New Zealand and Africa "Ring In The Changes"

But first, the ongoing News Limited issue. As you're all aware, the last lead in submission to my previous post was from a contributor to this site. He read the reply that I posted and had this to say in response:

The point about SKY that I was trying to make was the quality of the product - yes there will still be great movies on show on Sky and there will even be live sport but surely the pay TV product would be reduced if they didn't show all the S14 games? This is the same story with the S14 sans the ABS - yes there will still be a competition and yes there will still be great players to watch but surely the quality of the product is reduced if the ABS aren't on display? Therefore like the subscriber, they have a reason to squeal.

You make an excellent point - broadcast rugby and they people will watch. yes the Tri-Nations was already won but did you watch the AB SA game? I did - and why? Because for all the talk
of fans becoming bored and "too much rugby" we have yet to see a TV viewing public boycott or viewers turning away in droves. Does that mean that News Ltd is right to demand further and further expansion of the rugby competitions - nope but it is a bit rich of the NZRFU and the other unions to cry foul and to say they are acting "in the interests of the game" as their profits soar.

There is no question that the 'product' is being effected by the All Blacks not playing. The difficulty I had with your analogy was simply that it was based on the fact that the product was completely absent from Sky (ie Super 14 games would not be shown). That's not a reduction in quality in terms of Super 14, it is a complete absence of it for half the competition. Super 14 will still be played, there will be good players on show. there will be the same New Zealand franchises fielding teams, people just wont be able to see Reuben Thorne and Scott Hamilton play on tv (if News Limited want to broadcast it)!

This leads in well to the second point that you raise. As I said, broadcast it and they will watch. No doubt about it. I don't believe there is such a thing as too much Rugby (if you're watching it) and have long been an advocate for 10 channels with nothing but rugby on them 24 hours a day! With the extra Rugby available now, to the best of our combined knowledge, there has not been a downturn in viewership. People are not getting bored by it, they want to watch, and News Limited and the NZRFU and other unions are making large amounts of cash out of it.

The issue here, for me, is twofold. Firstly, and less significantly, News Limited are assuming that there will be downturn in viewership because the All Blacks wont be playing. That will not necessarily be the case because seldom do people watch every game that an All Black is playing in. They normally follow their team, or teams they hate(!), and will continue to do so. Many viewers continued to watch the Tri-Nations even though the All Blacks had won it. I will also continue to watch the games between Africa and the Wallabies. Why assume that people will stop watching the Super 14 because the All Black World Cup Squad wont be playing? With the Australian and African franchises likely to do better (at least in the first 7 rounds) perhaps more people in those countries will start watching when their teams win (possibly compensating for viewership declining in NZ as those franchises struggle)!

Secondly, and more importantly the people charged with winning the Rugby World Cup 2007 for New Zealand have stated that they want to rest the All Blacks for the entire competition. They got a compromise from the NZRFU that the players will be rested for 7 rounds. What interest does News Limited have in the All Blacks winning the Rugby World Cup in 2007? None as far as I know.

The NZRFU clearly does have an interest in winning because we all know that the New Zealand rugby watching public will not take another RWC loss well. The cries of "chokers", and "you peak too early" that come from Australia, South Africa, and now even more parts of the world are starting to cut to the quick. The whole country will be covered in a dark cloud of depression for at least three and a half years after any such loss! After that hope, expectation, even certainty that the All Blacks will win the next competition takes over (the arrogance the Australians comment on so much).

Also, the coaching staff have their hands tied in this situation if News Limited takes away a strategic method of preparing for the RWC. They are not able to do what they think is required to give the team the best possibly chance of winning the most important tournament in international rugby. So, New Zealand plays another super 14 with the All Blacks, and win it again. New Zealand plays another Tri-Nations (even more games) with all the All Blacks and win it again. Then New Zealand play another World Cup and lose it again. I would gladly take many Super 14 and Tri-Nations losses if it meant winning the World Cup. In fact, if we never won another Super 14 or Tri-Nations competition, but won every World Cup and Bledisloe Cup, that'd be just fine with me. The World Cup is the pinnacle, the most important of them all. The NZRFU must give the team the best chance to win what matters most. The more you tie the hands of the coaching staff in these sorts of ways, the less responsible they are for the outcome.

As we both said, News Limited and the NZRFU make too much money to let this sort of problem go on for too long. A compromise will be reached as neither can afford to jeopardise the cash cow that the Super 14 and Tri-Nations are. It will be interesting to see what they work out though.

Back to Footy! The ABs have anounced their team. There are some surprises, however not that many that weren't picked in the previous post that I did on this point. Howlett comes in at fullback to allow the two Fijian Flyers to take their places on the wings (Rokocoko and Sivivatu). A pretty potent back three, but there must be some question marks over this untried combination as having Howlett at fgullback didn't work too well for the Blues when they tried it and had Rokocoko and Caucau on the wings.

Mils slots back in at centre and it seems as if this will be the first choice selection position for him. Aaron Mauger returns from injury, and I think we can look to see his defence being questioned by the South African backline. Daniel Carter remains at first five, and this weekend he will be teamed up with Jimmy Cowan who gets his first starting game replacing Piri Weepu.

The forward pack has been substantially altered, however captain fantastic is still the number one choice. The starting loose forward trio have been selected again with So'oialo and Colling joining McCaw. The locks are Chris Jack and Ali Williams are the locking combination. The front row consists of Carl Hayman, Tony Woodcock, and Andrew Hoare.

The reserves are Anton Oliver, Neemia Tialata, Jason Eaton, Marty Holah, Byron Kelleher, Luke McAlister, and Rico Gear. Hopefully the injry count this week will be much reduced from last week but we can expect to see some of the reserves being used this weekend I am sure.

The biesieged Sprinboks have made five changes to their side, and it is reported that no one in South Africa outside of the camp thinks that the changes will make any difference to the result this weekend. Finally Percy Montgomerey has got it in the neck and Jacque Fourie comes into fullback in his place. About time, Percival's kicking game was shocking, but when they ran it the Africans looked better when the game had already been lost.

AJ Venter comes back into the side at Number 8 bringing a wealth of experience. He will be joined by Pierre Spies and Pedrie Wannenburg in the lose. The only other change to the pack is B J Botha coming in for C J van der Linde.

Pretorious starts at first five in place of James and Wynand Olivier comes in to the vacant centre berth left by Fourie's positional change to fullback. Both wingers remain in their positions, howver Paulse has returned to the bench and could see some game time.

It will be interesting to see how they go. They are facing an All Black team that has several key changes from the team they lost to by 19 points last week. It is unlikely that the changes will weaken the All Blacks, but I think that the Africans will be stronger for the changes they have made. They will be desperate to win this game, again, but this time they might actually be able to produce some intensity that lasts the distance. There are concerns over fitness, and if that is true they will be in trouble again. Bring it on I say!

A Word on the News Limited Debate From A Contributor

I have today received the following from a regular contributor to this blog (by way of e-mail comments) and he asked me to publish this on the site in connection with the latest round of spats in public between the New Zealand Rugby Football Union, and corporate giant News Limited. This contribution raises some good points and is worthy of a read, particularly in connection with this week's poll.

I hear that that SKY TV has decided NOT to broadcast the first 6 rounds of the S14 on TV so that they can carry out urgent maintenance and re-equip their studios and engineering departments to ensure the best coverage of the world cup ever, and to ensure that any possible technical disruption to coverage of the World cup rugby is minimised. Subscription charges are to remain the same. Is this fair to fans who have signed up for the service on the understanding that they could view all S14 games live - surely SKY should offer some kind of compensation?

The story isn't true of course but this is pretty much the scenario that News Ltd faces - yes resting the ABs should give them a better chance at the all important prize but surely they are within their rights to ask for compensation - no Abs (and we are talking a fair few players) participating for such a long stretch of the competition is a significant ask and the ABs and the NZRFU is a business worth millions of dollars - surely other businesses of similar size would be expected to fulfil their side of a contract even if the reason for doing so is noble?

I can't see this story going anywhere and I am sure something will be worked out pretty quickly, the NZRFU and News Ltd are constantly playing games of bluff in order the strengthen their all important bargaining position when contract renewal time comes about. How many times have we heard that News Ltd is thinking of dropping its support of rugby or that the NZ TV audience can't justify the funding etc?

The fact is both News Ltd and the NZRFU have both done very well out of the current arrangement - remember the fuss about the expanded Tri-nations series or the move from S12 to S14? Was News Ltd bullying the rugby unions into more games than they wanted to play and diluting the interest of fans by over exposing the 2 most popular competitions in this part of the world?

A quick check of the TV ratings figures and the NZRFU bank balances seems to suggest both parties did very well out of the new arrangements. Now the news comes of a possible further expansion of the Tri-Nations series - and no doubt the inevitable cries of outrage against News Ltd. Yawn.

