Chris Rattue: Wallabies of old spell trouble for Henry's test pack

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Every now and then, it pays to scroll though a list of Berra-isms, just for the fun of it. And it is a lot of fun.

Lawrence "Yogi" Berra was not only a famous New York Yankee baseballer - his 10 World Series rings are the most in history - but he was renowned for endless idiosyncratic quotes (he also inspired the name of the goofy cartoon bear).

Berra's sayings might contain simple and wry observations at their centre. They were, however, coated in the ludicrous - and not just limited to sport.

On hearing that a Jew had been elected the mayor of Dublin, Berra exclaimed: "Only in America."

On a Steve McQueen movie, he observed: "He must have made that before he died."

And what about: "Nobody goes there anymore; it's too crowded."

I'll ignore a piece of Berra advice: "If you can't imitate him, don't copy him."

Because one of his most famous sayings - "This is like deja vu all over again" - sprang to mind while contemplating Saturday night's test in Sydney.

We might all have that feeling come Sunday morning, after the All Blacks and Wallabies have locked horns.

By rights - taking into account what happened in Wellington - the All Blacks should find victory behind a dominant pack. Yet there were the Wallabies of old last Saturday, frustrating the vaunted Springbok pack and edging into the winner's circle.

The problem for the Springboks is that while big, they are not too big for their boots. They need a real belief that their advantages are good enough to win tests.

Instead, they are tempted by the new-age game, instead of indulging in a mauling, brawling approach. Even AJ Venter - to my mind the heart of the Springbok pack - is promoting a new, squeaky clean image. Forget about it boy. You're a gunslinger. So take your guns to town.

The Bok pack looked confused in Perth, like an angry bear taught to sit on a stool. This was their chance to make an indelible mark on world rugby. Instead, they were an overwhelming disappointment - passive and limited in the lineouts, and confused in the scrums where Australia heeled quickly and stuffed their timing.

The Wallabies didn't overpower the Springboks but dismantled their engine room bit by bit - undoing a bolt here, a screw there. The most obvious mechanic of destruction was George Smith, at his annoying best. Their pack is a smart unit.

There is one obvious explanation for the Wallabies' ability to conjure victories out of anything. They have backs of genius talent.

As they showed against England, they not only survive on crumbs, they can dine out in splendour on them.

And that's the fear in Sydney - that the All Black pack will not dominate enough to take the Australian backs out of play.

The All Black engine has lost significant horsepower with Keith Robinson sidelined.

Graham Henry's warm and fuzzy media policy was as hard to find as illumination at Windsor Park on Friday night, when the lights went out on the North Harbour v Waikato game and Robinson's Tri-Nations prospects. Henry was at his acerbic best when approached about Robinson's condition, as the Waikato lock sat on the bench with some modern medical gizmo strapped to his calf. Henry's response to an impromptu media conference was as cold as the night air. He was well displeased.

Robinson's replacement up until now, Simon Maling, is brilliant at lineout. A provincial coach told me he had a Simple Simon policy against Otago: "Don't throw the ball anywhere near Maling."

But in workrate and influence, Maling is a weekend jogger compared with the Waikato marathon man, who has a religious devotion about turning up at rucks.

The All Blacks have moved on to Ali Williams, with more presence than Maling but with also a loose-cannon quality that was supposedly going to be fired by Henry and Steve Hansen.

And although Marty Holah is an exceptional footballer, and the "All Black of the Week" in Wellington, he doesn't have the x-factor of the larger Richie McCaw.

This is the biggest test so far for the new All Black regime. They will go to the World Cup graveyard with a pack minus two aces, and Jono Gibbes and Carl Hayman fitting back in.

Most concerning, the All Black backs appear to have the squeaking of chalk on blackboard fresh in their ears.

As for predictions. Sorry folks. Not today. But with the optimism from Wellington struggling to resurface, you can have one more Berra-ism.

"The future ain't what it used to be."