By BRIDGET CARTER
Officials are reassuring New Zealanders that the All Blacks will not be under threat from terrorists in South Africa this weekend.
The team left for Johannesburg from Sydney yesterday.
Prime Minister Helen Clark, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the South African Government and rugby officials dismissed as speculation reports that this weekend's Tri-Nations match had been identified as an al Qaeda target.
The All Blacks management called a meeting on Saturday night after the team's 23-18 loss to the Wallabies to discuss reports that Ellis Park stadium, the venue for the match, was a target.
Helen Clark said yesterday that she had been briefed on the matter and was aware of the speculation, but the claims had no substance.
"There is no information available to us, or I believe to South Africa, which would suggest there's a significant problem."
Last week, the Johannesburg Star reported that Ellis Park was one of several key South African landmarks that had been pinpointed as a terror target.
The newspaper said the information came from senior police intelligence agents following the arrest of two South African nationals in Pakistan with al Qaeda operative Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, who was on the FBI's most wanted list.
The detained men had reportedly told Pakistani police during interrogation that they were planning to destroy several financial, administrative, sporting and tourism installations in Johannesburg and Pretoria.
Targets also included the Carlton Centre, the JSE Securities Exchange, Parliament and the US Embassy.
Pakistani authorities recovered weapons, documents and explosives after the arrests, including blueprints of several buildings in South Africa and Pakistan.
The documents are believed to contain information on security at the buildings and the routes into and out of the targets.
Before boarding their flight to Johannesburg yesterday, the All Black team members seemed unperturbed.
No 8 Xavier Rush said there was a bit of worry, but the Government had told the team the chances of anything happening were pretty minimal.
"The guys are feeling pretty happy and confident."
Team coach Graham Henry confirmed that the players had made a collective decision to go to South Africa.
"I think people wanted to know all the facts and discuss it in full and that was done."
The security risk was one in a scale of one to ten.
Henry said the All Blacks' scrum coach, Mike Cron, was a former policeman and security-risk specialist.
"He explained what a one-out-of-10 security risk was and that was very helpful."
The threat had not blunted Andrew Mehrtens' humour.
Asked whether the players were happy with the arrangements made by their team management over the threat, Mehrtens said: "Short of taking out al Qaeda, they've pretty well done everything they could have."
And when the question came on whether the All Blacks were taking any extra precautions in South Africa, Mehrtens replied: "[Halfback Justin] Marshall has packed away his Koran," before uttering, "Whoops".
He said the NZRFU had told the players' wives and partners of the situation.
South African Rugby acting managing director Johan Prinsloo said security would not be tightened at Ellis Park this weekend.
It was already high there because South Africa was marking the tenth anniversary of the abolition of apartheid and important guests would be attending events at the stadium.
There were "absolutely no concerns" about a terrorist attack at the park.
Mr Prinsloo said the rugby union was in close contact with the Government about such matters.
"If there was anything we need to know, the Government would tell us."
His comments were endorsed by the communications director of the South African Department of Safety and Security, Matthew Moonieya.
The stories of threats were largely speculation, he said.
The Government had not yet gained access to those detained in Pakistan.
additional reporting: NZPA
Officials deny All Blacks at risk
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.