48 hours: Ecstasy for Boks, agony elsewhere

It would be nice if we could begin this column with something cheerful and positive, so all readers could feel swimmingly good about sport, life and the universe as they know it.

But alas, the tidings of the past 48 hours have been so grim that it would be misrepresentative to speak of anything but false starts, premature endings and (in the case of the beloved All Blacks) an almighty challenge in the making.

The only genuine bright spot was the fact that the Springboks and Wallabies pummeled each other with equal ferocity during the Tri-Nations opener at Pretoria yesterday morning, in a match that went with the hosts 22-16.

Having performed an astonishing transformation the previous week, South Africa were forced to graft much harder against a desperate Australian side, and could possibly be vulnerable when they square off against the All Blacks on Sunday, their third test in as many weeks. But that was about as good as it got.

The not-so-good news was that, in repelling Australia at the weekend, South Africa showed that their great resilience and tenacity was still at the forefront of their game, however quickly it was evolving and expanding.

There were ominous signs for New Zealand, not least the sight of the new-look Springboks combining their willingness to run the ball with some no-frills business decisions at crucial times.

There was a confidence there too, confidence that will only surge higher after the experience of winning such a cliff-hanger, particularly against a side as single-minded and as determined as Australia.

The Wallabies simply needed to win the weekend's test, and it showed. They hoped to relegate all the distractions of the past week into the background and to re-establish their professional equilibrium in the best possible fashion. It was a chance to wipe egg from faces.

The extra pressure showed in the way Steve Larkham (surely Australia's best actor after Russell Crowe) attempted to milk penalties with feigned injuries, in the manic way they celebrated George Smith's try and, as the game wore on, in the desperation of their body language.

What it meant was that the Springboks were forced to win a test of far higher intensity than the previous weekend's outing and, by association, that the All Blacks can be certain of a full-scale examination in the next match.

Of particular interest will be the battle between the respective loose-trios, an area in which South Africa appear well equipped with players of the quality of Juan Smith, Joe van Niekirk and Schalk Burger.

Aussie flankers Smith and Phil Waugh can make life at the breakdown difficult at the best of times, but South Africa were up to the task and will almost certainly cause Richie McCaw and company some problems at Ellis Park.

And that was just the not-so-good news. The real blows came just hours before the Tri-Nations kicked off, the first at North Harbour Stadium where the Knights gave a fairly good impersonation of the now-defunct Soccer Kingz during a 5-0 loss to Queensland.

Following on from the first-up loss to Sydney, the Knights conceded three goals in the last 10 minutes and now have only one meaningless joust remaining in the A-league's Pre-Season Cup.

The other major disappointment was at Sydney's Penrith Stadium, where the Warriors crashed and burned 42-34 against the lowly Panthers, and now require a mathematical miracle to make the play-offs.

Apparently on the improve after their past couple of wins, the Warriors turned on one of their worst performances of the season, leaking an astonishing seven tries on a night that called for accuracy and ruthlessness.

The only upshot is that the season (for Warriors fans at least) is nearly at end, so the agony should not continue for much longer.