As I have said there are some fair points in this contribution. However, one point I would take issue with is the analogy to Sky TV cancelling broadcasting the first six rounds of the Super 14 and the consequent effect on subscribers. Unless I misunderstand the position of the NZRFU, I don't think they are saying that there will be no Super 14 for the first seven rounds, but that the Super 14 squads in New Zealand will field teams that do not feature All Blacks. I readily agree that this means under strength teams would be fielded, with a consequent effect on the quality of the product, however there would still be a competition to be broadcast and money to be made. It may even be a more lively competition as the African and Australian sides might stand a chance of winning the competition next year. Come to think of it, probbly not as the All Blacks would be available for the allimportant finals...

In reference to the point about the constant posturing of the respective parties, and the negligible effect more and more televised rugby has had on the enthusiasm of the rugby watching public to soak up more and more product, does this have any lessons for a Super 14 competition sans ABs? Would people watch the Super 14 sans ABs? Presumably this is all that News Limited should care about. Experience seems to show that they would given that there is so much more rugby to watch now, and it is claimed that more people are watching it. How many customers will cancel pay tv subscriptions because the All Blacks aren't playing some games?

But there is one question that we do need to consider. Can we honestly say that this extended Tri-Nations has been more exciting than the older format? I doubt it. This year the result was known before the Africans got to play at home, there was really only one horse in the race, and the level of football being played during the test in Sydney was woeful. The only reason to watch that game was the chance of an upset win to South Africa. The lesson seems to be that if you broadcast it, they will watch.

Let us not forget how the Austrlaians and the Africans fit into this. So far there has not been any anouncement about their plans for national players during the Super 14. I have seen references to resting key players during the Super 14, such as Larkham, however no firm commitments have been made to my knowledge. Presumably News Limited will also be seeking the same sort of 'compensation' from these two unions in the event that they do not field their national players in the RWC year.

As identified in the above contribution, the key here is cash. There is simply too much money at stake for some resolution not to be reached between News Limited and the NZRFU. Add to that the fact that many fans have benefited from the move to professionalism, and the new competitions that have arisen as a result of News Limited and the promotional agreements that they have reached with the unions participating in the Super 14. I think that the rugby watching public in southern hemisphere rugby union nations has a lot to thank News Limited for. It would be wise to resolve this 'dispute' with a view to sorting out some sort of format or arrangement that will suit the parties in future RWC years. I agree that the story will not go too far and a compromise will sort the dispute out because the two parties do so well out of it financially.

The Last Reshuffle For All Blacks?

The word on the virtual street this week is that there could be as many as 10 changes to the All Black team to take the field at Rustenberg this weekend against the besieged Boks. Among those 10 changes are some surprises that will probably fail to cause much surprise as the naming of the team seems to be the worst kept secret in international rugby. Who can forget Wallaby claims they knew the starting lineup a week before the first test this season...not that it did them much good getting a twenty point whupping in Christchurch.


Apparently Tony Woodcock and Carl Hayman from the starting forward pack for the All Blacks are tipped to return, probably with Andrew Hoare at number 2 to round out the front row. Having dragged John Afoa all the way over from New Zealand it is a bit rough having the big powder puff sitting on the bench, while risking the two most important props in New Zealand rugby in what will probably be the Springboks most doer performance all year. After the allegations of questionable play during the last test match, it'll be interesting to see what, if any, dubious underhanded play comes out this week. Imagine not giving the boys a microphone for the haka so that the Boer crowd could drown them out with shouts of ole, ole, ole.

The second row should be Ali Williams and Chris Jack, provided that the big man recovers from a virus that had him confined to bed yesterday. It would be good to see someone else have a crack and measure how the lineout performs with a different jumper in there, along with a different number 2 throwing the ball in. The top level loose forward trio of McCaw, Collins, and So'oialo should return to take the field this week. I have to add that So'oialo has been playing some superb rugby these last few weeks, getting around the field like nobodies business. He is everywhere that man, watch him for a while and see how well he is reading play at the moment.

The lafbaack should be Jimmy Cowan, getting his first start in quite a while. He will team up with superstar Daniel Carter and Aaron Mauger who returns from his groin injury. Joe Rokocoko and Siteveni Sivivatu return to the wings, and there is some speculation on the full back and centre positions. Some have speculated that Doug Howlett will play in the number 15, presumably resulting in Mils Muliaina playing at centre, or perhaps Isaia Toeava will play there. That would be a big call as Douggie hasn't played at the back for the All Blacks since the test in 2003 against England in Wellington...not many good memories of that game for All Blacks fans.

I would be surprised to see Toeava not in the mix following these comments from All Blacks management during this Tri-nations competitionc learly indicating that they regard him as a major talent, and I would expect a central figure in the World Cup campagin of next year, and subsequent tournaments. Most recently selector Steve Hansen (admittedly the forwards coach) had this to say:

He is a young man and there have been a lot of expectations, and that's a lot to carry around. [On Sunday] he did particularly well after an unfortunate knock on. He had a peak at the try line which is an easy thing to do.

For him to pick himself up from that and play what I thought was his best test was a credit to him.

He defended really well and made good decisions. It was the first time we really got the ball wide against South Africa over the last couple of years and he has to get some credit for that.

His hands in the centres role were outstanding.

One day he will be a super star, I've got no doubt about that. The public and you people [the media] just have to be a little bit patient because we're prepared to be.

We know how good he is. We see it every day at training and we've seen in flashes in the games he's played.

Just give the kid a bit of a chance and sit back and watch this space.

(source: Jim Kayes, stuff).

Kayes goes on to analyse the failures of Toeava in the test match the weekend, claiming that he missed two opportunities to score tries. The fact that he single handedly made the opportunity going toe to toe with the South African winger and missing out by the narrowest of margin on dotting the ball down over the try line when he would have been unsighted? You're joking if you think he deserves criticism for that mate. That would have been a freakish try, and a try that would have justified the huge support he is getting from the All Black coaching staff at this point.

He definitely did cough the ball up once during the game, thus missing an opportunity and a defnite try. That is true, no argument there. But come on, this guy is young, not experienced at this level and will make mistakes because of that. He, and others in the team, need more experience at this level before they will reach their true potential. This is what the rotation policy is for, to blood these guys and get them used to the necessity of taking every opportunity at the top level that is available. You can be sure that Toeava will be wiser for the experience of having played at that level and will add this to his game. The days of throwing young players into the deep end of international test football to see if they sink or swim are over, thankfully, and a more measured approach is at last being adpoted that will bring considerable rewards to New Zealand rugby in the future.

Predictably the Springboks are preparing to dump coach White at the end of the Tri-Nations. Under the guise of a coaching panel to assist Coach White and his Springboks, this Thursday will see the convening of four past national coaches, representatives of 'previously disadvantaged communities', and of course the South African Rugby Football Union. DFesperate to stress that this forum is not an opportunity to stab the coach in the back and do away with him, it is being emphasised by SARFU that this is a constructive forum, to provide helpful advice to coach White to assist in improving the performance of the Springboks. Yeah, whatever. I don't think that you're fooling anyone. He'll get it in the neck like every other South African coach that fails to deliver. The only reason it hasn't happened by now is that there are only two games left in the Tri-Nations tournament this year.

In a positive move, A J Venter has rejoined the Springboks ahead of the clash this weekend, however the remainder of the team has not yet been anounced. We can obvioulsy expect a number of changes to be made to the starting side, with Montgomerey surely deserving demotion to the bench for continuing on his woeful form at the moment. He just isn't up to it, and I would epxect to see Pretorious come into the starting side. However, it is unlikely that any tactical changes at this late stage will see the Springboks reverse the 19 point defecit the All Blacks were able to clock up last week. Coach White put it down to being tired, and playing too much rugby. Well, if that is true they really are shot. It was the All Blacks that were backing up, dealing with jet lag and the hangover from a touch test match the previous week. I don't care where you play or who you are, you cannot get that much fitter in a week. They'll bring passion to the game, they'll do whatever they can to win, but it would be a brave person who would put any money on them successfully shutting down the potent All Black machine at this late stage.

News Limited Turns Up Heat on NZRFU

The stoush over the proposed resting from the 2007 Super 14 competition of All Blacks involved in the 2007 Rugby World Cup Campaign has moved up a gear. News Limited have now made it clear that they were not consulted over the plans of the NRFU and reportedly believe that to rest the top level players would be a breach of contract. In these days of professionalism, and the all important dollar in Rugby, this could have potentially enormous repercussions for New Zealand Rugby.

News Limited are holding an ace up their sleeve in that they make quarterly payments to the NZRFU, and it is this money that funds the All Blacks, the Super 14 franchises, and basically the majority of professional rugby in New Zealand. As it is alleged that the resting of the All Blacks would constitute a breach of contract, New Limited could withhold payments under the contract with the NZRFU. This could be devastating.

