John Smit led South Africa to the Rugby World Cup winner's circle in 2007. Photo / Brett Phibbs
Springbok skipper John Smit remains sceptical about rugby's new laws as he prepares for his first lesson on their impact in Saturday's Tri-Nations start against the All Blacks.
Smit arrived in Wellington yesterday after a longhaul flight from Europe where his French club side Clermont lost in the
final to Toulouse.
The World Cup winning captain has yet to experience any of the laws tried this season in the Super 14 or the two additions being used from this weekend-unlimited lineout numbers and being able to drag a maul down.
"They haven't tried to reinvent the wheel for some time and I thought that rugby was pretty good beforehand. I've come from Europe where the old rules are going well and you can't get a seat in any stadium," Smit said on his arrival.
"It really is a world that I have to experience for the first time on Saturday. After I've had a few tests in it I'll be able to tell you more. But I didn't think it was broken before."
Smit said he was most interested and also concerned at the rights given to defenders to sack a maul. He worried about the implications of that law at lower levels of the sport.
The Springboks skipper has yet to win a test in New Zealand in his illustrious career and while he noted the All Black changes and a side without captain Richie McCaw, he had never encountered a troubled New Zealand side.
"I can't think ever in my lifetime that the All Blacks have been vulnerable at home, so I wouldn't subscribe to that," he said.
Smit has played Tri-Nations tests for the past eight years in New Zealand but has not achieved a victory which the Springboks last achieved in Wellington in 1998.
He was confident he would recover from the jetlag for the test while he had only played bit-part roles for his French club in the last two playoff matches.
"I flew business class, I'm feeling a lot better. I'll be fine," he said.
He was comfortable with the Springboks form and admitted they tried to speed up play in the second test against Wales as a dress-rehearsal for Saturday's new rules test in Wellington.
