A cold night of hot debate

By WYNNE GRAY

Twin components chaperoned the Carisbrook test.

Like a massive game of Chinese whispers, the propriety of midwinter night rugby was debated while the inevitable comparisons came about the All Black and Springbok chances against World Cup favourite England.

That discussion had been fuelled pre-match by deliberately provocative English newspaper comments about the flakey All Black style.

However, it was obvious the World Cup was drawing closer when one English newspaper journalist arrived in Dunedin to join several French reporters at the game.

The inspection had to be live, the judgments made in person as England could play both the Boks and All Blacks at the fifth world tournament.

While the All Blacks are concentrating on Saturday's Bledisloe Cup duel at Eden Park, the Northern Hemisphere scribes are thinking of October and November.

There will be no such peeps at the horizon for the All Blacks after their battle to subdue the Springboks 19-11 at Carisbrook. The only team in their sights is the Wallabies, the only game the international in Auckland on Saturday evening.

New Zealand Rugby Union chief executive Chris Moller was about the only person who did not want to debate the merits of night rugby.

As the crowd waited an interminable time and watched a brilliant day turn into a polar evening, they lamented the late start and suggested a likely downturn in the match quality. They proved right, but Moller was not in any mood to debate the topic.

Cornered by the media, he was strangely monosyllabic after his effusive chats in Sydney about the World Cup bonus impasse.

His repeated responses were about the result, the defence of the Tri-Nations and the need for the NZRFU and News Corp to work together.

"Time will tell," was his repeated reply to other inquiries about the future.

Moller was more generous after an overnight sleep when he rang the Herald yesterday.

The domestic midwinter test landscape was unlikely to be altered in the next two years.

"Under News, our obligation ... is to hold matches at a time which will maximise the broadcast audience globally," he said. Significant audiences in Europe and accompanying commercial opportunities meant night starts in New Zealand.

Moller did acknowledge that the quality of games had to be balanced in talks between the NZRFU and Sky channel broadcasters here.

"We may look at this in our competitions review, and it may be if there was a change it could be scheduling night tests at another time of the year," Moller said.

New Zealand is expected to host England for two tests and Argentina next year around the annual Tri-Nations series. The Lions are due to tour in 2005.

The shadow of England hung about Carisbrook. After their narrow 15-13 victory in Wellington in June, optimists plied the theory that England had little improvement left while the All Blacks could only get better.

That conjecture got a boost with the All Blacks' emphatic start to the Tri-Nations, but stalled at Carisbrook as they ground out a victory.

They were unable to escape the cloying effects of conditions and the Springbok defence and needed Carlos Spencer's impeccable goalkicking to create the victory.

Wallaby coach Eddie Jones is convinced this Saturday at Eden Park will bear little comparison.

"It will be a totally different team and totally different conditions."

The Wallabies are likely to be unchanged for the first time in a dozen internationals as they seek to keep the famous trophy they won in 1998, the All Blacks' darkest season.

No 8 Toutai Kefu has yet to resume contact training after his spinal concussion against South Africa but is tipped to pass his medical in Coffs Harbour today.

"Rugby is the sort of game which needs to have a settled combination, and that was shown up in the latest All Black performance," Jones added.

The All Blacks eventually made four forward changes after Carl Hoeft's late withdrawal with a right calf strain, and that may have affected their cohesion.

Hoeft is unavailable again this week but will not be replaced in the squad. The team for the last test before the World Cup will be announced on Wednesday.