It shoud be noted that the NRFU have stated that they have legal advice that the steps they have proposed thus far (resting the All Black players for the first seven rounds only) is not a breach of their contract with News Limited. They also have stated that they consulted with stakeholders concerning the decision...either News Limited isn't a stakeholder, isn't telling the truth when they say they weren't consulted by NZRFU, or someone at the NZRFU has stuffed things up in relation to a Rugby World Cup...again! The truth about this stoush will out, and I will expect sooner rather than later.

It is a shame that unions are not able to prepare for the biggest international rugby competitiuon in the way that they see fit. However, it also isn't good policy to allow unions to enter into agreements, get paid money, and then not live up to their obligations. The reality is that a stoush wont suit either News Limited or the NZRFU and so some sort of compromise will be agreed to. You heard it here first! Have your say on the current stoush by voting in our poll for this week, on the right had side of the blog.

Back to the game. Both Williams and Smit were cleared after being cited. Apparently the All Blacks are 'seething' after Victor Matfield was not cited after an alleged high and late tackle after 9 minutes on Daniel Carter. I think that is stretching it a bit, and at the time I saw the tackle I thought that Tony Johnson and Murray Mexted were being a bit overly protective. Daniel Carter ran to the line before kicking the ball, and seemed to be delaying the moment that he kicked it, presumably for maximum distance on the kick. Anytime that you do that, especially on Loftus, you are asking for it.

Newsflash; rugby is a physical game. The tackle was hard but not late nor that high, and if Carter doesn't like it, he could've kicked the ball much earlier. Add to this the complaining about Smit and his stoush with McCaw, my verdict is that the All Blacks need to take a hard look at themselves. They are in danger of becoming whingers who are too scared to respond to aggression on the field with some agression of their own. Troy Flavell could be back in the team soon, and then we'll see some agression from the All Blacks I think!

Coach White might not be called Coach White for much longer. Reports have it today that SARFU have contacted Rassie Erasmus (currently coach of the Cheetahs). Exactly what they contacted Rassie for is not stated in any reports yet, however after the defeat at the weekend it wouldn't take a rocket scientist to work that out. Rassie himself has denied being contacted.

What great preparation for the tournament next year that would be for the Africans. Sack the coach just after the Tri-Nations ends, and give a new guy the end of year tours to get started on. Not exactly ideal! But true to form at least for the Republic.

Erasmus has previously been contacted by SARFU about the availability of his services. It is understood that were he to be appointed to the top job, he wants all of South Africa to know the servie conditions. This is a reference to the affirmative action selection policies of the national side in South Africa. In simple terms, being required to select a specified number of black players in the team, not necessarily reflecting their abilities or skills. Sounds fair enough, this sort of thing ought to be transparent if you are going to do it.

This weekends game will be another late night/early morning affair for yours truly. It wont be on tv here, and I will again have to venture to the local watering hole to view the action. I hope that it is another free flowing game of open rugby in which the All Black backs are able to shine. Check back soon for the anouncement of the teams to play this weekend.

All Blacks Secure First Win in Republic Under Henry

The New Zealand All Blacks downed a clearly off the pace South African Springbok side 45 to 26 at Loftus Versveld stadium in Pretoria. The game was torrid at times, patchy elsewhere and the Africans did play with as much passion as they have to give to the game. Coupled with some cheap shots, it just wasn't enough as they were outclassed in front of a home crowd so obsessed with victory they even cheered injuries to the All Black players.

The South African side were exposed as the average team that they are, by a second string All Black side. It must be said that with the number of injuries to the starting team, by the end of the first half it was beginning to look more like the number one team preferred by coach Henry and the selectors. While the Springboks raced out to a small lead, it never looked like they had any ideas about how to actually go about winning the game. Chief among the players that caused the downfall was Percy Montgomerey who kicked away so much ball he'd be better off playing AFL.

South Africa started with a hiss and roar, whipping out to an early lead in the opening exchanges. What was notable however was that all their scoring plays were from All Black mistakes, and you know that an All Black side is only going to make so many of those in one game. It seems that they made most of those inside the first 20 minutes of the game. The turning point was a 61 metre penalty conversion to first five Daniel Carter who then proceeded to set up the first All Black near try, followed by an actual try to the fat man, Tialata. Go the front rower! Everyone loves to see the porkers running on to a kick out wide to dot down in their first starting test.

In the second half there were a number of tries run in by the All Blacks who sailed away with the game. The Africans were able to bag a couple before full time to make the scoreline more flattering, but you'd always expect that in a game that was over with 20 to go and playing at altitude hard on the heels of a gruelling test. Jerry Collins made some deft moves, including taking a tap penalty kick to set up Sivivatu, as well as putting through an educated grubber kick for Rico Gear to run onto and dot down under the bar as the last try of the match. I have criticised Jerry before about not living up to the hype, but he certainly came good tonight.

Not so good was the lineout, as expected. The Africans won five off the All Black throw, however when Oliver was taken off for Mealamu, and Chris Jack came on, the lineout woes largely dried up. The Africans exploited the weak lineout well with kicks to touch, however this seemed to become their only idea on how to advance the ball and ended up simply kicking away too much ball to the All Blacks who recovered in the lineout. The Africans were comprehensively outplayed out wide tonight, and in midfield where a number of All Black busts began.

Also of concern was the number of injuries to key players. Leon McDonald, Greg Somerville, and Chris Masoe (who played extremely well until being injured - unlucky not to have been awarded a try that appeared to at least deserve inspection by the TMO, but I will concede that the ref was right on the spot) all appeared to suffer serious injury requiring them to be replaced. Ali WIlliams may have more to worry about than drink spiking tonight after belting an African lock that admittedly asked for it. We may hear some more about this, but in my view it was handled appropriately by the referee who in general was adequate, but stopped play too often and failed to let the advantage run in some instances.

The game was a tetchy affair and I doubt that McCaw and Smit will be sharing a drink tonight. Again McCaw copped some heavy attention, but not much more than you would expect a number 7 to cop when he's that good. He made some mistakes early on, but reverted to his stellar levels quickly thereafter and had a good game. Luke McAlister was handy, and the replacements that came on clicked in well to the team. However, this was a test match in name only, the Africans not being in quite the same league as this All Black side.

It is difficult to see where the Africans can go from here. This is now their longest losing streak ever. Their last best hope for a win is against the Wallabies in the last match of this years Tri-Nations. Coach White will be able to point to the last rally by his team, but there was little in that, the game having been won already and the All Blacks clearly playing within themselves. They did after all crank things up a gear to score the final try when required. There were some wonderful tries scored by the All Blacks, particularly some from sustained pressure and developing play - great to see.

So, the readers of this blog got the margin wrong - all bar the 16% that picked a 13+ scoreline. Well done to those of you that are in that group. Two more games to go in this season, and clearly the best team has won the competition again. The talk now will focus on the All Blacks peaking too early, or being chokers, but we'll just have to wait and see if that talk is anywhere near the mark.

Results of Poll

The Poll has now been closed and the results for the fixutre tonight are that 50% of votes were cast in favour of the All Blacks taking out the game by 12 points or less. Pretty safe really. Each of the other options received 16% of the vote (Africa by 12 or less, 13 or more, or the ABs by 13 or more). It remains to be seen how wise the readers of this blog are, and what sort of predictions you are capable of making!

Thanks to all of you that voted. A further poll will be posted on Monday for next week. At the moment I am working on the question, however I am hoping that the game will produce some action that is worthy of polling your opinions on. Check in on Monday to see what the poll is, and of course after the match tonight for the analysis of the game.

Looking forward to the game tonight, it will be a cracker I reckon.

Last Minute Change to Springboks

I awoke this morning to the anouncement that the Springbok loose forward trio is undergoing yet another change. Apparently Van Niekerk couldn't sleep last night, and scans this morning have revealed an injury to his neck in the same area that Burger sustained his career threatening injury recently. It is never good to hear of these injuries and I gather he is being rested as a precaution.

However, this kind of last minute injury is either posturing for the media, or a serious blip on the South African preparation. These last minute changes introduce instablility to the team, and I am sure that Coach White will be hoping that the boys can overcome this, or perhaps even use the adversity as extra motivation to ensure that the Springboks do not lose their seventh straight test match. He will already be able to feel the noose tightening around his neck right now, and another loss is sure to see the trap door open up beneath his feet and he'll be sent on his way.

Van Niekerk's loss is Pierre Spies' gain. He comes back into the mix leaving the other contenders Wannenberg and Van den Berg on the bench as back up during the test match. In spite of the reshuffle, the Springboks still have the edge in terms of preparation as they are playing at home, have had a decent rest since thier last game in Sydney, and are used to playing at altitutde. The cards are about as stacked in their favour as they are ever going to get, and I will be surprised if we see anything other than a very close African loss, or even (shock horror) a win to the men in Green.

One reason I say this is that we can expect to see the mediocre (at best) All Black lineout return tonight. There is only one recognised lineout jumper in the team, Williams, and he is not performing that well in this area at the moment. Add to that the inclusion of Oliver, a powerful scrummager to be sure but no one would ever claim he is recognised as a master of lineout throwing, and I think we could see a serious and substantial breakdown in the lineout. The inclusion of a totally new front row (with the exception of Sommerville who replaced Carl Hayman last week due to injury), could bring into question the cohesiveness that the tight five will play with, not having had much game time together.

