T minus 2 minutes to kick-off: Game 1 of the 2011 edition of Tri Nations is about to kick off with South Africa’s B-team-that’s-not-a-B-team taking on a pretty much full strength Aussie team, possessing – to  my mind anyway – probably the most potent backline on the planet, all of whom are in attendance: Genia, Cooper, Beale and O’Connor are collectively more slippery than a bag of lubricated eels, and as elusive as an SA cricket administrator from a KPMG forensic audit.I think we’re in for a beating, so I’m trying to focus on my gourmet French Toast that I’ve got in front of me, rather than pre-empt disaster. There’s just enough time for me before the start of the game to contemplate why the numbers on the Boks’ jerseys are smaller than normal. I reckon it’s a ploy to make the players’ backs look broader and consequently fool the Aussies into believing our players are bigger than they are; my boy Earl Soulzinger is convinced it’s so that we can’t see from afar which of the forwards are hanging around in the backline. He may have a point there.

9 mins: breakaway 80 meter try started by Quade Cooper (who else?) stepping off his right foot and slipping through Morne Steyn’s channel, culminating in Ben Alexander collapsing over the line at the other end of the park. O’Connor converts: AUS 7 – SA 0

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The Tri-Nations tournament starts today, which to my mind means winter has officially begun: Fiji are leaving their suntan oil and coconut milk behind to fly into Dunedin where the mercury is bravely hovering just above the zero mark to face the All Blacks, and SA are preparing themselves to take on an Australian side smarting from being rubbished last week by a less-than-fashionable Samoan team at a wet and rainy Olympic Stadium in Sydney. The attractive try-fest bonus point-orientated rugby of the Super XV will be forgotten a bit over the next month or two as international teams prepare themselves to focus on the style of play that wins you test matches and ultimately World Cups (RWC) and the decidedly unpretty activities of asserting physical dominance up front and producing rock solid, unbreachable defences out back, coupled with a reliable kicker to convert oppositions mistakes into points become key.

It is in this that Australia failed miserably last week against a fired up Samoan side, which showed up at the ANZ Stadium intent on tackling the mate out of the inmate and ferociously contesting the breakdowns like ex-pat South Africans over green cards back in the 90’s. Admittedly that result gave me a huge amount of childish pleasure this whole week, so much so that it took me right up until yesterday morning, while breezily humming the Samoan national anthem, to realize that they’re actually in our RWC pool, along with that other team of amateur chiropractors and widow-makers, the bone-jarring Fijians. Oops, mood lost.

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It is with careful enthusiasm that I write this blog entry today. Filled with enthusiasm, because I believe a Springbok team has been selected on current form for the first time since Divvy took the reins of our beloved boys in Green and Gold. My enthusiasm is laced with care though, seeing as a strong side on paper has been our downfall too often than I care to remember.

A mere four starting XV players have more than thirty caps to their credit, with a further two test veterans on the bench. Strangely enough, all these players (bar Ruan Pienaar) are commonly thought (by armchair aficionados anyway) not to be in any kind of decent form at present. They do however bring some credible stability to the side and this is crucial at international level. John Smit’s leadership ability has never been an issue of debate and his selection on Saturday will endure him to fans from that perspective. The national captain is a master at settling nerves and has a great provincial, working relationship with the likes of Hargreaves, Lambie and Mvovu. Danie Rossouw’s performances of late has lacked the fire and vigour produced by this game-breaker when he burst on the scene a few seasons ago. Yet he still seems to inspire the younger guys at Super Rugby level to great heights in tight encounters.

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The Aussies are the only noteworthy objectors this week to the Springboks possibly fielding an under-strength side come Tri-Nations time. Were they not the ones who instigated the protests in 2007 when Bob Skinstad’s “B-side” toured Down Under? The basis of their grievances was that folks pay their hard-earned money to buy tickets to see the “big guns compete and what they were set to receive was a slap in the face”.  And it wasn’t only Mick from Melbourne and Syd from Sydney who stood the chance of getting a “klap”, their hugely superior team also stood to be disrespected.

The mere fact that the Springboks almost caused a most prolific upset in their bastion of rugga, Stadium Australia, deserves mentioning though if for no other reason than the utter impertinence shown to them by the Aussie media and officials. (more…)

A last-minute penalty by replacement kicker Kurtley Beale sealed a dramatic 41-39 win for Australia against South Africa in their Vodacom Tri-Nations test played in Bloemfontein on Saturday.

Scorers:

South Africa – Try: Jaque Fourie, Gurthro Steenkamp, Jean de Villiers. Conversions: Morne Steyn (3). Penalties: Morne Steyn (5).
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Injuries to some players have hampered Springbok coach Peter de Villiers‘ plans to name an unchanged team for Saturday’s Tri-Nations clash against Australia.

While there was an expectation that some players may have been rested for the Boks’ final game, De Villiers resisted tinkering with the team, and was keen to ensure the momentum was kept from the victory at Loftus Versfeld last week.

Two players who went for scans necessitated the move, with Butch James ruled out of action after popping his shoulder while Flip van der Merwe’s neck strain was sufficient enough to let Danie Rossouw back into the starting line-up for the weekend’s game.

De Villiers was consistent in the Van der Merwe move as he started Flip two weeks ago against the All Blacks when Rossouw had a niggling injury.

Van der Merwe has been given extra time to rest, but has been cleared for the game.

“Butch will not be part of the Tri-Nations any further. He popped his shoulder and has been ruled out. The other guys have been cleared and will be part of the squad.”

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South Africa: Francois Steyn, JP Pietersen, Jaque Fourie, Jean de Villiers, Bryan Habana, Morne Steyn, Francois Hougaard; Pierre Spies, Juan Smith, Schalk Burger, Victor Matfield, Flip van der Merwe, Jannie du Plessis, John Smit (captain), Gurthro Steenkamp.

Reserves: Chiliboy Ralepelle, CJ van der Linde, Danie Rossouw, Ryan Kankowski, Ricky Januarie, Butch James, Juan de Jongh.

Australia: Kurtley Beale, James O’Connor, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Matt Giteau, Drew Mitchell, Quade Cooper, Will Genia; Richard Brown, David Pocock, Rocky Elsom (captain), Nathan Sharpe, Dean Mumm, Salesi Ma’afu, Saia Faingaa, Benn Robinson.

Reserves: Stephen Moore, James Slipper, Ben McCalman, Scott Higginbotham, Luke Burgess, Berrick Barnes, Anthony Faingaa.