Scott Barrett reveals how Ellis Park’s altitude challenged All Blacks

If you’re ever fortunate enough to walk down the famed tunnel at Johannesburg’s Ellis Park, you’ll see an unmissable black sign that’s dominated by capital letters. ‘1,753m ABOVE SEA LEVEL,’ the sign reads, which adds to the theatre of rugby war out on the field itself.

Whenever there’s an international rugby match at the now-called Emirates Airline Park, discussions about the altitude factor seem to be discussed in the media on a daily basis. That was no different this week, with journalists speaking about it regularly before Saturday’s Test.

All Blacks lock Sam Darry had suffered a nosebleed after standing up on the plane after landing in Johannesburg for the first time. Whether or not that’s down to the altitude factor can’t be said with complete certainty but Darry himself seemed to believe that was the reason.

Ellis Park is one of the most intimidating venues to play at for an opposing team and some of that comes down to the difficulty of it being ‘1,753m above sea level’. It makes it harder to breathe – by all accounts, it’s tough on the lungs when the going gets tough.

On Saturday evening, the All Blacks squandered a 10-point lead with 12 minutes to play against the Springboks. Captain Scott Barrett wouldn’t quite admit that the altitude was the decisive reason for defeat, but he did explain how it’s a challenge to play at Ellis Park.

“I guess it’s the same for both teams. It certainly challenges your decision making,” Barrett told reporters. “It’s a hell of an arena but I think that’s where we thrive, we love that, those moments and we’ll be better for that experience.

“It’s amazing,” he added when asked about the crowd. “There were a few quiet patches within that game which I guess was pleasing but I guess they had the last roar in the last 10 minutes.

“That hurts a wee bit.”

The All Blacks appeared to be on their way to a historic win with Jordie Barrett and Caleb Clarke both crossing for tries inside the opening 12 minutes of the second term. Ellis Park was deafeningly loud except for the times when the visitors scored tries.

It was a bit of a tussle from there as the match swung in South Africa’s favour, but a definitive turning point was a yellow card to Ofa Tu’ungafasi. New Zealand went down to 14 men and they struggled to match the might of the Boks.

With the Boks storming for the win, they’re now one more victory away from claiming the Freedom Cup. It’s all to play for next Saturday when the two great rivals meet again down south in Cape Town.

“The great week down in Cape Town, we’re looking forward to it. There’s always plenty of support down there,” Barrett said.

“I guess we’ll relish the occasion and hopefully put a performance in that’s a little bit better than tonight.”