The loose forwards are of course an important aspect of this game. I am glad that Masoe is getting the chance to have a crack in the starting side, but including him as number 8 seems unusual. Reuben Thorne reportedly enjoys playing at Loftus and his inclusion as number 6 would seem to be a sound choice. Captain Fanstastic of course is a shoe in, however it seems he is not part of the rotation policy - the All Blacks will be beyond help if he is injured before or during the World Cup tournament next year.

The traditional tough test with the old foe beckons. I think that it will be a cracking game, and I can feel the tension increasing around me now that gameday has finally arrived. I will be watching the game tonight at the local tavern, free to air Aussie tv has let me down and are not screening the game tonight. I guess that there is no local interest as their team is not playing. Pretty poor really. In any event, check back later today for the results of the poll, and enjoy the game tonight!

Dunning Beats the Rap

The news today is that the big boy has beaten the rap, getting a stern warning from the Warratahs in place of the $3k fine. I bet the Colnel will be happy, Matt will be back to number one Aussie customer in no time with all that extra cash to spend at KFC! Or perhaps he'll blow it at the pub...In any event it is good to see that justice can occaisionally be done, even for a front rower.

Shock news, Greg Gowden has gone out on a limb and backed the Africans this week. Perhaps he had the opportunity to read my last post on this blog, but somehow I doubt it. Ben Kimber has stuck with the safe ground of backing the All Blacks, however given that they are at Loftus this week, and the South Africans will be sweating blood before they give up on winning this, I think this could be the game of the season. Click here to watch the wrap up by Kimber and Gowden. Don't forget to have your say in the poll being taken from this site.

Of note in the above wrap up is the reference to resting players from the Super 14. With the anouncement of the plans to rest 22 All Blacks until round 7 of the competition, the Aussies are enjoying making reference to the length of time since New Zealand won the Rugby World Cup (20 years). However hard on the heels of the New Zealand anouncement, and subsequent condemnation, comes the SHOCKING news that certain Wallabies may be rested as well. Hold the front page.

No concrete decisions about who will be rested or for how long have been made public yet, and there is the rub as far as I am concerned. It is all good and fine for Kimber and Gowden to speculate on who will be rested and when from the Wallaby squad, but until we actually know what the ARU is planning to do any comments about that are just rank speculation. This is to say nothing of any comment directed towards the supposed arrogance of the NZRFU. The World Cup is the biggest focus for international Rugby now, and as such the NZRFU must keep its eyes on the prize and give the All Blacks the best chance to win the thing next year. Any suggestion that any other union should do anything other than act in what it considers the best interests of that union to take the prize is just foolish talk.

News Limited may find it a hard sell telling the NFRU and rugby watching public in New Zealand that they have to risk the best chance at winning the World Cup for a competition that is rapidly becoming meaningless. It is meaningless because the Africans consistently fail to perform, and the Aussies seem to only be able to field second rate teams that fall at the last hurdle most years. Perhaps the Australians should try to develop a domestic competition to produce more players at a higher level, instead of trying to compete at a level they do not have the necessary player depth to, and sponging off other rugby playing nations.

Let's look at that. In Super Rugby the Reds suck every year, the Storm have only just started but were cellar dwellers this season, the Warratahs have failed to take out the trophy and apparently can't handle the finals, and the Brumbies were the only successful Australian team (twice) until the players started running the joint and chased off any good prospects that might challenge them for a starting position. The fact is that Super Rugby is more important to the Australians than anyone else because they lack a serious domestic comeptition. Their challenge is to fix that, the NZRFU and to a lesser extent the South Africans shouldn't have to do that for them.

Meanwhile the All Blacks are preparing well for the game this weekend by their own reports (not surprising really is it). I was astonished to hear that the All Blacks wore special humidity masks on the flight to the republic to ensure that they were no dehydrated during the trip. Apparently this is the first time this has been tested. They are battling the usual jet lag and effects of playing at altitude. With 11 new players, teh coaching staff have recognised the issues this presents and have gone for fresh legs. I think this is a good move, but we will have to accept that there is likely to be less free flowing play from this All Blacks side. In addition with the Africans no doubt aware of the tactics the Wallabies correctly employed last week in Auckland, they will be seeking to emulate the hard uncompromising defence that did upset the All Blacks in Auckland, although not enough for them to lose. This will be a humdinger, and I think we can expect a tough test match that will be a hard fought victory for the side that comes out on top. Bring it on!

Let That Be The End of It! Please!

Reports today have it that Richie McCaw has shown himself to be the man off the field that we all know he is on the field. McCaw has received a letter of explanation from Tuqiri, and he has accepted the apology of the Wallaby winger. Add to that an 11 week suspension from rugby (although only for one test) and I for one hope that the Tuqiri spear tackle can be left at that, and we can get on with some rugby. It is after all a physical game, and McCaw's comments about the swinging arm from Phil Waugh perhaps could educate those that have become involved in the controversey and should know better. McCaw said of his nose "It's been busted before" and in relation to the swinging arm itself

"A lot of things like that happen in games, and to be cited it's got to be a sending-off offence.
I don't know if the ref saw it he would have sent him off, but if it's intended you could say
it's a bit of a cheap shot. I don't know whether he did or not."

Full marks to McCaw, a true captain and a good sport. Time for New Zealand to give up the national pass time of whinging about Australians and beign outraged by good hard competition, and get on with winning the game this weekend.

In a shock move, the Aussie media have refrained from labelling Graham Henry arrogant after the anouncement of 11 changes to the starting 15 for the test match this weekend. Punters will no doubt recall that was the verdict of the cosnidered Aussie media prior to the Brisbane test match where New Zealand successfully retained the Bledisloe Cup for another year. Having to deal with the problems of coming off a physical test match, injuries, jet lag, and altitude, the number of changes to the side are not surprising.

Mils returns to centre, Daniel Carter remains at first five, Richie McCaw remains at number 7 (somewhat surprising given the coverage of his injuries this week, and the "revelation" that he is targetted by other teams), and Luke McAlister gets his second consecutive start - presumably Mauger is not yet ready to return to the field.

The wholesale changes mean that we will effecticely be seeing a 'new' All Blacks team this weekend, in the sense that we have not seen the second team play for some time now. The front row consists of Oliver, Tialata, and Sommerville (Yoda, don't you all think that he looks like a bigger and less green version of the Jedi master? Perhaps that could be the next poll.). Rawlinson and Williams are the locks, while Masoe, McCaw and Thorne round out the loose forward trio. A pretty strong forward pack, and they will need to be on top of their game to take the Boks on the veld this weekend.

The most exciting development in the backline is that Sitiveni Sivivatu has returned to the wing. The All Blacks will be hoping that Sivivatu can return to the form that had him injectment levels of excitement into the game that appeared to have left the fair shores of New Zealand with Rupeni. Rico Gear and Leon McDonald round out the back line for New Zealand and are both strong selecitons. This will not be a weak All Black side, nor does this represent a devaluing of the All Black jersey.

Meanwhile the South Africans are dealing with a few selection woes of their own. Flanker Juan Smith has been omitted from the test team this weekend due to a muscle injury to his quads. However, coach White has not yet anounced a replacement for him, prefering to wait until later on today. White is clearly (and perhaps easily) trying to sieze underdog status by labelling his side as "like a South African B team". This is because of the injuries to Burger, Botha, and Steenkamp. That may be going a bit far, but certainly they are reaching the limits of their player depth in the loose forward position.

But let's not be too hasty, the All Blacks have not won in South Africa since 2003. Graham Henry has yet to notch up a win in the Republic, so there is some history on the side of the locals this week. This is also the African's first home game, at altitude, and the side will be desperately wanting to make up for their three loses on the away leg of the competition (as will the coach). It also shouldn't be forgotten that they improved in each performance on the away leg, and were unlucky not to win in Sydney against an admittedly terrible Wallaby performance.

Not surprisingly backing the South Africans is a pretty lonely position to be in, and you'd either have to be mad, or needing to rid yourself of some funds before the tax man comes to get you, or you are forced to account for having it. The All Blacks will are reportedly treating the two games in the Republic as a 'series' and intend to win both to take out the 'series'. This will be a tough ask, however players will be wanting to impress selectors ahead of the World Cup. Ali Williams is facing a strong contender for his position in Mullet Boy, and several other contenders are getting the chance to strut their stuff on the international stage. This could be enough motivation for the All Blacks to break the African hoodoo they are currently labouring under. I for one am looking forward to this game.

Don't forget to vote in the poll over the left hand side of your screen. The results will be anounced by me on Saturday during the day, prior to the game. At that time a different poll for the following week will appear on the blog. Check back then for the results, and of course right after the game for the post match analysis!

