Rugby's Greatest Rivalry - Who is Number 1?
By Sanjay Deva

Rugby's greatest rivals, the Springboks and the All Blacks are set for a titanic showdown in Bloemfontein.At stake are vital IRB ratings points to see who deserves the number 1 spot in World rugby, as well as the small matter of Tri-nations points. Currently the IRB rankings are as follows: 1. All Blacks 90.95 2. South Africa 89.45The Springboks are on a quest. They are the current World Champions and have just beaten the British and Irish Lions. There are no bigger prizes left to accomplish, but they are determined to reclaim their number 1 ranking and the Tri-nations from the All Blacks. Both sides have plenty to prove, and come into this fixture without having played their best rugby so far this season.The All Blacks lacked a bit of mongrel in their pack against the Aussies last week, and would best be described as solid not spectacular.They have a solid front row, but won't demolish any scrums. Their lineout could be the weak point, with Brad Thorn not really a reliable source of ball, much will fall onto the shoulders of rookie Isaac Ross and Jerome Kaino. The Springboks are the premier lineout in World rugby, and poaching genius Victor Matfield will once again look to dominate this aspect of play.In the loose forwards they present a strong ball carrying trio, but McCaw doesn't seem to be that vital 1 step quicker than his opponents any more. Against Heinrich Brussouw he will have a tough battle trying to secure the All Blacks turnover possession.The backline of the All Blacks always has gamebreakers, but lack the polish and try scoring records that the most dangerous All Blacks sides contain. Stephen Donald can be unreliable as goalkicker and his channel may be where the Springboks try to attack through as his defence is not a strong point.The Springboks have class all over the field, but will look to dominate through the strong forward pack firstly. Set pieces, especially the lineout are massively strong. At altitude they will look to boot the ball out, gain field field position and rely on Victor Matfield to steal balls at will in the lineout.This will allow the loose trio a chance to get front foot ball and Pierre Spies and Juan Smith need to get over the advantage line to get the backs going. Against the British and Irish Lions, this didn't happen and the Springboks couldn't gain any real momentum.With quality ball it will allow Fourie du Preez and Ruan Pienaar to weave their magic and get this backline going. The midfield pairing of Jean de Villiers and Jacque Fourie will be able to combat anything the All Blacks throw at them, and their solidity in crashing the ball up will allow space for Bryan Habana and JP Pietersen on the flanks. The Springboks showed in the second test against the Lions at Loftus, a willingness to try and get Bryan Habana running onto the ball and I am sure they will persist with that strategy once they have solid runners in the midfield.I also think the Springbok bench is stronger than the All Blacks, and the influence of Morne Steyn in the last 20 minutes may finally nail the All Blacks once they are left feeling the effects of the altitude. I'm picking the Springboks to come out firing and after getting out to an early lead, the All Blacks will start to work their way back into the game, before the Boks close out the game in the last half hour strongly as the All Blacks start to wilt under the pressure. That's what I think will happen but I'll take a Springbok annihilation anytime!Sanjay Deva
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"My blood is green"Sanjay is a passionate South African rugby fan and has physio experience with some of the top players. However he also follows all sports and wants to run the 2010 Comrades marathon. You can follow his running.sanjaydevaComrades Marathon training diary and feel free to leave comments. Sanjay_Deva Sanjay_Deva width="90" Sanjay-Deva_336332 Sanjay Deva Sanjay Deva