Mike Greenaway: Coaches' attitudes hint at Springboks' formidable power

Graham Henry has been a touch tetchy at times this week.

On occasions the darkness of his mood has contrasted with the sunshine of Durban's famously mild winter and clashed with the calming blue of the Indian Ocean that rolls up the beach to the All Blacks' sumptuous hotel, appropriately named the Beverly Hills.

There have been occasions when he has made good-natured wisecracks with the media but also times when he growled with impatience at dumb questions.

But the abiding memory is of the coach, with knitted brow and jaw clenched forward, personally searching the bushes around the training ground at the Durban High School Old Boys.

He was convinced that spies were recording the practice, and although he found no prying eyes, he said with some defiance: "It is one thing to know what we are going to do, another to be able to stop it."

Henry's grim frame of mind suggests that his incessant praise of the Boks is not bluster but is in fact quite earnest.

"They have grown into a bloody formidable team," he said midweek with eyes flashing concern.

Springbok coach Jake White agrees. He enjoys beating the Bok drum. When Henry has taken a break from talking up the Boks, White has continued.

They are different personalities indeed, and you can see why White remained a PE teacher and Henry became a headmaster.

Henry is taciturn, cagey and gives nothing away. White is relaxed, garrulous and not shy to take public pot shots at the enemy.

White's public revelations about his consultations with Clive Woodward during the week may well have been designed to rile Henry. The latter rolled his eyes when asked if Woodward might have something of use for the Springbok coach. Clearly there is no love lost between the former coaches of Wales and England, then ... "I wouldn't think Jake needs any help - he's unbeaten at home isn't he?" Henry said.

True enough. The Boks have won nine on the trot and drawn once in South Africa since White took over from Rudolf Straeuli at the beginning of 2004.

And White believes his team will add to the tally tomorrow. He feels his team have grown since their helter-skelter assault on the Tri-Nations last year, that they are more composed and that they have more gamebreakers. Wing Bryan Habana is a red hot addition, and the move of innovative Jean de Villiers from wing to No 12 in place of plodder De Wet Barry has added spark to the backline. Those backs have been flourishing because the Springbok tight five is producing its best set-piece ball in years.

South Africa senses that the Boks have a good chance of beating the Old Enemy. Newlands was sold out three weeks ago, and the frenzied attempts of the ticketless suggest the ground could have been sold out twice over. Tickets have been going on internet auction at frightening prices, and the newspaper classified section has been doing good business.

It has been some years since a Tri-Nations match has engendered this level of excitement. It is because of respect for the All Blacks' performances against the Lions and because of the growing belief that the Springbok renaissance might be genuine. It should add up to a cracking game.

White has said beating the All Blacks would be like winning the World Cup because in successive weeks the Boks would have beaten Australia (twice) and New Zealand, the quality of opposition in a World Cup quarter-final, semi and final.

This is typical White thinking - simplistic, sentimental, optimistic.

If the Boks lose, White will no doubt invent some consoling crumbs of comfort. But if Henry loses a second consecutive test in South Africa, it will no doubt be the end of his world.

* Mike Greenaway is chief rugby writer for the Mercury in Durban