Rugby Asteroid

Following the All Blacks thumping of the Wallabies at Eden Park, the 2008 Tri-Nations series takes a breather for a week. This is perhaps an opportune time to consider how are three teams are positioned for the second half of the tournament.

After recording rare back-to-back losses the All Blacks essentially had to win in Auckland to stay in the hunt. They go into the second half of the 3N on top of the table but with no more home games. The good news is that they have some quality players who will benefit from the two, then four week rest periods in their schedule. Injuries have kept several key players side-lined including arguably the best scrum-half (Brendon Leonard) and best wing (Joe Rokocoko) in the country. Expect the ABs to get even better as the series continues.

They may not be top of the table owing to one less game played, but the Wallabies have the best record in the series – they’ve only lost once. Unfortunately, that loss was the flaw-exposing thumping meted out to them at Eden Park on Saturday. A three-week break prior to their big match in Durban might not be the best thing for the Wallabies at this point. Three weeks is a long time to ponder one’s shortcomings. The Australian media, ever hungry for a little hero-worship, might even begin to doubt their talismanic new coach. For the Wallabies their most important game is their next one. If they lose in Durban on 23 August, they will be unlikely to win Jo’burg the following week. The Boks will no doubt target Giteau for the special treatment they dished out to Carter in New Zealand and, as the All Blacks showed, when Giteau and Barnes are wrapped up, the Wallaby offense comes to a grinding halt.

The Springboks are currently at the bottom of the table but they’ve had the toughest start to the series having played no games at home. They are also a game behind the All Blacks. In comparison with their dismal performance last year, the Boks will be reasonably happy with their performance on the road. But they will take much comfort from a schedule which now means all their remaining games are at home. If any team benefits from its noisy, rabid fans, it’s the Springboks. The only cloud on the Springbok horizon is that they now have four matches in a row. As if three 3N matches in August weren’t enough, they’re playing the Argies next week! The plus side is that – win or lose – coach De Villiers has the media’s attention for four weeks and his pearls of wisdom are always amusing.

And as for our predictions? Why the All Blacks to win it all, of course! If you want a more balanced assessment, then keep an eye on our experts’ picks, which are updated weekly.