PM Weighs In To Continual Fallout From Confrontational Wallaby Performance

The New Zealand Prime Minister, Helen Clark has put in her two cents concerning the tactics Australia used to try and contain All Black captain Richie McCaw. She suggested that Tuqiri ought to have been sent off, and that there were several ugly assualts against the All Black captain. You know things are getting heavy when the Prime Minsiter gets involved in sporting controversy between the trans-Tasman rivals. The last time involved cricket, and a certain porcine Prime Minister Muldoon suggesting that yellow was an appropriate colour for the Australian cricket jersey. That being said, I have already gone on record saying that Tuquiri was lucky not to be sent off, so in this case I agree with her.

Adding further weight to the outcry in New Zealand is South Africa's Jake White who has also come out saying that the Wallabies targeting of McCaw was over the top, but the star flanker does have a target on his head because he is so good. You know that there is something to an outcry if even a South African thinks that things were getting a bit over the top!

However, Phil Waugh has reportedly said that All Blacks coach Graham Henry is a "whinger" on this issue. Given the comments attrributed to Henry, it is a little unusual to see how he arrived at this conclusion, after all he only said McCaw was targeted to take him out of the game, that was part of rugby and you had to live with it, but that the Wallabies lacked discipline when doing so. Seems fair enough to me, Tuqiri has been suspended for 5 weeks so clearly there was a lack of discipline about the display. Waugh has copped some flak, and I'd suggest rightly so. He was, after all, the only player yellow carded during the match (amazingly).

In the final analysis it was a tough test match, rugby is a physical game, and in the words of a recent All Black captain they're not playing tiddlywinks out there. The Wallabies threw everything at the All Blacks, they should expect nothing less, and still came away with a loss. The All Blacks never really looked like losing the game at any point, even when down by 11 points. Harden up, and get on with it New Zealand is my verdict.

On reviewing the game, there were a number of areas of the All Black game that were tested, and I think that Henry and the rest of the coaching staff will be pleased that they have had a decent run like this, and a stout test of their defence well before the World Cup. There were some unsavoury incidents, however these also form part of what makes the Trans-Tasman rivalry so fierce. They happened, some were dealt with, some weren't, get on with it and focus on the rest of the competition.

One final point before closing this post, the All Blacks non inclusion in the first 7 rounds of the Super 14 is a compromise, a fact I wasn't originally aware of. Graham Henry wanted the All Blacks out of the entire Super 14 tournament. The anouncement of the All Blacks being available for the second half of the competition is a compromise that probably satisfies no one. I should imagine that the reasons for not having the All Blacks play, apply whether they play 7 games or 14. It remains to be seen what the final decision will be, but no doubt the fans will be hoping that whatever the final result is, Rugby World Cup 2007 is the top priority for the New Zealand Rugby Union.

Readers will note that I have added a poll on the sidebar of this blog - over there to the right of your screen. You can vote for the winner of the game this weekend, and pick the margin also. The poll results will be published this weeekend, and readers would be well advised to remember that the All Blacks have yet to post a win in the Republic under Henry. Of course, that may mean that they want it more this weekend, but on the back of a tough test all that travel might just get to them... Vote and have your say - you can see what option is most popular at the end of the voting process.

Tuqiri Suspended For Five Matches

As predicted yesterday by yours truly, Lote Tuquiri will take no futher part in the Tri-Nations competition after he was today suspended by SANZAR for 5 matches following his illegal tackle on All Black captain Richie McCaw. Tuquiri is reportedly considering his options and may appeal the ban handed down to him.

Fat chance of succeeding with any appeal my good man. That was a spear tackle, and yes, you might as well cop it and discuss with your coach the wisdom of targeting the most effective All Black in recent times. You're not George Gregan after all and wont inexplicably and unreasonably be able to beat the rap for allegedly being a good bloke. Lote should consider himself lucky not to have received a red card for that tackle. As I said, he was always going to go for a decent skate for that one, and any appeal would, in my humble opinion, be ill conceived.

Seriously, some scrutiny should be saved for the officials. They had a shocker, although I felt that the referee was poorly served by his supporting officials. Touch judges failed to take action against Tuqiri for this incident, the TMO failed to disallow Elsoms bogus try, and allowed McCaw to be taken out by Elsom miles off the ball, and held on the ground to keep him out of play. The referee did let himself down by allowing Elsom to commit so many infractions without even appearing to issue a warning of a yellow card.

The targeting of McCaw, easily the best All Black by a country mile, was a clear tactic. The All Blacks need to develop an effective counter to this type of play as all teams will target McCaw. My suggestion is firstly that the other All Blacks back up their captain by pulling their weight and effecting some big hits on the opposition (when was the last time that Jerry Collins pole axed anyone?) instead of being on the receiving end. Secondly the other All Blacks must take advantage of the gap caused in attack and defensive lines by players coming miles out of position to hold McCaw back. Easier said than done.

So, New Zealand have been given notice that the Wallabies may be a force to be reckoned with next year at the Rugby World Cup. It seems that the plan is for the All Blacks to miss the first seven (yep, you read right, 7) rounds of the Super 14 in the quest to win Rugby World Cup 2007. Apparently this is to give the All Balcks a window within which to train and reach peak conditioning for the competition without the added rigours of playing top level Rugby. Undoubtedly this will have an effect on that competition, and the level of performance by the New Zealand franchises for the first half of the competition. What a great opportunity for Africa and Australia to get a real head start in the Super 14 in 2007.

Seriously though, it is an interesting idea. I cannot help but think it is a reflection on the conditioning and pre-season training for Super 14 teams in New Zealand however. Clearly that alone is not considered enough for the New Zealand Rugby Union. Never the less, if the tactic is successful you can bet your bottom dollar there wont be any complaints across the Tasman in New Zealand! If the All Blacks do not succeed, along with the instant dismissal of Graham Henry, you can bet the outcry will be able to be heard in the Northern Hemisphere!

Look on the bright side, with the All Blacks out of the contest until the second half, not only do an Australian or an African team have a chance to win the competition(!), but the much vaunted depth of New Zealand Rugby will truly be on display for all to see. There could be some exciting young talent unearthed during the opening rounds, so keep an eye out for that.

Tri-Nations Wrapped Up by All Blacks, But Fair Warning Given by Wallabies

The All Blacks today received fair warning from the Wallabies during a torrid match at Eden Park. As expected the All Blacks prevailed over the tourists, 34-27 but few would have picked that the Wallabie would press the All Blacks so hard. The All Black selectors have been given fair warning that the Wallabies are not far off the pace, and their chances in Rugby World Cup 2007 are still good.

A few areas of the All Blacks much talked about defence were exposed during the game by some expert play from the considerably more experienced Wallaby back line. The lineout however, benefited from the selection of the Mullet Boy who took some great ball there, and even managed to get over for a try to get the All Blacks back in the game. However, what a hair do! Office at the front, and party out the back! He get's the prize for the best mullet in the business (actually, could any mullet be described as 'best'?)!

The first half was a bit scrappy, with a large number of penalties be given away by the Wallabies. These were largely designed to slow the game down when the All Blacks were on attack, and were clearly professional fouls from the leading expert in that area. Rocky Elsom can count himself lucky that he was still on the field when substituted in the second half. He gave away so many penalties it is suprising that the referees whistle still worked. Still, he got away with it, and that is what counts. Someone up stairs must like that guy, he was awarded a try that clearly wasn't...I wonder if it is any conincidence that the TMO was South African? Might have wanted the All Blacks to lose to keep the Boks in it? I thought we had TMOs so that we could get decisions right. Not much point in having them when they clearly get it wrong.

My money is on Lote Tuqiri being suspended after a stupid tackle on All Black captain Richie McCaw. It was a blatant spear tackle and unless his second name is 'George' I doubt that we will see him in the rest of the Tri-Nations series. It will be an outrage if he is allowed to play after such a deliberate and unecessary spear tackle. McCaw was targeted during the game, no question. However, this is the first time that the Wallabies were able to make that count.

One huge hit during the game was made by newcomer Palu on the hariest beardo that took the field, the man mountain Carl Hayman. He was pole axed by Palu in the first half and was the only man back in position to try and tackle Tuqiri who ran in what was to be the first of his two tries around the injured Hayman. Make no mistake, Carl was never going to stop that, especially when he was having trouble standing up. Keep that one in the back of your mind mate, that could give you some good motivation for the series next year and the World Cup!

My favourite hit though was made by Carter - yep, you heard me right Daniel Carter. He read the trademark Larkham glide around the scrum to perfection and nailed him, dislodging the ball from his grasp. leaving him sprawled on the ground, and bouncing the ball into in the arms of Luke McAlister who ran the rest of the length of the field for the try that gave the All Blacks the game. It was great stuff. Some of us have been waiting years for someone with the nous to actaully read Larkham's game and nail him. We finally got to see it at crunch time in a test match.

