Rugby's Greatest Rivalry: Springboks Set To Establish Dominance?

Rugby's greatest rivals, the Springboks and the All Blacks, go at it again in Durban.

This Tri-Nations match takes on huge significance in that it may establish a new era in this great rivalry. Last week saw the Springboks beat the All Blacks in Bloemfontein to move to No. 1 in the IRB rankings. The All Blacks will be gutted and pride themselves on being the dominant force in world rugby, at least between World Cups anyway!

The Springboks and All Blacks have named largely unchanged sides from Bloemfontein for their 77th clash.

The Springboks have replaced Ruan Pienaar with Morne Steyn in what I think is a good move, and gives the side a much greater ability to convert pressure into points through its goal-kicking. Don't be surprised to see a few drop-goal attempts as I think the Springboks try this to keep the scoreboard ticking over.

The All Blacks have replaced Neemia Tialata with the little-known Owen Franks. There is never a weak All Black prop, however, and whilst many from both countries are talking up his ability, he should be respected but not over-awed.

The other change sees Brendon Leonard swapping with Jimmy Cowan in a move that should give the All Blacks better kicking strength from the base of the scrum and ruck.

This Springbok side has evolved into a more complete side than the one that won the Rugby world cup in 2007.

The forward pack is dominant, and is very strong in the set-pieces. The line-out is extremely solid on Springbok ball, but it's the ability to un-crack the code of the opposition that will see the All Black line-out come under extreme pressure.

In Bloemfontein they did this brilliantly, and try as they might to fix it, Victor Matfield should be good enough to demolish it again.

The Springbok pack, at the breakdown, works well as a unit; and whilst the two sides always have a great go at each other, I don't believe Richie McCaw has enough backup to compete on his own.

In Durban, expect to see Heinrich Brussow once again benefit from having Bakkies Botha, Bismarck du Plessis, and Juan Smith doing the hard yards. This should allow "Superman" Spies to be faster than a speeding All Black and provide even more opportunities than he created in Bloemfontein, as he appears to be hitting top form once again.

Whilst the All Black backline looked dangerous last week, if they are once again starved of the possession, they can't hurt the Springboks.

Meanwhile, I expect Fourie du Preez to lift his clearances and get this Springbok backline going more fluently than they did in Bloemfontein, to create further opportunities for the Boks. I'm picking Francois Steyn to be more prominent hitting the backline and bringing the Springbok back three into play.

For the All Blacks to win, they'll have to show their characteristic tenacity, and use their scrum to dominate. If they get out-played in the forwards again, any chance they get through the backs will need to be taken with clinical precision.

If the Springboks make better use of their chances, it could result in a knockout blow much earlier than was the case last week.

What impresses me the most with this Springbok side is their mental shift, starting with the coach Peter de Villiers. He appears to be learning the lessons that the past 15 months have thrown at him and emerging a better coach for it. However, it's hearing players like Victor Matfield talking about wanting more trophies, more Tri-Nations, and more dominance that excites me most.

Too often in the past, the Springboks have appeared to give the All Blacks too much respect and lacked the self-belief to win. Two Super 14 titles in the last three years, a second Rugby World Cup, and a core group of experienced hardened professionals sees this Springbok side hungry to start establishing world dominance.

Whilst some of our players will inevitably leave for the greater monetary rewards overseas, it's guys like Morne Steyn, who speaks of wanting to play 50 tests for the Springboks, that epitomise the heartbeat of a proud and hungry Springbok side.

At the same time, it is leading to the breakdown of the All Black aura, that may just see this rivalry enter a new phase...one where we slowly even up the score again.

I'm excited; I'm predicting a Springbok win by 10 and I'm looking forward to seeing this Springbok side move to a new level!