Heavyweight Boks await bell

By CHRIS HEWETT

Corne Krige, suddenly the big bad wolf of international rugby after daring to remind the world that Martin Johnson is not England's answer to Mother Teresa, seems to be enjoying his notoriety.

"For a Springbok, every test is a life-and-death affair," pronounced the South African captain, by way of lighting the green-and-gold touch-paper for Sunday morning's humdinger of a pool C match between the countries at the Subiaco Oval.

"There will be no need for me to stoke the fires. They are already burning."

Crikey. No sign of a bridge over troubled waters there. Although Krige went on to emphasise the need for at least a semblance of sanity - "we will need some ice in the veins," he admitted during a question-and-answer session at South Africa's Fremantle base - it was clear that the 1995 champions had already embarked on a great summoning of the Bokke spirit that filled the competitive souls of their revered predecessors, from Danie Craven and Hennie Muller to Frik du Preez and Francois Pienaar.

Krige's very presence will raise the ante. The 28-year-old flanker from Western Province missed his side's opening victory over Uruguay because of hamstring problems.

But he is fit and available for his country's first meeting with England since the 50-point defeat at Twickenham 11 months ago - a match distinguished, in a manner of speaking, by the full array of Springbok dirty tricks, which left Jason Robinson with a perforated eardrum and Jonny Wilkinson with bruises in places he did not know existed.

Krige wrought more than his fair share of havoc that day, and, although he later apologised, he did not appear to be wrestling with his conscience this week.

It is not the South African way to cry over spilt milk - or in this case, blood.

"Rugby is a contact sport," Krige continued, merrily. "It is contested between the four white lines on the pitch, and that is where it should stay. Afterwards, the teams share a beer and form the friendships that make the game what it is.

"I hope it is a great match this weekend; certainly, everyone in the South African squad has been waiting for it. If I have a job to do, it is not to motivate the players, but to keep them calm."

It would be as well to leave Oasis' Gallagher brothers in charge of the wine cellar.

After crowds either side of the 20,000 mark for the South Africa-Uruguay and England-Georgia matches, a full house of 42,922 is guaranteed for this one.

The game is the talk of Perth, a city generally consumed by Australian Rules and cricketing matters, and with good reason; the Boks have been building towards the occasion for months, to the extent of printing the names of English players on their tackle-bags.

Presumably the Johnson bag had two hairy fists, and the Matt Dawson bag was fitted with a voicebox so it could talk to the referee.

As usual, England are doing things differently. While the Boks have introduced a sliding scale of financial punishments for those who misbehave on the field, their opponents merely have to mention the word "discipline" to remind players of their responsibilities.

"Self-control is a massive part of our game," said forwards coach Andy Robinson. "Everyone understands that. We don't have a fines system because we don't have a problem with our penalty count."

Of course, England are not that law-abiding. They just cheat better than most of their rivals.

This weekend's official is Peter Marshall of Australia, and the red-rose hierarchy will study his quirks and foibles in considerable depth - not least because England have never beaten Southern Hemisphere opposition with Marshall in charge.

- INDEPENDENT

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