter de Villiers insists his South Africa side will not change their approach despite the importance of their final Tri Nations encounter against New Zealand in Hamilton on Saturday.
The Springboks coach has made only one change to his starting line-up for the crucial clash at the Waikato Stadium ? a match the visitors must win to guarantee themselves the title for the first time since 2004.
Following last weekend's 21-6 humbling at the hands of Australia, De Villiers has resisted the urge to wield the axe and has instead only replaced fullback Ruan Pienaar with Francois Steyn, whose ability to kick for territory earned him a recall.
A defeat coupled by the All Blacks winning their final game against Australia could spell a disastrous end to the 2009 competition for the world champions.
De Villiers said: "New Zealand is a very proud rugby nation and they have dominated the Tri Nations for years.
"They will want badly to retain the trophy, so we expect it's going to be tough, they are going to throw everything at us.
"We treat all games the same. We are ambassadors for our country and we don't want to let ourselves down or the people back home down. So all international games are like finals for us."
Explaining his axing of Pienaar, a player he holds in high regard, in favour of Steyn, he continued: "We've tried to keep it as simple as possible. But there is a bit of horses for courses and Frans can play a major role in Hamilton with his boot.
"It's not a shift in game plan. With Dan Carter at fly-half for the All Blacks we are expecting them to kick quite a bit and Frans will be able to play a key role with his big boot."
Winger Bryan Habana, who has been under an injury cloud with a hamstring strain, and No 8 Pierre Spies (groin) have both been included but will be monitored closely in the build-up.
De Villiers said: "The medical team has worked intensively with a few players this week and they will continue to do so between now and the game.
"We always said that we expected to pick up a few injuries close to the end of the Tri Nations and it is a case of managing the players properly."
Yesterday Bakkies Botha spoke of how victory over the same opponents in Dunedin last year left the Springboks even more determined to succeed this time around.
That win ended a 10-year drought of not beating the All Blacks on their own turf and De Villiers echoed the sentiments of his lock.
He added: "After Dunedin, the self-belief in this team is huge.
"They don't care whether they are playing in Dunedin or Durban, they know they have a job to do and they know that, if they are at their best, then they will always be competitive.
"The home crowd might play a small role, or maybe the wind will play a role or some other uncontrollable. But this team know they can handle all those things."
* PA Sport
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School counsellors on mental well-being
Schools counsellors in Abu Dhabi have put a number of provisions in place to help support pupils returning to the classroom next week.
Many children will resume in-person lessons for the first time in 10 months and parents previously raised concerns about the long-term effects of distance learning.
Schools leaders and counsellors said extra support will be offered to anyone that needs it. Additionally, heads of years will be on hand to offer advice or coping mechanisms to ease any concerns.
“Anxiety this time round has really spiralled, more so than from the first lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic,” said Priya Mitchell, counsellor at The British School Al Khubairat in Abu Dhabi.
“Some have got used to being at home don’t want to go back, while others are desperate to get back.
“We have seen an increase in depressive symptoms, especially with older pupils, and self-harm is starting younger.
“It is worrying and has taught us how important it is that we prioritise mental well-being.”
Ms Mitchell said she was liaising more with heads of year so they can support and offer advice to pupils if the demand is there.
The school will also carry out mental well-being checks so they can pick up on any behavioural patterns and put interventions in place to help pupils.
At Raha International School, the well-being team has provided parents with assessment surveys to see how they can support students at home to transition back to school.
“They have created a Well-being Resource Bank that parents have access to on information on various domains of mental health for students and families,” a team member said.
“Our pastoral team have been working with students to help ease the transition and reduce anxiety that [pupils] may experience after some have been nearly a year off campus.
"Special secondary tutorial classes have also focused on preparing students for their return; going over new guidelines, expectations and daily schedules.”