RUGBY: Buoyant Boks look ominous

24/05/2007

Marc Hinton

The test season starts this weekend folks, and though it's difficult to get excited about the pathetic rabbles they've sent to the southern hemisphere from up north, I know there's one aspect of the opening salvos I'll be keeping a close eye on.

Just what sort of a performance will we see from the Springboks against England 'G' in Bloemfontein?

Will there be a carry over from the outstanding Super 14 season enjoyed by teams from the republic, in particular the Bulls and Sharks?

Will the whole rugby vibe in general stay as buoyant as it clearly was through the closing stages of the competition?

And can Jake White bring his men together, cast aside the evil political forces that continually work to undermine him, and produce a cohesive, strong, punishing rugby team, such as he will need to have a decent shot at World Cup glory later this year?

I doubt, frankly, whether England will provide much in the way of a measuring stick, but as the All Blacks will tell you endlessly next week as they prepare for their opening hitout against France's Dad's Army, it's all about keeping your own standards high.

Crusaders coach Robbie Deans told me earlier this week that his main worry out of the disappointing end to the Super 14 for the Kiwi sides (well, for them all but the Chiefs who I reckon could have won the thing if they'd snuck into the playoffs) was the confidence that the South Africans would have gained out of their dominant finish.

Deans reckons -- and quite rightly -- that the New Zealand teams could have handed the Boks just the shot in the arm they need to present a credible and sustained World Cup challenge later this year.

As we all know the Bokke when they've got the tails, and their gander, up are a difficult beast to peg back. They hit harder in the tackles, they chase with more earnest and they leap higher in the contests. More importantly, when they're in the zone the bounce of the ball seems to go unerringly their way.

The Crusaders coach told me he reckoned the damage from this handing of the psychological high ground could be contained by the All Blacks if they go out and put them back in their place during the upcoming Tri Nations.

Remembering the All Blacks open that competition with a visit to the seething Absa Stadium in Durban, that's going to be some ask.

And it's why I'm keen to see just how well the Boks start their season at the weekend.

England will not be stink-the-house-out bad. Surely. Not Brisbane bad from the 1998 tour when they basically rolled over and played dead. Professionalism has seen their stock improve on that miserable lot.

But I still expect them to be well beaten by the Boks who will have too much power up front, too much of a kicking game and too much of a chasing one too.

What I'll be watching is just how well this South African side comes together. Does Schalk Burger return as the force he was pre-back injury, how effectively Wynand Olivier and Jean de Villiers combine in midfield, and just how much acid that big front row puts on the Poms.

I'll be looking for signs they will be a danger this year, like accuracy, confidence, precision, power and of course commitment.

And I expect to see the South Africans dominate. For Deans is right, they're a country riding high in their rugby right now, and it could just be that their kick-start back in the right direction has come from the most unlikely of sources.

It was All Blacks coach Graham Henry who basically torpedoed the New Zealand franchises' chances in the Super 14. He coughed up that title to the South Africans as sure as his only concern this year is bringing back the World Cup.

But could he in the process have made his own job considerably harder.

I think we'll get a clearer indication this weekend. But I fear the damage has been done. These Boks well and truly have their tails up.

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