Great to see Chris Jack get justly rewarded for his usual display of athleticism getting a try to bring the All Blacks back into contention during the game. He was on the end of a good move, great interplay and it was scored at a good time to get the All Blacks back into the game and increase tensions levels on both sides of the Tasman.

Full marks to the Wallabies, this was their best shot to beat the All Blacks this year, and they made the most of it. A confident All Blacks team is ripe for a fall, but they avoided it this time with a disciplined performance in the second half. The Wallabies were the victims of a concerted and well orchestrated media assault for the last two weeks after a less than exciting game against the Springboks in Sydney. Great preparation for them, a real siege mentality must have gripped the camp and this game was almost exactly what they needed to get the media back on side. A win would have been exactly what they needed.

Matt Giteau was a star for the Wallabies. He was always dangerous with the ball in hand, and set up the second of Tuqiri's tries. This was a well taken opportunity by the two players, it worked to perfection and surprised the All Blacks, getting the Wallabies back into the game. Mortlock gave his usual sterling effort, and you can't ignore Tuqiri's game apart from the suspension that must be coming. Also, full marks to the forwards at scrum time, they withstood the challenge and pushed the All Blacks backwards near the end of the game. Stunning!

The All Black game plan was difficult to discern. I think for the first time we have seen an All Black team play two game plans in the one game. Clearly caution was thrown to the wind in the first half, I mean how often does Jerry Collins throw doulbe miss out passess to a hooker on the wing? Never, and he shouldn't start doing that now given he gave away a sitter to Tuqiri who is no slouch. Also McAlister settled into the game well with two great early touches, indicating that the test match atmosphere wasn't getting to him - playing out of position in place of an injured Mauger.

In the second half the discipline returned and the doubtful passess and low percentage play was kept to a minimum. A disciplined performance saw penalties given away in their own half that wer convereted into points, and eventually the lead. In addition, the lineout was sound again. Can we put that down to the influence of Robin Brooke? It certainly was much improved, however there was the selection of Mullet Boy who excelled in that area, and put in some good hits around the field, plus scoring a try.

All in all, this was the game we were all looking for to earse the memories of the dismal spectacle that was the previous 'clash' between the Wallabies and the Boks in Sydney. That game was only good to the extent that the South Africans nearly pulled off a win when they had been written off by everyone (except yours truly). The subsequent media cacophony of concerns about the 'product' (meaning rugby) can be safely put to bed. This was a great game, exciting, close, and full of excellent skills displayed by both sides. Rugby was the winner on the day (thanks Sean Fitzpatrick).

In closing spare a thought for the South Africans. The Tri-Nationas has been decided, without the Springboks even having had the benefit of one home game. This surely is unfair, and must be looked at for future contests. Apart from being unfair, it also takes the fun out of it for fans. However, the tests in the Republic are yet to come and I for one will be watching them with more than just a hint of anticipation! I can't wait to see the Wallabies play over there, and of course the All Blacks under Henry have yet to win there...could it be that this record will be broken this year.

Teams Anounced for This Weekend's Clash

The expected three changes to the Wallabies team were anounced today. Phil Waugh, Jeremey Paul, and Clyde Rathbone are the changes to the starting side. No surprises there, all three changes were tipped during the week and have come to fruition. I am surprised by the inclusion of Waugh over Smith. Smith has been said to be out of form and not at the top of his game, but he consistently harassed the All Blacks, and while they weren't quite frustrated enough by his efforts to tear their own hair out, they had a fair crack at his! Waugh is a sound replacement, but if it were up to me, I'd have Smith in there still. Rathbone and Paul are good changes that shoud assist the side with their game this weekend.

In a much bolder move, the All Blacks have anounced their team today, and Isaia Toeava has been named to start at centre, with Mils moving back to full back, and McDonald moving to the bench. Clearly these are not changes that are made in line with a rotational selection policy. Firstly, there are only three, and secondly there is only one new player coming in to try a new position. Toeava is a full back normally during the Super 14 and it will be interesting to see how he handles big time test match rugby out of position. I think that the Wallabies will be looking to exploit his inexperience, and it remains to be seen if he is up to the challenge. Keep an eye on this area of the game, it will be crucial I am sure. But let's not get too carried away, if Toeava is shown up, I am sure that a switch between him and Mils will be on the cards, after all, he is a full back and Mils is now the incumbent centre.

Elsewhere Howlett comes in from Rico Gear on the wing. This change must surely be one of the last attempts Howlett will have to justify his place in the side. He will need to have a good game to show that he can expect to be in the frame come world cup time next year. He had a poor Super 14, and has given up incumbent status to Gear. I'll be looking forward to seeing if Howlett can get his act together and produce some of the class that made him so exciting to watch early on in his career.

Hooray! Mullet man is back in at lock for the Clown. In case you're not familiar with the nomenclature I've employed, I am referring to Jason Eaton coming in for Ali Williams. I think that this might be a reflection of the poor performance at lineout time the All Blacks showed in Brisbane against the Wallabies. While the lineout was shaky in the first Bledisloe Cup match, Eaton did win all the balls that were thrown to him, and the All Blacks did not lose any on their own throws. I think that this is a good decision, and could lead to some competition for the black hersey amongst the forwards. We are weak in the lineout, and guys like Williams need reminding that they need to be on top of their game, especially in the lineout, if they are going to play for the national team. A good call, and with Williams on the bench, you can be sure that he will get some game time during the second half, or earlier if Eaton doesn't perform.

Lastly, Weepu comes back in for Cowan and replaces him on the bench. Not much in this change, Cowan is clearly the third string half back for the team. He's good to have as back up, and has a lot of room to improve. The other two will need to keep a look out over their shoulders to see what he is up to. Isn't this the way that it should be in the national side though? This seems to me to be the main strength of New Zealand rugby - the depth of players in each position (with the possible exception of centre). The Wallabies on the other hand do not have so many class players to chose from - who is there to replace Larkham as a first rate first five in Australia? There are some sniffing around, but the Wallabies are nowhere near as well served as the All Blacks are with Carter and McAlister.

Where New Zealand is lacking is in the top two inches. It has been so long since we saw a clearly set up, well rehearsed back line move yield any points for an All Black team that I for one am beginning to wonder if they can do it. I hope that the art of using the ball to beat the man is not dead, and that the All Black backs know how to create and build pressure to get over the line, and create space out wide. So far in the Tri-Nations there has been no evidence to suggest that they do. Instead, and it is to be expected, they have followed a Crusaders style of play that relies on punishing defence until the opposition gives away possession and scoring from the counter attack. What I want to know is why are they confining themselves to scoring from the counter attack? Why not build your own attack as well and create pressure? I sincerely hope that this deficiency is overcome prior to Rugby World Cup 2007 or the All Blacks may find it very tough at semi-final stage.

The media seem to be coming to the party, and winding up for the game this weekend. The Aussies seem to have realised that griping about the poor game their team put on against the Africans is irrelevant this week. This week they are in Auckland. Up against the All Blacks. A home game. Rest assured there will be a test match atmosphere at this game. Both teams play an expansive game and running rugby is what they do best. Expect less kicks, expect more running and more hit ups. All Blacks to dominate up front, Wallabies to have the edge in the backs. The Wallabies will want the win more, for the All Blacks the cup is in the bag, but for the Wallabies they will be wanting to silence their critics in Australia. I think we can expect a
real hum dinger!

Wallabies Ponder What is Needed To Beat ABs at Home

Mark Rathbone will be selected to join the starting side in Auckland this weekend to try and beat the All Blacks on the hallowed turf of Eden Park. The rationale is apparently that the Wallabies want to take on, and even beat the All Blacks for pace out wide. I rate Rathbone, I reckon that he is a class act and would've been in the starting side had it not been for the injuries that kept him out of last season to a large extent. I think that it is a good move to rotate him into the side and put him out on the field, the Wallabies will be a better team for it. For moreon Rathbone's thought's on the matter, click here.

Meanwhile in New Zealand, many of the All Blacks were released to play in the Air New Zealand Cup games this weekend. This is the new domestic competition in New Zealand, a refinement of the National Provincial Championship that is meant to take New Zealand rugby into a new era where the smaller provinces might one day be able to foot it with the big boys. Lofty ideals, and it remains to be seen if it will work. So far the Tasman team seems to have done the best out of the new arrangement, bagging several top level players from Canterbury.

Back to the Tri-Nations where the latest news is that Sitiveni Sivivatu, yet another flashy flying Fijian winger has joined the All Blacks squad in place of the luckless Scott Hamilton who is forced out of the squad. Apparently Sivivatu wont be playing this weekend, but is back in the mix to bolster the squad for the rest of the Tri-Nations competition. It is great to see him back as he could really inject some speed, enthusiasm, and unpredictability into the All Black back line again. The only other change is that Otago's Nick Evans is also back in the mix, covering for Luke McAlister who injured his jaw in the game against Taranaki. Hmmm, I wonder how that happened?!! A bash perhaps! For more on the new selections (but not much more) click here.

