Stumbling Boks still capable of humbling

By CHRIS LAIDLAW

we be any the wiser after tomorrow morning's test as to the relative strength of the All Blacks?

Probably not. The trouble with playing the Springboks at the moment is that neither we, nor they, know what they are capable of, and they are suffering something of an identity crisis as a result.

The Springboks are a good team indulging in a constant search for a game plan. Unfortunately, they haven't yet found one and as a consequence all the rest of us are having great difficulty finding any sort of benchmarks by which to judge them.

Against Italy, they played almost every style imaginable: tight, loose, ball in hand for a while, then an orgy of kicking to nowhere in particular.

Periods of disciplined, structured rugby would suddenly explode into death-or-glory adventurism.

It is almost as if they are suddenly reminded of a duty to entertain and just let rip no matter what the risk.

Perhaps part of the answer to this most un-Springbok-like behaviour lies in the atmosphere of paranoia that seems to surround the game in South Africa.

Bickering has become almost an occupational requirement in the South African camp.

Pressure from the Government to up the ante as far as black player quotas are concerned is unrelenting.

Coaches feel distinctly vulnerable to political side-swipes, and the suspicion that they are being undermined by other domestic considerations pervades the Springbok camp.

As if that were not enough, there is clearly a major argument over leadership. Andre Vos, the solid and steady Afrikaner from the Transvaal, has been replaced by Bobby Skinstad, the tearaway anglo-glamour boy from the Cape.

The most surprising knock-on effect of this is the dumping of Johan Erasmus, the most complete footballing forward in the modern game and someone who would be a first choice in any other national team.

There is more than a hint of a power struggle in all this and the team can hardly be drawing much inspiration from it.

Yet, in spite of all that, we know only too well that whatever the team they field, they are capable, as they always have been, of beating anyone in the world.

They are certainly capable of beating the 2001 All Blacks, who continue to exhibit weaknesses in key areas, most notably in ball retention and sustaining momentum at the breakdowns.

This is where the Springboks will concentrate their effort and they will be every bit as assertive as the French in getting bodies in the way of quick recycling of All Black possession.

They have opted for bulk among the backs, preferring players such as Dean Hall, Marius Joubert and Butch James, who are bashers and crashers picked specifically for their capacity to act as surrogate forwards at breakdown time.

James is a controversial figure who appears to have had extensive training among headhunters. Tony Brown will have to watch his temper against this arch-provocateur.

Even without Erasmus, the Springbok loose forwards will expect to dominate this match. Andre Venter, Vos and Skinstad are technically better than their All Black counterparts, even if they may not have the same quality of inspiration.

It promises to be a monumental contest. If there is one area where it will be most likely won or lost, it will be among the loose forwards.

Perhaps the most intriguing comparison will be between the intensity that these two teams can muster and the pulsating, frenetic displays of energy that we have just seen from the Wallabies and Lions in their three tests.

That is a hard act to follow, but the mere fact that it is an All Black-Springbok clash - the greatest rivalry in the game - guarantees plenty of drama.