KEY POINTS:
Nice yarn, bit of a yawn. That was my initial reaction when, on the eve of the World Cup, former Wallaby coach Eddie Jones joined the Springboks staff. Surely there was hardly enough time for Jones to have any significant influence.
Much ado about nothing, I surmised, as
controversy raged in Australia, where the recent Queensland coach was labelled a traitor who would give secrets to the enemy. A few South Africans even wondered if coach Jake White had inadvertently allowed a Trojan horse into their camp. Gee whiz - rugby's first double agent.
The bonds of rugby supposedly call the great and the good to gather every four years, but this sounded like James Bond.
How paranoid, I thought, especially as there aren't a heck of a lot of secrets in the world of rugby any more - intense video analysis and constant test match action have seen to that.
Jones was not even a direct part of Camp Wallaby, and it would be a surprise if South Africa and Australia met in the tournament. If they did, it would likely be in the final when World Cup tactics had been reshaped and pored over.
Among the claims out of Australia was one that Jones would reveal all to the Boks about Australian forward expertise.
The yawn turned to a smile at the thought of the coach who had overseen the demise of the Wallaby pack telling all to Os du Randt and Victor Matfield.
Having watched South Africa rip Manu Samoa apart in their opening World Cup clash however, it's time to declare that Jones has definitely had an effect on the Springboks. Something new is brewing within a team who should be close to joint favourites with the All Blacks for the world title.
The Boks were true to type early on with a tactically poor response against the aggressive Samoans, failing to drive through the forwards and leaving soft targets exposed.
But as the game unfolded, a different-looking South Africa emerged. They appeared more like their Tri-Nations rivals in finding running space, even though Butch "Basher" James was at first five-eighths. My guess is that they will completely overrun poor old England in the much anticipated pool A clash on Saturday morning.
There was a straight-running confidence to South Africa's game against Samoa, an ability to put players into gaps that has not been so evident before.
Helped by the influence of league, Australian rugby coaches know the importance of being able to hit the defensive line from flat passes, whereas I've often felt that South Africa's players are too inclined to show their wares in places that don't count. You sensed the Jones influence at play.
Yes, it was against Samoa, a team that runs out of steam and struggles to hold its defensive alignment. But the signs were there.
The Springboks are the undeveloped story of this tournament. They have never got close to their potential since returning from isolation, despite winning the 1995 World Cup.
A succession of coaches, internal wrangles, politics, quotas, the condition of a troubled country which has found it hard to break free of the effects that state violence left upon its people - there are balls and chains aplenty holding South African rugby back.
Their rugby teams are mainly rooted in the instincts of the past, usually suspicious about straying too far from powerful but cumbersome packs and often incompetent when they do. Their most talented backs are deemed curios at best, internal threats at worst. The odd dazzler gets included, but mainly to give the punters a smile.
Maybe this is changing, with the brilliant Bryan Habana in the vanguard and Eddie Jones helping drive the show.
Jones is famously rugby obsessed, ruining coffee mornings with old mates by turning them into strategy think tanks. The game is his life. His sharp-tongued honesty and intransigence will likely cause a storm eventually wherever he goes, and it is difficult to envisage him staying with South Africa long before butting heads with their dodgy administrators.
But he could also be a burst of fresh air in this short-term assignment and help direct the Springboks' down a more expansive and effective path that utilises all their talents.
Fingers crossed, because considering the characters involved here, this is a very dangerous prediction.
But there are early indications that the dynamic between White, Jones and the team is working. If it clicks into place, the All Blacks have a very serious challenger on their hands.
Maybe certain coaches gel with certain players and management, and others don't, purely for chemistry reasons. Maybe a group of key players suddenly click with a coach. Maybe a coach is lucky enough to have a certain strength which is the key to unlocking a player or team's potential.
The word out of the Springbok camp is that the players have reacted well to Jones and his ways.
One leading South African rugby observer, Gavin Rich, wrote that White's recruitment of Jones "was a pleasing indication that perhaps finally South African rugby is losing some of the xenophobia that has at times kept this country from moving forward".
Jones may help release the shackles, bringing the Australian credo that skill and strategy is paramount to the fore.
If Habana in particular can flourish in this tournament, it will open a lot of doors.
Apart from the technical input, it is the Jones relationship with White that is the most intriguing and it may eventually be seen as history making.
Under intense World Cup pressure, when coaches must feel as if the walls are closing in, when it is hard to clear the head to find the best thinking, a straight-talking and top-notch ally is priceless.
Jones, an outsider who owes his position to White, will give him total support in what is often a politically-charged South African rugby environment.
This, more than anything, is what I believe White sought most when he defied test convention and grabbed the ex-Australian coach's services. White sees him as the perfect sounding board, a travelling coach without baggage.
Not that the welcome mat has been fully laid out for Jones. The South African union has banned him from wearing the official team blazer because he is a former test rival.
Old, divisive, habits die hard in South African rugby. But I reckon Jones is sure to find one of those ancient-looking blazers in his wardrobe as a thankyou gift should South African lift the cup at the Stade de France late next month.
