Rugby: Springbok strength leaves ABs with nowhere to hide

Wayne Smith. Photo / Getty Images

Rugby might have entered a more expansive space this year, but it will be back to the old values of doing it up front and coping with the pressure this Saturday night for the All Blacks.

That's how assistant coach Wayne Smith is reading the test with the Springboks.

To a certain extent, what has gone on this year has been a phoney war.

Super 14, with its emphasis on bonus points, is never a real indicator of what lies in wait for the Tri Nations. The June tests are never quite the real deal either - only rarely do these encounters generate the same sort of intensity as the Tri Nations.

Against Wales and Ireland, the All Blacks enjoyed the luxury of space and time on the ball. They were never under sustained pressure; the scoreboard was always their friend.

The Boks won't be so forgiving. They are unlikely to cough up soft possession; unlikely to drop off many tackles and unlikely to be anything other than relentlessly proficient at both scrum and lineout.

But the intrigue of this first clash lies in how the All Blacks respond to what they know is coming their way.

Last year they were a tactical muddle in the Republic where they just didn't get a handle on their basic skills or meet the basic need to have a foundation.

They crumpled under the pressure, lost their way entirely. One year on and Smith is confident his team and the coaching panel won't make the same mistakes and have hit on a more balanced game plan.

"We will be significantly different," he says. "I can't answer for Australia or South Africa. There have been some changes in their [South Africa's] game.

"There has definitely been a growth in our game and I think the games will be better than they were last year.

"But my gut says that test matches at this level will still be won up front, under pressure and that's what teams will try to create."

Smith does concede the Boks might be more willing to take risks once they feel they have exerted set-piece pressure. There might be more width to their attack and a greater examination of the All Blacks' defensive line.

"At some point they are going to have a good period in the game and you have to make sure that your systems hold and you have patience and you are able to get structure back in those periods. They present more of a challenge than they have defensively."

The upside of the Boks being willing to take the occasional risk is that it will potentially present attacking opportunities for the All Blacks. The big difference in the All Black game plan this year has been their return to counter-attack rugby.

That has been made possible partly because of the refereeing focus on the offside line, partly because there is a lower risk attached to running from deep in terms of being able to recycle.

It's also partly because the All Blacks are confident they have improved their catching game.

Since being exposed as deficient in basic aerial skills by South Africa last year, the All Blacks have upgraded their basic catching. Hours have been spent fielding high balls and Smith is certain that the Boks will be keen to determine just how genuine the improvement is.

"You would expect so [significant aerial attack from South Africa]," says Smith. "At this level teams will probe for a weakness and, if they find one, they will attack it. So we have to assume they will go that route at some point and try to find a chink."

It was all too easy for the South Africans to find that chink. The more they kicked, the more mentally frail the All Blacks became. It reached the point where the All Blacks had the look of a team that didn't believe they could win.

That's what a 3-0 whitewash can do - send doubt racing through every mind.

Breaking the spell won't be easy and Smith says there is only way to do it: "We are rated number one in the world, but I don't think anyone in the squad actually believes we are number one in the world after losing to the Boks last year.

"There is a bit of wanting to prove ourselves. There is nowhere to hide. We have got a full squad. We have got a healthy squad we have got every opportunity - we have just got to front up at 7.35pm at Eden Park and do the business - that's how it has to be."