The Wizards in Oz

THE Australians are adept at ‘talking up’ rugby games.
As the Springboks choked them and the All Blacks to death in all the Tri-Nations encounters thus far, the Wallabies’ latest psychological battle plan last week was to label the South African game plan as boring.
They unsuccessfully tried to mask the real reason - annoyance because the Boks figured out that their kicking approach earned the best currency under the new laws.
Perhaps they also hoped it would tempt John Smit’s men to shift away from the recipe and open up more, offering them better counter-attack opportunities.
The Springboks obliged and went on stage at the Perth oval with an entertaining show - and pulverised the Aussies with some nimble-footed moves and a three-try 22-6 lead at the interval - an embarrassing situation, making the Wallabies wish they had kept quiet.
Drinking slow-working poison would have been more palatable.
Coach Peter de Villiers and his team displayed some exciting new manoeuvring.
Following scrumhalf Fourie du Preez’s quick opening try from a penalty - he is still the best in the world by far - midfielder Jaque Fourie went through a barn door which left the opposition standing in awe at the smooth execution of it before ball thief Bryan Habana slid over for a third try.
Up front we even had giant No 8 Pierre Spies introduced as a scrumhalf, which paid dividends.
To their credit, the Aussies did get up from the deck three minutes into the second half to narrow the gap to 22-13 via a Matt Giteau try, before Habana inflicted more pain.
The Boks are settled, confident in the supreme and look menacing, while Australia will have to dig deep to rid themselves of their current ball envy.
Yet, the fact that two late tries meant the Wallabies got in three, snatched a bonus point and ‘won’ the second half 19-10 after they appeared to be dead and buried, means a South African victory is by no means guaranteed in the next Test on Saturday.

Currie Cup
The weekend’s action saw the card deck shuffled vigorously and the log see-saw continuing.
The Sharks were distinctly off-colour and their 9-21 defeat against Western Province also saw them concede the log leadership to the Cape squad.
The Bulls took a 13-20 knock-out punch against the Lions, while Griquas, after having their bubble burst in Durban last weekend, folded completely and were hammered 58-13 by the Cheetahs.