And so the Tri-Nations begins…

The road to Rugby World Cup 2007 gets a little bit tougher as the Southern Hemisphere powers prepare to face off against each other in the Tri-Nations.

Australia, New Zealand and South Africa have just completed test series against under-strength Northern Hemisphere opponents, dispatching them easily. The real road to France begins this weekend when the Springboks take on the Wallabies in Cape Town.

Coming off emphatic victories against England in their test series, follow by a hard fought win against Samoa, the Springboks have to be considered favourites going into the Tri-Nations opener. To go along side their excellent form, South Africa also have history on their side, having not lost to Australia on home soil since 2000.

Flying winger Bryan Habana was in top form against England, scoring two tries in both tests, but will miss the Tri-Nations opener with a knee injury. He is expected to be sidelined for between two and five weeks. Half-back Ricky Januarie joins first choice half-back Fourrie du Preez on the sideline, forcing the selectors to call up Michael Claasen from the Cheetahs.

In stark contrast to the Springboks’ excellent lead-up form, the Wallabies have been decidedly shaky. An injury-time try saved the first test for them, while their play in the first half of the second test was woeful, managing just six points and never really threatening the Welsh line.

The experiment of playing Matt Giteau at half-back has to be considered a failure. When veteran George Greegan came on in the second test, the Wallabies’ back-line suddenly clicked and began to make breaks. With Greegan controlling the base of the rucks and Giteau given room to move in his preferred midfield role, the Wallabies racked up 25 points in the second half.

Unlike their Tri-Nations opponents, Australia have very few injuries to contend with. Prop Rodney Blake and back Cameron Shepherd both return from injury this week and will join the Australia A squad for their Pacific Nations Cup match against the Junior All Blacks in Dunedin.

With their superior form in the lead-up and rabid fans at Newlands Stadium cheering them on, the Springboks should account for the Wallabies easily. The Australians’ lack of form in the Super 14 seems to have carried over into the international arena, while the South Africans claimed both Super 14 finals berths and have been playing fantastic rugby.

The Tri-Nations has been shorted this year, due to the World Cup, which makes each game even more important. In previous years, away wins have decided the Tri-Nations and this year is unlikely to be different. Playing both of their home games in the opening two weeks of the Tri-Nations gives the Springboks a chance to jump out to an early lead in the competition, but, like previous years, the 2007 Tri-Nations will likely go down to the wire.

Similar Posts:

• Wallabies put away spirited Springboks to jump into Tri-Nations driver’s seat
• Wallabies look to send veterans off with a win
• The contenders’ keys to victory: Australia
• All Blacks look to exploit Springbok weaknesses
• England need vast improvement if they are to challenge Habana and the Boks

The And so the Tri-Nations begins… by Hamish McBrearty, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.