Latest from the Bok camp

The media were barred from the Bok practice at Hammies yesterday morning. Gert Smal, Springbok forwards coach, explained the reasoning behind the ban.

“We just had certain tactical things that we wanted to work on that we didn’t want to show. It might not be a surprise for the man in the street, but if you do close analysis of a team there might be some new things that we play.

“It is very important to keep yourself unpredictable as well, bring a little bit more variation into it. You want to give yourself a better chance.

“There might be some other eyes, not press guys, but other eyes looking and listening to calls. One must be very careful, especially if you are planning some new stuff.”

In terms of the selection of a No 8 for the test against Australia on Saturday, it appeared that Danie Rossouw might be the odds-on favourite to start. It is between Rossouw and Pierre Spies, now that Bobby Skinstad has been ruled out with a shoulder injury. Smal said it depended on the weather.

Saturday’s forecast is for good weather, but the field at Newlands is going to be heavy after the torrential rains in Cape Town this week. This would definitely suit Rossouw, with Spies coming off the bench in the latter stages of the game.

“We are also looking to the World Cup where we might encounter different conditions. So we are fortunate to be in a position where we have a lot of versatility at No 8. Bob is very experienced. Pierre may be less experienced, but has shown a lot of promise.

“Danie is also less experienced, but if you look at our pack, there is a lot of momentum that we build from. Without giving away a lot of tactics now, there are a lot of things we can build around him.”

The Boks look set to start with a frontrow of Os du Randt – John Smit – B J Botha – more than a handful for the Wallaby frontrowers (Donut Dunning anyone?). Smal, however, says the Australians have showed some improvement in this vital area.

“The Aussies might be vulnerable up front, but that is just a perception. Forward play is one of our strengths, and any team will play to their strengths. We would want to dominate them up front, but under Connolly they have placed more emphasis on their tight exchanges.

“Their scrum phases and driving ability from lineouts have improved, and they have prepared for wet conditions on Saturday.”

Smal was circumspect about the challenge posed by the Wallabies:

“This match will be a far more tactical affair than the games against England and Samoa. We will certainly be tested with their type of game plan. They use Stirling Mortlock’s strike power to set things up, and the rest of the team plays off him.

“Their loose trio is also formidable. Phil Waugh and George Smith are fetchers, so we will try to get around that by not going to ground easily and keeping the ball alive.”