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All Blacks arrive Springboks hampered by injuries
Posted: Saturday July 31, 1999 09:23 PM
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AP) -- New Zealand's All Blacks rugby squad arrived in South Africa Saturday, a week ahead of their Tri-Nations clash against the injury-troubled Springboks. New Zealand coach John Hart said his side was careful not to be overconfident. Despite the All Blacks' commanding start to the Tri-Nations in which they beat South Africa 28-0 in Dunedin and Australia 34-15 in Auckland, Hart insisted his men still have a lot to prove. "Winning at home is one thing. Away is a totally different proposition," he said. New Zealand has steered clear of injury, missing only loosehead prop Carl Hoeft, out for up to six weeks with a torn calf muscle. South Africa this week axed its captain Gary Teichmann because of lingering injuries, with scrum-half Joost van der Westhuizen replacing him as Springbok skipper. And fly-half Henry Honiball, billed as the cornerstone of coach Nick Mallett's redefined game plan for the Tri-Nations, was ruled unfit with an ankle injury Thursday for the upcoming matches against New Zealand in Pretoria and Australia in Cape Town on Aug. 14. Commentators have described Honiball's absence from the squad as the most serious setback for Springbok rugby in the current season. Teichmann was captain for 36 matches over the past three years and led an unbeaten 17-match run ended by England at Twickenham in November last year. But recent crippling losses to New Zealand, Australia and Wales left a cloud over his leadership position. His departure, announced by Mallett on Monday, has put strain on the South Africans and triggered criticism that the shake-up would affect the squad's ability to focus on the Tri-Nations tournament and on defending the World Cup in October. "As a coach I understand the kind of decision Nick Mallett had to make. He obviously had to think long and hard about it and had his reasons. Sometimes as a coach you have to make hard decisions," Hart said Saturday. South Africa's Tri-Nations lineup, he said, "looks close to their World Cup squad. The make-up of the side will be totally different from the one which played against us in New Zealand this year. I don't think the result in Dunedin counts for anything." New Zealand was outscrummed by South Africa in Dunedin, and without Hoeft the All Blacks pack will have their work cut out for them. "Like South Africa, we are always under pressure to perform. The expectations are high, but this team is realistic. They know the challenge ahead of them," Hart said. "What I can tell you is that they're young and keen."
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