KEY POINTS:
Here is an earlier selection of Your Views:
Zak (Perth)
Its by how much, the ABs should be suitably moody at being beaten by the sons of convicts 2 weeks ago and having a second rate Boks side to inflict damage on should bring out the best in them. 60 points at least and then bring on those Aussie buggers.
James B
What a lot of people are confusing is that Gregan isn't actually the captain of the Wallabies anymore, Mortlock is. Mortlock is just as polite and sportsman-like as McCaw. Perhaps what we need to do is take a leaf out of the Australians' book, keep McCaw as captain with his head down stealing the ball at the bottom of the ruck polite for when we need leniency, and get someone else to run around like a bald chihuahua yapping at the ref, annoying him until he changes his mind. Either that, or get Jerry Collins to have a chat to the him if Jerry stood over me, flexed, and made a suggestion, I'd change my mind out of sheer fear. You'll need to cut that awful Guinness-top off though, Jerry.Mauger should also be out of the playing 22. That way, he could perfect his niche role in the team as armchair critic (from the corporate box), because he sure doesn't seem to be getting too involved in the game in the last two weeks, and when he does, it seems to be to fluff up a promising chance or kick the ball away at the wrong time. McAlister in, Evans to fullback, Muliaina to centre. Toeava and Smith have futures at centre, but unfortunately those futures don't seem to be now.
AB Fan, South Africa
I am embarrassed to be a Kiwi when I read some negative comments by fellow New Zealanders regarding the ABs because they lost one game. Come on guys, get a grip and support your team, we are still the best in the world. Everyone was raving about McCaw's captaincy after that great win in SA a few weeks ago, now because of one loss, we are listening to an Australian, (a useless coach himself?), or harking back to old World Cup losses, which have absolutely nothing to do with the current team or system.The only thing I want to copy re Aussie is their ability to talk themselves up even when they lose, which they have been effectively doing for the past few years.We are on the right track and one loss to Oz is allowed every 5 games OK? It is bad enough that I have to listen to South Africans rubbishing our team, I don't need to hear it from Kiwis!Go the ABs!
American rugby fan
I truly think this will be the "we'll show time" for both test. I think the All Blacks will dominate both test and show both nations & the rest of those lame nations who the boss is of world rugby.Enjoy the tryfest ladies & gentlemen.
Mike (Auckland)
We need to stop listening to the crap the Ozzies dish out. It is nothing but a concerted effort to "get into the heads" of the AB's leading upto the RWC. They individually and as a group will say anything they can to destabilise the AB's....Connelly, Dunning, Larkham, Gregan, mortlock, Dwyer, Fitzsimmons, Jones, Kearns, Martin, Bray....they all say the same thing....its scripted! Here are the facts:[1]the AB team is the best team that we have had in 50 years. Apart from last weekend they have proven they can win the close ones even if they are playing badly.[2] Rightly or wrongly, the teams plans have been designed for them to peak at the world cup.[3]In the ABs management team of Henry, Hansen, Smith and Lochore you have a group passionate New Zealanders and who know the pain of not realising our potential at the world cup. The systems are in place to give the team every chance of peaking in October.When its all said and done the team is right, their physical conditioning is right, the management structures are right. To a man, the individual players need to step up...if they do on the day, we will bring home the world cup.
Mike (England)
The AB's should win easily. SA couldn't give two hoots whether they win or lose. Considering the comments made by Jake White on his injured captain (i.e. he sacrificed himself). I'm surprised they don't just catch the next flight home and get ready for the World Cup. The AB's need to start stepping up a gear (or three). They know they can beat anyone, it's whether the want to win that's going to prove the difference. Is there still hunger in their minds to finish the job and win the Tri-Nations and the World Cup?, or is this year going to be 'a bridge too far' for this team and end up as another missed opportunity.
Graeme (SA)
Firstly, RugbyTan, where is the sportsmanship in Tana Umaga and friends upending Brian O'Driscoll? Where is the sportsmanship in Jeremy Paul punching Kevin Mealamu square on the nose? If you want I will get you a longer list. You sound Australian (whining) and I hope for the Kiwis sake that you are. Anyway, back to more interesting issues, the Boks aren't on this tour to blow anyone away. Jake White is resting a team he believes can win the world cup. The Kiwis have rested their top players during the super 14. The Aussies, complaining about everything again, are the only team who haven't rested their top players (can't really because of the player depth in OZ) and this will probably be used as the reason for them failing at RWC 2007.
