Tough talk as giants square up
There will be nothing pretty when New Zealand and South Africa collide at 7.30am Irish time. It will be real He-Man stuff, especially if the Springboks have their way, although it is not in the nature of the All Blacks to shirk a fight, so it should be absolutely fascinating to behold.
The mind games have been going on all week and, true to tell, it isn't always clear as to what exactly these deadly rivals are trying to say.
John Mitchell, the under-fire New Zealand coach, mystified many with his comments that "rucking is illegal in the World Cup". That kind of remark, coming from a Kiwi of all people, was difficult to digest.
Corne Krige is certainly no angel, as anybody who witnessed his crass acts of violence against England last year will testify, but who could blame the Springbok captain for retorting: "I don't think I've ever played against New Zealand and not been rucked, so it will be interesting, very interesting. Rucking is within the laws and anything you do within the laws should not be dangerous."
On hearing this, Mitchell retorted: "The rule is that the tackler must roll away from the ball. Krige is running a risk if he's going to hang around that area."
Springbok coach Rudi Streauli, another not known to take a backward step in his own playing days, couldn't resist adding: "We have worked very hard on our disciplines."
At least this kind of talk ups the ante after the anodyne stuff we've endured at the majority of press conferences. Krige doesn't mind shooting off his mind and has been warning not just New Zealand, but also England and Australia, what they can expect if they come up against the Springboks.
"Australia are not playing that well and England have struggled," he claimed, before fear of getting ahead of himself forced Krige to also state: "There will be a backlash from New Zealand after their unconvincing win over Wales. They have a coach who doesn't like bad performances. They'll be a lot better than that, so we are taking nothing out of that game."
New Zealand have not beaten South Africa in the World Cup and are bristling at criticism of their performance against Wales in Sydney on Sunday. Never before has such a porous defence worn an All Black jersey on such a big stage, and if they miss their tackles as badly on this occasion, they will pay a high price against a Springbok side that has performed far more impressively than their pre-tournament pedigree might have suggested.
Mitchell can expect his P60 if his side doesn't at least reach the final. Never the most outgoing of men, he remains as taciturn as ever. Asked how he had opted for Jerry Collins to start at number eight in spite of bruised ribs, he cracked: "Jerry's pretty tough," before expanding: "We wouldn't name him with a question mark. We are very positive about him."
The big change in the side although hardly very surprising is the recall of Chris Jack in the second-row for underachieving Brad Thorn. Jack's partnership with Ali Williams is, in the minds of many Kiwis, made in heaven. They are both wonderful athletes but this is the time to prove the point and, in Victor Matfield, the Boks have their own second-row of true world class.
The loss of the injured Joe van Niekirk is a huge loss to the 'Boks. He completed a magnificent back-row, alongside number eight Juan Smith and Krige, in the unlucky defeat by England and the fine win over Samoa, although Danie Roussouw, his replacement at open side, is an excellent forward in his own right. It's unlikely, though, that he'll be able to cope with Ritchie McCaw, one of the few All Blacks to face up when the going got tough against Wales last week. It could be a decisive area.
The All Blacks ran in eight tries against Wales last Sunday and no-one would hesitate to tip them to go through to their anticipated final with England were it not for the fact that they conceded four. Their defence was rubbish and was ruthlessly exposed by the little winger Shane Williams and burly number six, Jonathan Thomas. Wales would have scored at least twice more had the ball carrier not run out of support.
The All Blacks have awesome power on the wings in the shape of Doug Howlett and Joe Rokocoko, and a prince at out-half in Carlos Spencer. Justin Marshall, furthermore, should hold the edge over the ailing Joost van der Westhuizen at scrum-half and they may just about make it provided they don't shoot themselves in the foot by leaving wide gaps through which the dynamic number eight Smith and threequarters De Wet Barry and Ashwin Willemse are liable to pour.
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