For a bit of a general whinge on the state of the game, and in particular the ailing fortunes of the Wallabies, click here. Greg Gowden attempts to provide some insight into the pre-game and halftime entertainment on offer to the rugby punter, a perhaps startling admission that he does not have many suggestions as to how the Wallabies could improve their game! I'll just say that the greased pig sounds like a good option, they could barbecue it at the end of the game for the visiting team to enjoy also. I also thought it was about time that someone suggested the singing of Waltzing matilda fails to get the crowd going and into what should be a spectacle of physical endurance and athleticism. Frankly, I don't think that they have too much to worry about. The team will be smarting from two weeks of getting caned by the normally compliant media in Aussie and will be wanting to make an impression where it counts, on the field against the All Blacks. We could be in for a good game this weekend I reckon, and we wont need to rely on the half time entertainment to get a crowd along.

Unfortunately it seems that the rotation policy for the All Blacks may be at an end. For more on that click here. I say unfortunately because clearly there are some areas of the All Blacks game that need considerable work. The lineout is one, and the other is the back line need to become more structured on attack. Any team that is able to deprive them of the ball by not making errors and turning over the ball, will deprive the All Blacks of their main method of scoring. However, the rotation policy had to end at some stage, and perhaps the end of the Tri-Nations would be best. They will, after all, need some more time to play together on the end of year Northern Hemisphere tour.

Media beat up of the week goes to the stories about Daniel Carter converting codes to become, yes that's right, a soccer star! Yeah, whatever! I first read this story last week, and didn;t bother to comment on it as it was laughable then, and is even more so now. Apparently the last best hope of New Zealand donned some soccer boots to help out a friends team over the weekend, and now he is being rumoured to want to transfer to soccer full time! Yeah, whatever. In this article Chris Moller has been asked to comment on the revelations, and says quite properly that the ABs have to have interests outside of rugby. I do like the headline though "Carter Code Switch Cleared", which make sit sound like he actually wants to, and has been given permission, to play soccer full time! Nice one! For more humour, click here.

Dunning Not Content With Fine

Warratahs prop Matt Dunning anounced today that he will appeal the $3,000.00 fine imposed on him for being inappropriately affected by alcohol in public. His stance is backed by the Australian Rugby Union Players' Association who say that there is an important precedent at stake in this case. The precedent seems, from what I can gather from their argument, that if Dunning can be fined for drinking in a hotel, then any player who has alcohol at any time in a hotel can be fined. As an ancillary and procedural matter, the Association claims that it was unfair that they were unable to introduce evidence about the intention of the Players Code of Conduct under which Dunning was convicted.

The Assocaition, I would say, seems to miss the point. Surely the key here is that Dunning is alleged to have damaged a taxi while intoxicated. The damage was caused outside of any hotel, in a public place as he was being delivered to his destination, Bill Young's hotel. He has admitted being under the influence of alcohol at the time, and that people who saw him would have known he was under the influence, or drunk. He's admitted that much, but still denies that he was drunk. If you accept his argument, then it comes down to a subjective test that would reflect the capacity for consuming alcohol that individual had. Surely the objective test is the better one, and the code is aimed at protecting the public as well as the reputation of the game in general.

I'm not trying to say that players shouldn't ever get on the turps, but I am suggesting that players should behave themselves in public. In this case the police were involved, as was a taxi driver who sustained some damage to the vehicle by which he earns his living. Dunning allegedly did nothing about the incident until such time as he was contacted by the police, according to reports. He shouldn't be getting into trouble like this, and most employees are responsible for bringing their employers into disrepute if they attract undue attention to themselves in their personal lives.

As for the argument about the introduction of evidence on the point of the intention of the code of conduct, I think that is valid. These semi-judicial bodies need to realise that they are making decisions that are very important and ought to allow evidence to be called that may have some bearing on the issue to ensure that the correct decision is made. The point seems realted to the issue, and so Dunning ought to have been allowed to call evidence in relation to it. Would it affect the outcome? Who cares. The fact is that it might have, or conceivably could have and so ought to have been allowed. He should make the argument on appeal and see how he gets on. Click here for more on that.

Greg Gowden delivers an interesting round of ussie rugby this week in a colum covering mutliple areas. A good read, and you can find it here. Also Greg covers several changes to the Wallaby team that are being mooted for the end of year tour this season, to try to change the way the team is performing at present. It seems that a decision has been made that a new half back is required, and adventurous changes are promised for the end of year tour. Click here to see what some of those are.

Newcomer to the Wallabies training camp, Brett Sheehan, sent a scare through the camp yesterday when struck in the eye by a tackle bag. Apparently he was blinded for a period of time, and some reports had him with a broken eye socket. Apparently all has been cleared and he will continue to train with the team. For the latest on that, click here.

I'm sad to say that there was noting reported on the All Blacks today of any great moment. It seems that some players have been released to take part in the new domestic competition and as such the focus on the national team has eased somewhat. It is a shame that we are not seeing the same media bickering that was the build up for the last test in Brisbane. I guess that is to be expected with the Bledisloe Cup already having been decided, however a clean sweep would surely be a good thing to round out the final clash of this season with the Wallabies. A big ask, and possibly a loss would do the team some good before heading off to the Republic to take on the Africans twice at home. The All Blacks will need to have their lineout sorted when they head over to the Republic.

All Blacks Focus on Lineout, Wallabies Tipped to Ring in the Changes

Robin Brooke has been providing tips to the All Black coaching staff on how their lineout could be improved, according to recent media reports. I am not going to go back and what I said earlier, good stuff I say. Get him in there and see what he can do. It is, and has been a persistant weakness of All Black teams in recent memory. For some reason they just can't get it right. Is Robin Brooke the man? Who knows? Not I. But we will be able to see what his involvement has been able to achieve since he came on board in the next Tri-Nations clash in Auckland weekend after next. Brooke has not been appointed to any position, and will not be involved in the camp on a full time basis - he is reportedly involved on a request basis from the full time All Blacks coaching staff. Clearly this area of the All Blacks game will be targeted by Australia, and even more so by South Africa as their lineout seems to be the strongest in Southern Hemisphere rugby at the moment. Click here for more on Robin Brooke's involvement with the All Blacks.

Meanwhile the Wallabies are ringing in the changes in anticipation of the final Bledisloe Cup clash for this season. Three changes are expected to the forward pack, with George Smith, Nathan Sharp, and Tai McIssac all reported to be in the firing line. Phil Waugh will come in for Smith, Chisholm will come in for Sharp, and Jeremy Paul will return for McIssac who was made to look like he could be a shoe in for the All Black team which such wayward throwing in the narrow victory over the Africans last weekend.

However, most speculation centres on the captain and his laboured pass. Can Gregan retain his top spot heading into the World Cup, especially when he has suggested that he should be rested for the tour of the Northern Hemisphere at the end of this current season. With injury to his immediate replacement, Cordingley, it seems that George has been given a bit of a lifeline. The selectors will need to pick someone to cover the position for the Auckland game should Gregan be injured or come off early. Speculation is that Mat Giteau may be called in to cover the position, or the little known Warratahs halfback Brett Sheehan may be given a crack. For more on the Aussie selection conundrums, click here. There are also reports that Josh Holmes, another littel known halfback from New South Wales is also in the frame. For more on him, click here.

Frankly, it doesn't really matter who they pick at this stage. The World Cup is still a long way off, and anyone would think that Cordingley is a shoe in to either replace Gregan, or serve as his understudy for that tournament. Leadership is important, and there are many games that the Wallabies have reveled in winning that can be put down to the tenacious temprament of Gregan. His tackle on Jeff Wilson, and his "Four more years" remark as the Wallabies knocked the All Blacks out of the last World Cup are some of his more memorable moments. Could it all be over for the coffee man?

Elsewhere Matt Dunning's test night escapades have been resolved with the 2006 Billy Bunter look-a-like competition winner being handed a $3,000 fine for being inappropriately affected by alcohol. I wonder, does that mean he couldn't handle his booze like a real front rower should be able to? Or is there something more obvious at work here - like making an idiot of yourself in a taxi and then not working things out with the driver if you do something wrong in or to the cab and waiting for the police to contact you before trying to put things right? It seems Matt isn't too sure, reportedly stating that he will take some time to decide if he will appeal the decision as he is trying to understand the finding. He does think the fine is harsh, but "men smarter than me came up with that fine". For more choice comments from the man, click here.

Lastly the African team lying in wait for the tourists to the Republic has been named. There has been mixed reaction to the selections made, with most comment focussing on the omission of Western Province captain and flanker Luke Watson has again been overlooked by the selectors. It does not look like there will be many changes to the team that toured, apparently on the basis that it has been improving since the tour started. Mate, from that first game, the only way was up. They couldn't have played any worse than that! To be fair though, they were unlucky not to upset the Wallabies on Saturday. The other changes focus on the halfback area with Januarie being likely to be replaced by Penaar who can also cover first five. For more on the African team, click here.

