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+---- Thread: Will the Newlands jinx strike again? (/Thread-Will-the-Newlands-jinx-strike-again)
Will the Newlands jinx strike again? - mcamp999 - 05-08-2005
Four years is a long time in rugby. Four years ago, when South Africa last played a Test against New Zealand in Cape Town, Harry Viljoen was the Springbok coach and Wayne Smith was in charge of the All Blacks. Both teams have changed coach twice since then and both have suffered plenty of false dawns along the way.
Four years ago a slip of a lad by the name of Joe van Niekerk made his international debut off the bench, thus winning a Test cap ahead of his Currie Cup debut. It was also the run-on debut of both Victor Matfield and Marius Joubert, although the latter lasted just 21 minutes and didnÂ’t play another Test for 12 months.
In 2001 it poured with rain and Viljoen finally lost his personal battle against kicking the ball in Test rugby. He had attempted to reinvent Percy Montgomery as a flyhalf and in that guise the latter managed to avoid putting boot to ball for 73 minutes against Argentina in Buenos Aires.
Against New Zealand at Newlands Montgomery was restored to fullback with Butch James at flyhalf, but ViljoenÂ’s almost evangelical distaste for the sound of leather on leather persuaded him to enter the match without a recognised place kicker.
As things transpired, Monty landed a penalty in the second minute but missed three more attempts. James knocked one wide in the last minute, while Tony Brown succeeded with four out of four for the visitors, who won 12-3.
South AfricaÂ’s finest extent place kicker, Braam van Straaten, sat disconsolately in the stands, not even part of the match squad. A week later Viljoen saw the light and the recalled Van Straaten scored 15 of South AfricaÂ’s points in a 20-15 win against Australia in Pretoria.
As an interesting side note, the Wallabies under new coach Eddie Jones entered the 2001 Tri-Nations competition on the back of a series against the British and Irish Lions. Four years later the All Blacks do likewise and Montgomery is once again the first-choice kicker for the Boks. But many other things have changed.
For one thing, Montgomery last week became the first South African to get past 500 Test points. His kicking renaissance began as an exile on the sodden fields of Newport. With Test rugby apparently a thing of the past Monty overhauled his kicking method and found the one thing previously missing from every aspect of his game; consistency.
For those who remember MontgomeryÂ’s miserable match against the All Blacks at Loftus in 1999, last SaturdayÂ’s display against the Wallabies seemed almost impossible. He was rarely out of position, never panicked and kicked beautifully. As a result the Boks won a game that might easily have been lost.
Coach Jake WhiteÂ’s unbeaten home record thus remains intact, but the pressure is about to be turned up. The All Blacks are rested and confident, aware perhaps that history is on their side. This will be the eighth Test between the two sides at Newlands and, strange but true, the All Blacks lead the series 5-2.
It is easily their most successful venue in this country and, just as you wonder why the Boks should ever be allowed to play the Wallabies at sea level, it seems patent madness to play New Zealand in Cape Town. It goes without saying that the fixture secretary of the South African Rugby Union knows little and cares less for history.
White has tweaked his team once again, recalling Schalk Burger, Os du Randt and Ricky Januarie. All three selections strengthen the Boks and it can only be hoped that the return of Burger will be a permanent fixture.
It seems that every lunatic and his friend has an opinion on the 2004 world player of the year, but you can bet that All Black coach Graham Henry was the most disappointed man in the country when BurgerÂ’s name was read out by White on Wednesday.
It was coincidence, of course, but 30 seconds after Burger ran on to the field at Loftus last week Breyton Paulse scored a try. More germane was the fact that the Boks competed properly at the rucks from the moment that Burger entered the fray.
The opposite was true of the scrums when John Smit moved to tight head to accommodate the Test debut of Gary Botha with 15 minutes left. That much was forgivable, but why did Smit (and presumably White) need to let Botha throw the ball in at the lineouts?
This might seem like nitpicking, but such muddled thinking will not do against the All Blacks. At Newlands the many good things that White has instilled in his young team have to come to the fore. Matfield and Bakkies Botha must maintain their lineout dominance, the rush defence must hold its shape and the kicking from hand must be ruthlessly efficient.
Even so, it might not be enough, for this is a fine All Black team, based around the most competitive pack to come out of New Zealand since the retirement of Sean Fitzpatrick. HenryÂ’s contribution to the national side has been to add the vital touch of mongrel in the forwards to an always sublimely skilled back division.
It was the Kiwi tight five who softened up the Lions and the Boks will have to at least gain parity up front if they are to be competitive in Cape Town. ItÂ’s not beyond the realms of possibility and if it should happen the Boks will be favourites to win the competition for a second successive year. ThatÂ’s something worth playing for.