Stephen Hodge
NZ to scrap to victory. I think they are being wilfully negligent in the areas of breakdown (ruck) and lineout in World Cup year a dangerous tactic. They have set the standards in 2nd phase strategy over the past 2 years but now are allowing the opposition to out-number us in this area even the Canadians. This somehow doesn't ring true from such a meticulous coaching staff. Lineouts have been up & down (so to speak) over this same period yet mysteriously "come right" on the end of year tours. I think they are foxing, but don't give these Wallabies a sniff. Actually, any of 5 other teams remain a danger for the Big One.
Jonnie
How about Mauger stops worrying about McCaw and starts worrying about his own game. We don't have much of a problem at centre, more we have a serious problem at 2nd five which adds to problems at centre.
Bruce
Bullie who's Major? I don't think he will be in the All Blacks for this weekends match. I'm picking the All Blacks to win this encounter by about 8 points. The South African squad have a number of good players but they don't gell as a team. If Dan Carter plays then I think it'll be pretty close result. He is well out of form and has been for a long while. The selectors will want to play him into form and do not have the stomach to drop him. Given that, the back line will struggle on attack.
Koos (Bushfeltd)
South Africans have considered a competition with the northern hemisphere in favour of the S14 and Tri-Nations for a long time. It will definitely suit us better, so I say lets go for it (anything not to see Australians on TV!).
Concerning South Africa sending a B-team to Oz and NZ: get used to it! After the WC there will be big transformation issues. Politicians have already said that if we can't find black sportsmen that are good enough, they must look for them on the streets of the townships. This might also be the last time that we see a Bok in the WC. Politicians will be deciding on the future of the Bok emblem after the WC. So this might be the last chance for the Boks to win the WC. (PS: Bok vs All Black games are the best games to watch, there are no games with the intensity, phisical brutality and old school rugby than these games. South Africans live for these games. Thank you NZ.)
Kiwi in London
There is one area where the Australians lead the way. Beyond all other rugby playing countries and sport generally, they are masters. Whenever we need to seek guidance in this area, one acknowledges the maestros from across the Tasman. Their centre of excellence in this field isn't that apparent but it is all pervading. Evidence of this expertise can be found on the front pages of any sports publication from the rather moribund and parochial Herald to the Times and the Telegraph. What I hear you ask, is this leadership position they have taken? One word sums it up succinctly and with no need for further appraisal. Mouth.
Marcus Joseph (Hawaii)
The All Blacks are the elites mate. The Aussies act as if they are world cup champions just by winning one match, let me remind those tiddly winks that's probably the only match they have won in about 5 years. The All Blacks really needed a loss, I mean they must get sick of practice runs every week aye. Don't lose faith in the Blacks, they will bring us the cup home. Aussies, 4th place if they're lucky.
Andrew
The media and the NZ people need to stop being so negative. The All Blacks can win and with the backing of both media and the public they can!
Susie Reweti
The Boks will not even come that close. The ABs needed a wake up call which they got. They need to now get down to the business side of things as from now there are know more excuses. If they cannot win the next two games then they need to call it quits. It won't happen in the World Cup. Mr Henry needs to get the team organised and go with it. All this chopping and changing needs to stop as from now. Get the team organised physically and mentally. They need to get hard mentally now and get a grip on reality. This is now the real thing. Do the job and stop making any excuses there are not any. New Zealand rugby supporters are not interested in excuses just winning the World Cup. It's not as if they can't. Just do it. That's what there paid for.
Bullie
We can win if Major doesn't play anymore!
Richard (Perth)
Blacks should win their next two, but as I have already warned my fellow kiwis, never write off the Wallabies. They will play a full 80 minutes which is supposed to be something the ABs do so well. Melbourne was wake-up call learn from it without going into panic mode. Leave McCaw as captain and ignore Eddie Jones he is simply being mischievous.
