THE TRI-NATIONS kicks off next Saturday when holders New Zealand host the South African world champions in Wellington before the teams travel to Dunedin for the re-match a week later. Australia get their campaign under way when they face the Springboks in Perth on July 19.
Coming after a World Cup the three squads have a fresh look about them with several new faces but the tournament will almost certainly be dominated as much by the coaches as by the players. Two of the three countries have new men in charge and most
All Black fans are bewildered as to why they haven't followed suit. The World Cup winners got shot of Jake White, while New Zealand suffered their worst ever performance and Graham Henry remains in situ. It's a funny old world.
It promises to be a more open tournament than ever before, not least because Pieter de Villiers has given his players carte blanche to play rugby. The new man has already suggested that the Springboks need to learn how to make decisions for themselves rather then forever looking to the sidelines for guidance. A similar change is happening in Australia who, under Eddie Jones, were the most robotic team in world rugby. It was not unusual for the Wallabies of old to have five pre-planned moves to run through from any given set-piece situation.
Australia's new man is the incomparable Kiwi Robbie Deans and he would never countenance such nonsense. His Crusaders players celebrated their seventh (and Deans' fifth) Super title a few months ago by belting out 'Advance Australia Fair' in the dressing room after the match, much to the bemusement of the losing Waratahs next door. The Kiwi players may not be quite so chipper if Deans can work his magic at Test level.
The Wallabies were poor in beating Ireland 18-12 in the build-up but when quizzed by the Irish media after the match as to whether Ireland better deserved the win, the hard-nosed Kiwi noted: "History does not record the detail, history records the score." Deans needed a winning start and he had it although he has an uphill struggle to bully the Wallaby pack into matching the best in world rugby.
The former All Black fly-half is the best coach New Zealand never had and there is still a sense of shock and disbelief in some quarters that the NZRFU let him cross the Tasman Sea. That incredulity will turn to anger if Deans can get one over his fellow countrymen when the two teams meet and the All Blacks are more vulnerable than usual. Not only has Graham Henry lost any number of players to a European pay packet (five of the XV that lost to France in the World Cup) but the All Blacks must start the triangular series without skipper Richie McCaw and lineout specialist Ali Williams. The pair were injured in the second of two Tests against England but the woe begotten tourists were so poor that it is dangerous to read too much into the lopsided results.
South Africa have also lost players to Europe but they have a neat solution: they pick them anyway. Butch James (Bath) and Victor Matfield (Toulon) are both included while skipper John Smith will not arrive in Wellington until next week since he was in action for Clermont Auvergne this weekend in the French club final.
Even with Dan Carter, soon to partner Chris Cusiter at Perpignan, pulling the strings New Zealand look weaker than they have done for years and the other two teams both look stronger. The Springboks are boosted by having the William Webb Ellis cup in their trophy cabinet and the Wallabies have the best coach of the modern era to guide them.
The All Blacks have won the Tri-Nations title for five out of the last six years, including the last three on the bounce. The Kiwis are used to success and unless they make it four in a row the authorities might finally decide that they too need a new coach.
2008 TRI-NATIONS: July 5: New Zealand v South Africa (Wellington, 0735); July 12: New Zealand v South Africa (Dunedin, 0735); July 19: Australia v South Africa (Perth, 1005); July 26: Australia v New Zealand, (Sydney, 1005); August 2: New Zealand v Australia (Auckland, 0735); August 16: South Africa v New Zealand (Cape Town, 1305); August 23: South Africa v Australia (Durban, 1305); August 30: South Africa v Australia (Johannesburg, 1305); September 13: Australia v New Zealand (Brisbane, 1005). All times BST.
THREE TO WATCH
LUKE BURGESS (Australia)IF LUKE Burgess never sees George Gregan again it will be too soon. Not only did Gregan dominate the Wallaby No.9 shirt from 1994-2007 but the little scrum-half also ensured that Burgess spent four fruitless years at the Brumbies. Now Burgess has his chance to shine and he is grabbing it with both hands. He is lightning quick around the fringes and his service to his outside half is light years faster than Gregan's. If he has a weakness it is his kicking.
PIERRE SPIES (South Africa)THE Springboks breakaway was unlucky to miss out on winning the World Cup after he was diagnosed as having blood clots on his lungs just nine days before the tournament started. He is back in the Springboks squad for the upcoming Tri Nations tournament. After so long out of the game, Spies is a man in a hurry which is only appropriate given that he has been clocked at 10.7 for the 100 metres.
CONRAD SMITH (New Zealand) The outside centre is the consummate facilitator. He has sufficient pace to worry the best defenders, he is known as "Snake" since he slides through the smallest gap, but it is his ability to put others into space that marks him out.
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