DAVID SHAPSHAK, Wellington | Sunday 5.30pm.
THE Springboks — fresh from Saturday’s humiliating 28-0 defeat, their worst ever – and suffering without key injured players were dealt another cruel blow with news that captain Gary Teichmann will miss two to six weeks of rugby with another knee injury.
After the disastrous Tri-Nation’s opener against the All Blacks – in which flank Corne Krige also suffered a knee injury that will rule him out of the World Cup in October – the injury to the 32-year-old Natalian captain is nothing short of devastating to South Africa’s plans.
Without key players and the tested old defensive pattern of play coming unstuck, the Bok camp is experiencing the same dissonance that disrupted the All Blacks last year. And following the shock 29-19 loss to Wales two weeks ago, with the chances of retaining the Tri-Nation’s trophy slipping away and the World Cup just over two months away, the pressure is mounting.
A strong showing against Australia on Saturday at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane is needed before a destructive negative mindset sets in.
Teichmann injury also puts pressure on him, but says Coach Nick Mallett: “It is not allied to the knee injury which kept him out earlier this season. It is either soft tissue or deep bruising at the top of the kneecap.”
Mallett intimated changes to his line-up to compensate for the disastrous mis-firing of inexperienced half-back pair Dave von Hoesslin and Gaffie du Toit.
“Your scrumhalf and flyhalf are your decision-makers,” Mallett said. “We got good ball from the scrums and line-outs, but couldn’t get our continuity going on Saturday.”
He is likely to recall Werner Swanepoel and Braam van Straaten to the starting line-up for the Wallaby game, admitting they performed poorly against Wales behind a weak scrum. “This gives me an opportunity to look at Werner and Braam under another pressure situation.”
However, many rugby commentators feel he should fly out fit-again Joost van der Westhuizen and Henry Honiball for Saturday’s clash. But Mallet says he won’t be too hasty to push his star half-backs into the fray, saying of van der Westhuizen: “He needs games under his belt”.
Mallett says Rassie Erasmus, who missed the All Blacks game because of cracked ribs, and Andre Vos, who played most of Saturday’s match with brusied ribs, would be available for the Wallabies.
Erasmus, who led the Cats in this year’s Super 12 but turned down the national captaincy in the second Test against Italy, would be offered the skipper’s again, Mallett said. Uncapped Anton Leonard, the South Western Districts and Stormers flank, flies to Australia on Monday as cover.