Meyer: We are stronger mentally

Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer has labelled South Africa's tour to Australasia as their 'biggest challenge ever'.

South Africa are in Brisbane preparing for Saturday's game with Australia before playing New Zealand a week later in Auckland.

Meyer has challenged the side to complete two wins on the tour.

Learning to win away from home was something South Africa were improving at as it had shown last year with wins over Ireland and Scotland and in beating Argentina.

The challenge in New Zealand is made all the more important because South Africa have not won at Eden Park since 1937.

"I'm happy with the way we are starting to absorb pressure and I think this tour is the biggest challenge ever because we haven't won there for some time," he said.

"It is really a mindset and it is two tough places to play, probably the toughest.

"If you think, we never had won at Soccer City [Soweto] and we have now done that. We had never won in Mendoza and now we have done that. It's all a mindset," he said.

"I think the team is getting mentally stronger and there is a mental toughness as well," he said.

The margin of victory was not as important as getting wins away from home, he said in reference to South Africa's close call against Argentina in Mendoza last week.

"You are always on a hiding to nothing when you beat a team by 70 points. They get written off by their media and they are over-motivated.

"The big thing for me, and it is not always the right thing for the public, but every single win away from home is a great win. We have won four on the trot away from home, with this young team. We got a lot of confidence from that win [Mendoza]," he said.

Meyer pointed to the pressure South Africa had been under against Scotland and Ireland last year and they had come back to win.

"We were under huge pressure in Mendoza and we didn't give them any points in the second half. We won by five points.

"Slowly but surely, the team is learning. They are starting to adapt to the pressure and what I want.

"These away games, you're not going to win by playing the best rugby.

"Away games are always an arm wrestle and you have to get stuck in.

"You have to have your set phases 100 percent, you have to have good defence and you have to absorb the pressure. That plus a 90 percent goalkicker which cost us last year," he said.

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