Michael (Wairarapa)
McCaw is one of the best rugby players in the world and the captaincy doesn't seem to have had a negative effect. The All Blacks have a very good record under his captaincy so it would be foolish to question it. McCaw's brilliance is partly due to the fact that he has an acute understanding of the laws of the game and has the ability to push the laws to the limit. I'd suggest that most referees would respect this skill rather than see him as some sort of cheat. Another player may not get penalised as much but neither will they secure breakdown ball or win turnovers as much.
I think the All Blacks will beat South Africa (and Australia). The All Blacks are playing at home and have had a break. They didn't play well against Australia in Melbourne but were still a little unlucky to lose. They are the best team of the three (and the best in the world) at the moment if we do lose it is because we haven't played our best. One final thing: Muliaina should play centre (with MacDonald at fullback). Toeava, Smith and McAlister are players for the future and good back-ups but if we want to win the world cup we will need the experienced, solid, proven skills of Muliaina.
Adam
I was interested to read Sean Fitzpatrick's view's on last Saturdays game. While he was playing down his captaincy abilities and complimenting Ritchie McCaw's, he made the comment the All Blacks are not far off the pace: "I think they just played a bit too much helter-skelter stuff instead of doing the basics well". Exactly, that's why we lost the last two world cups and that's why this one is at risk. Last Saturday opened a few eyes to that possiblity. The game changed last Saturday in the second half and the All Blacks failed to meet the challenge or even recognise that they were beginning to lose. Ritchie McCaw is a great player but how will he hold up when the acid comes on in the semis or the final?
Arron
If our backline dramatically cuts their error rate and each player limits themselves to one knock-on we'll win by 50 points. But if they drop the ball 17 times in Melbourne and 15 times in Durban on a bone-dry pitch how dreadful will they be in Christchurch on a damp July night? Maybe its time to bring back the poncy gloves (or learn to catch the football).
Trev (Cape Town)
The Boks have an excellent chance of beating the ABs. First they must get Sioalo to play for them as he did last year in Rustenburg. Ask Carter to miss all his kicks at goal and get the ref to do what that ref did to the ABs in Melbourne last week. Even with such odds against them I still fancy the ABs to win by at least ten points.
RugbyTan
Australia and New Zealand are true sporting nations of rugby. Aussies and Kiwis live up to the golden rule of rugby as "a ruffian's game played by gentlemen". By going back on their words and to bring a third rate team for the Tri-Nations confirms the greatest fear of South Africa: "lack of sportsmanship".
Andy (London)
What a stupid question!! Can it rain tomorrow?
I think a more pertinent question is, can NZ and Aus rugby live without SA? Maybe. If SA went ahead with joining the 6(7) Nations and Argentina came into the 3N, what would the development be? We all know about Eng and SA forward preferences, and it may make the Boks revert to type and concentrate on 10-man rugby. However, yearly competition between those nations would surely help their cause. Also, I imagine Boks would be free to play in UK clubs and still play for the Boks so you'd have NZ & Aus 'senior' players competing with current Boks week in and out. Surely not a bad thing for the Saffas.
Where would it leave NZ? Argentina would be a must if we were to continue our forward dominance. A series between NZ, Aus and PI would be a series dominated by chuck it around and see style of rugby, which would be exciting to watch but not develop any of the key skills for international rugby. I believe a 4N comp with NZ, Aus, Arg and PI would be best for our region, but still with the travel factor to Argentina. I think however, the long term benefits of regular contact with Argentina would be good for rugby and for our economy as a whole. I see no reason why Uruguay couldn't join the Pacific 5N along with US&A and Canada. Ultimately SA rugby will be dominated by black quota issues in the coming years and we should cut them adrift now before the politics start to affect us.
Srumma (Perth)
The All Blacks have gotten away on the Bok's in the last 5 years, but you can't rely on history. The Bok's are playing catch up at the moment but in saying that all the Bok's have to do is get physically fitter, and not just match fit I mean fit fit, like you want to play another game and that's all of them not just two or three jokers. I come from a mentality background where if you put the hard yards in the rewards will come, or what you put in is what you get out. They also need to find creative backs that can carve up the opposing defence, not 1 or 2 but more, and link up with the likes of Habaana, and a general who wants to run his backs 70 per cent of the time as well as play 4 territory positioning. I will finish with a laugh: our coach once said to us rugby is a simple game played buy 31 dumb bast.... We said, but George, there's only 30 players out there. He said the referee was a dumb bast... as well.
