Bands delivers silver lining for Boks

5.00pm - By TIM GLOVER

LONDON - As expected, New Zealand retained the Tri-Nations series by beating South African in Dunedin yesterday. It was about the only thing that did go to plan.

The All Blacks, who had been in record-breaking form in the competition to date, were reduced to a much more mundane level.

Such had been the dominance of New Zealand, reflected in try extravaganzas over Australia and South Africa in earlier rounds, it was beginning to look like not so much a Tri-Nations as one nation.

Leading the table by nine points, the All Blacks, whose final game is against the Wallabies next Saturday for the Bledisloe Cup, cannot be caught.

It's the fifth time in eight years they have won the Tri-Nations.

The not-so-good news is that South Africa, who had been beset by all manner of indignities, emerged with a measure of pride restored.

The Springboks, of course, are one of England's key opponents in the group stages of the World Cup in Australia in October.

"We are under no illusions about that match," Clive Woodward, the England coach, said.

"South Africa have been a team under pressure and they stepped up a gear.

I've enjoyed sitting back and watching the Tri-Nations.

New Zealand had played some fantastic rugby but the results of the Tri-Nations won't have any bearing on the World Cup.

History has shown us that." A very brief history.

John Mitchell, the New Zealand coach, and Woodward's former assistant, rested several players including the open-side Richie McCaw, but he would not have expected such a disjointed performance from his side.

The All Blacks were frustrated, given little time or room to employ the brand of rugby that had them marked down, certainly in the southern hemisphere as World Cup favourites.

New Zealand's only try was scored by the left wing Joe Rokocoko in the fifth minute when he won the race to the ball, with the aid of a kind bounce to a beautifully judged grub kick from Aaron Mauger.

It was Rokocoko's 11th try in only six Tests and Carlos Spencer's conversion gave the All Blacks the perfect start.

That they were then restricted to goal kicks, and only six points in the second half, is a huge compliment to the tackling of the Springboks.

After the previous week's defeat to Australia they had Robbie Kempson and Bakkies Botha suspended for foul play and their approach described by Eddie Jones, the Wallabies' coach, as "a disgrace".

Yesterday the Springboks, with the scrum-half Joost van der Westhuizen, winning his 85th cap, and lock Victor Matfield in prime form, were far more focused and formidable.

The prop Richard Bands, taking a pass from Van Der Westhuizen at pace, scored an astounding try from 40 metres in the 15th minute handing off Spencer in the process.

Bands of gold.

They trailed 13-11 at half-time but would have been ahead had Louis Koen not missed a penalty just before the interval.

He missed another near the end and also has the annoying habit of attempting drop goals from unreasonable position.

He attempted three, none of which went close.

Spencer contributed 14 points, kicking two penalties in the first half and two in the second to add to the conversion, but it wasn't one of his better performances.

His kicking out of hand was wayward and ineffective.

Neither Spencer nor Koen looked remotely in the class of Jonny Wilkinson.

With Christian Cullen heading for Munster, New Zealand are not spoilt for choice for either game breakers or goal kickers.

However, the most difficult decision for Mitchell is whether to include Jonah Lomu in his World Cup squad which will be finalised on 25 August.

Lomu played for 40 minutes yesterday for Wellington in a friendly against Taranaki, the beginning of a comeback after suffering a relapse to a long-standing kidney illness.

He has been receiving dialysis treatment three times a week for the last four months.

"I've been playing with this problem for years," Lomu said.

The treatment makes me feel better than when I was playing regular Test rugby."Mitchell's dilemma is that on one hand Lomu's replacement Rokocoko has been a huge success; on the other Lomu's record against England is phenomenal.

- INDEPENDENT