Rugby: Springboks have their backs to wall

By Wynne Gray

The recycled, inexperienced Springbok inside backs should be a prime target for the All Blacks in this weekend's return leg of the Tri-Nations series in Pretoria.

Injuries to Henry Honiball, Jannie de Beer and Brendan Venter have left coach Nick Mallett with no option but to play test rookies Gaffie du Toit and Franco Smith outside new skipper Joost van der Westhuizen.

Mallett will need to discover a magic mix of comfort and cajoling to get his inside-back pairing into the right shape for this test after he castigated the pair for their previous international work.

Du Toit was apparently roasted by Mallett after the Carisbrook test when he kicked relentlessly and poorly in the Boks' 28-0 defeat by the All Blacks last month. And last year Smith was given a very poor rating after his solitary test, out of position, against Wales.

Welsh coach Graham Henry picked out Smith for some treatment last November.

"When my research revealed that they were playing a specialist flyhalf [Smith] at inside centre, we decided to target him, " said Henry. "It's a difficult adjustment from No 10 to No 12 and we were able to probe his inexperience in the position."

The All Blacks could do the same, as Smith was expected to be picked in the same No 12 shirt when the Springboks named their test combination overnight (NZ time).

Smith scarcely recovered during this year's Super 12 series and reports from South Africa suggested he was in very moderate Currie Cup form recently.

With the coach's first midfield preference, Venter, in the squad but protecting a sore shoulder and Robbie Fleck more a centre than second five-eighths, Mallett had to turn to Smith. He competed well as an impact player in that position against the All Blacks last year but insiders say his confidence has ebbed this season.

Only fullback Percy Montgomery is likely to survive from the last Bok test backline, while there will be at least two new choices in the pack - Ruben Kruger and either Albert van den Berg or Mark Andrews - and a positional change with Rassie Erasmus moving to No 8 after the sacking of regular skipper Gary Teichmann.

The All Black selection, by contrast, was straightforward. Greg Feek moved into loosehead prop for the injured Carl Hoeft after just two tests as a substitute. That put Craig Dowd into the reserves to cover both props, with the only other concern a tender knee for blindside flanker Dylan Mika.

He has been bracketed with Andrew Blowers, while the medical staff are sure Josh Kronfeld will be fully repaired from his ankle trouble by test time.

All Black forward coach Peter Sloane had confidence Feek would handle the test environment. The 24-year-old was a natural to do the job.

"His attitude's always been 'give anything a go.' I've seen him come through the age-groups and I was impressed by him," said Sloane, who initially thought Feek would make a good tighthead prop.

"At the start of the Super 12 I said it would take players, coaches and refs some work to come to terms with the application of the laws.

"He got penalised a few times when I was watching, but when the intensity of the Super 12 came on towards the end he had no problems. He's got a big step to take and he's a good footballer. He's nervous but confident."

All Blacks: Jeff Wilson, Christian Cullen, Alama Ieremia, Tana Umaga, Daryl Gibson, Andrew Mehrtens, Justin Marshall, Taine Randell (capt), Josh Kronfeld, Norm Maxwell, Robin Brooke, Dylan Mika or Andrew Blowers, Kees Meeuws, Anton Oliver, Greg Feek.
Reserves: Jonah Lomu, Tony Brown, Byron Kelleher, Blowers or Reuben Thorne, Royce Willis, Craig Dowd, Mark Hammett.

Springboks (likely): Percy Montgomery, Deon Kayser, Andre Snyman, Pieter Rossouw, Franco Smith, Gaffie du Toit, Joost van der Westhuizen (capt), Johan Erasmus, Andre Venter, Selborne Boome, Mark Andrews or Albert den Berg, Ruben Kruger, Cobus Visagie, Naka Drotske, Os du Randt.