Madarab Hasab Omb
Eddie's new job must be writing Tui billboards. Our only mistake was to believe referees were above the constant yapping from the likes of Greegan and co. Marius Jonker no doubt had his reasons for making his calls, perhaps to balance up the series, who will ever know but McCaw isn't suffering from any inadequacy as captain, he does however suffer from being a target of thuggery at the bottom of the rucks.
John G, Melbourne
The AB's will win comfortably. But what is the fixation Henry has with Wellington/Hurricanes players, particularly Conrad Smith? Smith has been out of rugby too long to even be considered for the next two tri-nations games, and his form is only on the back of a drawn practice match against Waikato. As for Chris Masoe - if McCaw is injured he is not the go to man. For goodness sake Graham Henry, when will you realise that Marty Holah is the only logical replacement? And no I don't support Waikato!
Robbie (Gold Coast Australia)
No, I don't believe the All Blacks will beat South Africa as they played very poor game they displayed against the Aussies and I also think the wallabies will go home with the cup in two weeks time. Henry has to stop mucking around with our backs. If he continues to do it then I am afraid we will not win the world cup. That's my view anyway.
scrumma
How much excitement as NZers have we enjoyed winning these super 14 and tri-nations tournaments, and beating the other two heavy weights in the world? There is no other competition with this much skill, flair, power, determination, excitement, commitment, attitude, passion, speed, and the list goes on. We will not enjoy the benefits if South Africa are dropped from this competition, even though they reckon that they were willing to drop out and join the northern hemisphere competition because it fits into their time frame. To measure yourself is to play and beat the best year in and year out and this competition offers that, just all these players and coaches need to be paid more money.
Auckland
McCaw is definitly the perfect candidate for the captaincy of the All Blacks in the 2007 RWC. As for the comments that he has lost the respect of the refs for continuous infringement in the ruck, what are flankers meant to do! The ability of McCaw to steal the ball in the ruck, although not always legal, is a major factor in the reason that the All Blacks are the best team in the world! McCaw has areas that he could work on, like all players, but he is definitely the man for the job. McCaw can learn things of others, particulary George Gregan. George is always questioning the refs decisions and generally slowing the game down. Mccaw could learn a lesson or two from him. But all in all, McCaw is most certainly the man for the All Blacks caotaincy in the 2007 RWC.
Zandberg Jansen - Nag Ou Grote
Richie McCaw is a brilliant player and leader, whose individual game is not negatively influenced by the responsibilities that captaincy carries. As far as physical ability and individual talent is concerned, NZ is obviously the best team in the world. But, you let the opposition (especially Australia) get into your heads; this causes doubt, doubt breeds fear, fear of failure. When failure is what you fear, you will only end up failing, where there is fear there is no space for confidence and without confidence you are a team of champions rather than a champion team. Lastly as a Springbok supporter I find the comments that South African Rugby is not needed in Super 14 and Tri Nations Rugby rather sad. We can always go north, but only New Zealand and Australia playing with each other won't be any fun for anyone and frankly has no future. Unfortunately the All Blacks will be the ones losing out, as rugby union has no future in Australia, considering the lesser, league form of the game is overshadowing union, I think this might have something to do with the rules not being quite so difficult to grasp.
allblacksforever
I live in Melbourne Australia, came here when I was 13 from Wellington with the family.
I am a hardcore All Blacks fan. The biggest problem the All Blacks have is that off the field and in particular, Ritchie McCaw, on the field there are way to polite and affirming of the other teams, in particular the Wallabies. I don't know if its reverse psychology but I am sick of hearing how great the Wallabies are making inroads. The kiwis are talking up their scrum, backline,line out. You kiwis don't understand over here the Aussies love to beat you, they love making New Zealand look second rate are all sports. We don't need to give a sucker an even chance.Lets face it, the kiwis struggle in just about every sport except rugby, that's what I can hang my hat on. Graham Henry needs to toughen up also.The loss to the Wallabies may came back and haunt us, you cant give a team like them momentum, we needed to stamp on them like a discarded cigarette butt. We have the team, their record is disgraceful, especially away. But no we let them beat us and give them a sense that they are back in the ball game...big mistake. Just remember the comment "Four more years boys"
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