KEY POINTS:
The Springboks will have to do without their captain John Smit for the second Tri-Nations rugby test against New Zealand in Dunedin on Saturday.
Smit was injured during the opening test, won 19-8 by the All Blacks in Wellington last Saturday, when he was subjected to a lifting tackle by New Zealand lock Brad Thorn, an act which later earned Thorn a one-week ban.
Springboks media manager Rayaan Adriaanse confirmed last night that Smit was returning to South Africa, where he would receive further treatment before being re-assessed.
The captaincy role on Saturday will go to vice-captain Victor Matfield, who led the Springboks in Smit's absence against Italy last month and assumed the job when Smit was forced from the field on Saturday.
The tourists had already called up Stormers hooker Schalk Brits as cover for Smit, with Brits expected to be on the bench and Bismarck du Plessis starting when South Africa name their team on Thursday.
A powerful scrummager, Smit led South Africa to their World Cup triumph last year, and coach Peter de Villiers yesterday acknowledged the team would miss his input.
However, he has every faith in the leadership qualities of world-class lock Matfield.
"That match [against Italy] gave us a chance to get to know Victor's capabilities better and I don't think in that aspect that we will be far off," de Villiers said.
"Victor's got great leadership abilities, the players respect him too, he's already our official vice captain ... I don't think it [losing Smit's captaincy] will be such a great loss."
Meanwhile, former All Black prop John Drake agrees with de Villiers that the All Blacks are manipulating the scrum to their advantage.
De Villiers yesterday accused Woodcock of manipulating the pre-hit routine to ensure the front rows were not stationary.
Drake, a Herald columnist, said Woodcock used the technique for the Blues throughout the Super 14.
"I'm pretty sure de Villiers is right, but that's what you do."
De Villiers said the All Blacks caused the "walking around of all the scrums by using their loosehead prop to scrum in and at times when he didn't scrum in he just came up.
"That gave them the momentum, to come in around us," said de Villiers, who expressed surprise Australian referee Stuart Dickinson did not police that area of the game.
They would address the issue on the field rather than expect Australian referee Matt Goddard to respond.
- NZ HERALD STAFF, NZPA