Oh yes, I almost forgot, Wendell Sailor's appeal failed. Surprise, surprise. Might need to get down to Centrelink mate. I wouldn't waste any more money on lawyers bills by reviewing the entire prcoess at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Click here if anyone is in the least bit interested in yesterdays news. Get your head down, do the two years, and see how you are placed then.

Fallout from Win Continues

Now this is more like it from the Aussies.  Calls to axe the skipper, and a wringing of hands at the fact that due to a lack of depth, there is no other first five eighth to come in and take over from Larkham.  Both men had very average games on Saturday night, however it is interesting to see how quickly the worm turns in this game.  For Greg Gowden’s article calling for the head of Gregan and making several other interesting observations, click here.  Former coaches are reveling in the disarray in the present ‘woeful’ wallabies.  Click here for more on that.

But they don’t just stop there, Nathan Sharp is distracted and the entire team seems to be performing below par…and all this after a win!  This sort of fall out and division within the ranks wont be helping the preparation for the World Cup next year, nor the next test match.  The Wallabies are a confidence side, and it will be at an all time low at the moment.  Spiros Zavos takes a less controversial road, by suggesting that the Wallabies test other players before the World Cup, while retaining Gregan should they need him.  This seems like a good idea, and Gregan’s ‘rest’ from international football that has been getting so much publicity would be the ideal opportunity.  For more from Zavos, click here.  Eddie Jones also has his two cents worth here.  I wonder if he was none too impressed by Gregan’s refusal to answer questions about his role in the downfall of Jones…wouldn’t be the first time he has ended a coaches career…anyone remember Nucifora?

Out of form, and out of favour, prop Mat Dunning hasn’t done his chances of going on tour at the end of this year any good by having ‘an accident with a hinge on a taxi door’ on Saturday night.  Details at this stage are sketchy, however I wouldn’t expect it to stay that way.  Dunning is to face a Warratahs disciplinary committee over the incident.  For more on that click here.

Good news, it seems that coach Henry is acting in relation to the line out woes.  Robin Brooke has been called in to assist in that area (after having previously said he would not be able to due to business and personal commitments).  I can only say that it is about time something was done, and I am glad that there seems to be some plan now.  Let’s hope that Brooke and Henry are able to turn things around and make the lineout a bit more of a competitive area for the All Blacks.  Click here for more on that.

The Boks Are Back - Woeful Wallabies Sneak Home

The Wallabies tonight escaped a fate worse than death after a week of media buildup that had written off the Africans.  They narrowly defeated a much improved South African side 20-18 at Telstra Stadium in Sydney.  The South Africans, who deserved to win, did come away with a bonus point, and with their pride salvaged.  They will be a different team to play at home.

The game was not much of a spectacle for the first half, the South Africans kicking away far too much ball and failing to play to their strengths.  A ridiculous cross field kick from Butch James gifted Mark Gerrard a try, and the rest of the Wallaby points came from the boot in that half.  It was a disappointing and scrappy half.

I wouldn’t have minded being a fly on the wall during the half time talk as the Africans came out firing, and played a totally different game to the first half.  Jake White must’ve really given them a wind up.  They ran onto the ball well, hit up the field directly, and were rewarded by scoring two tries.  The first try went to Fourie, and then following up with a miracle try was Percy Montgomery, pushed over in the corner by his teammates and managing to ground the ball even though he was in the clutches of a ineffective tackle from Lote Tuqiri and one other Wallaby.  A miracle try, the grounding of the ball apparently called by touch judge Paul Honiss (according to the commentary that I watched).

The changes then came thick and fast for the Wallabies.  Gregan was hauled off, as was an ineffective and strangely poor performing Larkham (perhaps that talk during the week did get to him after all).  As Gregan departed, Mortlock filled his shoes as captain.

On the field to replace Steven Larkham, Mat Rogers pulled the Wallaby fat out of the fire by latching onto a pass from Phil Waugh, and crossing over in the corner to break the heart of every South African.  No doubt a few kiwi hearts skipped a beat as well, a South African win would’ve put the Tri-Nations out of reach for the Wallabies, but after that performance, the All Blacks won’t be too worried about facing the Wallabies in two weeks time in Auckland.  Waugh made the most of being marked by a tired and out of place Os Du Randt who put in a massive effort staying on the field for the whole 80 minutes.  However, the contest of fresh, very much smaller legs, against tiring bulk, led to the Os being hopelessly mismatched and the try was scored to take the game to a draw.

The kick from Mortlock to convert was an absolute pearler, they don’t get much tougher than that, Mat Rogers doing him no favours by running the ball nearer to the goal posts.  The kick came around and went in off the upright to take the game by two points.  A mighty game in terms of the result, and the Springboks will be heading home with some wind in their sails, although they will be disappointed to let it slip so close to the end of the game.

The Wallaby lineout was shown up tonight.  They were shaky, McIssac was forced to throw long by a South African lineout that challenged for every ball, and competed well.  The All Blacks would do well to take notice of that aspect of this game.  The Wallaby scrum was dominated for two thirds of the match, but was nowhere near as unstable as it had been.  With the inclusion of Rodzilla at 130 kgs and Palu at 120 kgs the Wallabies outweighed the Africans this week and the extra bulk clearly helped.  They were put under pressure, but came home strong against the Africans, even pushing them off their own ball and completely shoving Os Du Randt off his feet near the end of the game.

A close shave for the Wallabies, and the South Africans still have yet to notch up a win in the 2006 Tri Nations series.  However, notice has been given that the African team has a bit more left in the tank, and they are likely to be a more challenging unit at home. Of course they won’t have the same training facilities that they enjoyed at my gym in Kogarah, which I am sure accounts for a fair portion of their form turn around!  Seriously though, they will play the All Blacks twice, and the Wallabies once in the Republic, with hordes of screaming fans baying for opposition blood.  Those games will be real crackers I am sure.  

Be sure to check back here tomorrow as I try to find Aussie media reaction to the performance of the Wallabies tonight.

Mediocre Media Coverage Continues

The paucity of coverage from the Republic of this evening’s game and the fortunes of the national team has finally been broken by the publication of the following article that can be read by clicking here. I have been astonished at the lack of media coverage, waiting most of the week to read this short piece which is not exactly cutting edge stuff. “Australia Wary of South African Backlash” trumpets the headline. Wow. Really? You think? A 49-0 thrashing and you think the Wallabies are wary of a backlash? Really, this is just spouting the platitudes dished out by Captain George at the last press conference (where, incidentally he refused to answer questions about his involvement in the sacking of coach Eddie Jones – see article below).

This cutting edge journalism includes the insightful “South Africa's prospects will depend largely on their ability to dominate the set pieces while shutting down Australia's explosive backline.” Sounds like someone has been watching videos of the game in Brisbane and learning important lessons from it. Yeah, whatever. As if the game was ever going to be about anything else other than dominating up front at the set piece, and controlling the possession that the other team wins by shutting down their back line. Sounds like the recipe for every game of rugby really. What a sorry state of affairs when this sort of thing passes as reporting on rugby.

My reading of the Aussie media makes one thing clear, this is a no contest situation as far as the Wallabies are concerned. The South Africans have been written off as losers after the first half of their opening game of this Tri-Nations series. According to Greg Gowden, whose contempt for the African team was palpable in the video linked from this site in the last post, “The Springboks talk dumb and consistently play dumb, reverting to neanderthal football.” He was suggesting that the Springboks have worked hard to create a siege mentality, with complaints about training facilities and threats to target Larkham by having Butch James take his head off in a trademark high shot. The South Africans are being cast as a desperate team that in the past have resorted to all sorts of deplorable tactics in desperate situations to try and win, and look set to do it again. For more from Gowden, click here.

I think that being written off by the Aussie media is very likely to have had a negative effect on the Wallabies preparation. It would be very hard for it not to. Everyone expects them to win tonight, and to win big. Why shouldn’t they? It was a record hiding last time, and since then the Africans have been defeated again by the All Blacks, and made a few desperate changes to the side. The focus this week has not been on the game, it has been on off field incidents, and more particularly the role George Gregan played in the sacking of Coach Jones six months ago. For an interesting record of what took place at the team press conference yesterday, click here. I must say that I do like the way Gowden reports questions, and answers (presumably fully) from the press conferences as it gives the reader a better insight into how teams and players are really functioning, and fronting the media. Here there is more going on than meets the eye – why else the avoidance of the question.

Bring on the game tonight I say. It is pretty cold and wet here which should add some spice into the mix tonight. Rain is known as the great leveler and can play into the hands of the heavier or better pack. It could also make things a bit greasy underfoot and make handling a bit difficult for the Wallaby backs tonight. You’d have to be a brave man to pick the Africans after the last game against Australia, and I am not going to do that. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, it would be great if the Springboks could put some spring back in their step and pull it off tonight. Short of divine intervention, I think that is unlikely to happen, but I’ll be cheering them on tonight, just for the spectacle and in the hope of a good game.

Look out for my post immediately after the game.