Boks my tip for Tri-Nations
by David Campese | 13 July 2009 (11:27)
Well the Lions have come and gone, it’s time for the Tri-Nations and I still believe the tournament is the Springboks’ to lose.
In fact, if the Boks fail to win this year’s tournament they’ll have only themselves to blame because so much stacks up in their favour.
The key tipping point to my mind is the Boks’ experience. They’ve been together for so long now that they should be able to settle into their structures and patterns straightaway against Wallaby and All Black sides featuring a number of new faces.
That’s why I found it so strange that South Africa were willing to make so many changes for the third Test against the Lions.
It was quite arrogant to treat the Lions in that way and showed just how much international rugby has changed since my day.
Internationals used to mean so much and we would never have even considered making changes. In Test rugby you never give away anything. The Springboks should have been going all-out for 3-0 and I think they may yet come to regret it in time to come.
The upshot may be that the team’s rhythm has been disturbed and instead of going into the Tri-Nations full of confidence they will be re-grouping.
Still, if the third Test did show anything it was that a quartet of Bulls players, Morné Steyn, Zane Kirchner, Wynand Olivier and Chiliboy Ralepelle, might not have what it takes to make the step up from provincial rugby to international rugby. They certainly seemed all at sea away from the Bulls pattern.
Another worry for the Boks is that the absence of a player like Bakkies Botha makes so much difference to their overall performance or how much better they scrum when Bismarck du Plessis is there.
The senior Springbok players are clearly running the team and that’s what you get when you have a puppet for a coach. The players, with John Smit such an influential figure, have taken control and in the long run I don’t know if that is such a good thing.
However, if the Boks get their focus back – which clearly wasn’t there at Ellis Park as they were distracted by the protest they were making over Bakkies Botha’s suspension – they look to be the favourites; especially as they’ll be able to lay down a marker with three successive home games to start with.
The Wallabies are actually going very well. Robbie Deans has them very motivated but something to keep an eye on is the controversy around Lote Tuqiri. The players are backing Lote and appear to be unhappy with the ARU and the issue could spill over into their performance.
The All Blacks seem to be at sixes and sevens. Kiwis who come into my shop are disillusioned about rugby in New Zealand and grumble about the rotation system and the failure of Graham Henry and Co. to make up their minds about their strongest combination.
However, I suppose if the Blacks don’t do well it will be a blessing in disguise for 2011 because it will be the first time they’ll not dominate between World Cups!
