Chris Rattue: Rust never rests - pity the ABs did

For clues to whether the All Blacks put their best foot forward in Cape Town, consider the words of Parramatta league forward Nathan Hindmarsh after the Eels belted the Warriors.

Hindmarsh hardly looks a prime modern-day athlete. A pudding bowl may have been involved in his haircut, he has a club bouncer physique, and his shorts hang like those on a scruffy schoolboy.

But the New South Wales and Australian second rower is relentless.

Once again he notched up remarkable statistics, making 45 tackles in a game in which only three others squeaked past 30, plus a healthy 14 hit-ups.

After a bye week, Hindmarsh revealed that he struggled in the final stages because of the break, and that coaches and players liked to keep the flow of weekly football going. This, from someone who spends more time on the field and works harder than most.

Compare this to the All Blacks' preparation. Most had not played for a month. Richie McCaw, Dan Carter, Aaron Mauger and Leon MacDonald had been out for five weeks. Carl Hayman hadn't played a test for six.

They were among the players most obviously below their best at Newlands, although I would argue that McCaw - who had been ill - was still among the top performers.

This is not to deny the Springboks. Their cohesion, tactics and attitude were terrific. Jake White is on top of his game.

The All Blacks were sidelined far too long. If the Tri-Nations means something, and considering that it hardly qualifies as a short sprint, going into the first match so badly out of condition is a major error.

The All Blacks started poorly and struggled for finesse under pressure at the end.

They claimed prior to the match that fresh was best. Yet Graham Henry, while giving South Africa due credit, blamed rustiness.

You can't have it both ways.