Ken Borland

Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer has a degree in psychology and he will surely need to have sessions with Morne Steyn on the couch – and bring Dean Greyling along for good measure – after South Africa’s infuriating 21-11 loss to the All Blacks in Dunedin on Saturday.

Meyer has persevered with Steyn at flyhalf for all seven Tests this year, but surely a man of his intellectual capacity and people skills must now realise that the hero of 2009 and 2010 is mentally shattered and devoid of all confidence.

The Springboks wasted 20 points with kicks at goal, with Steyn missing three penalties along with a conversion, while Francois Steyn (2) and Johan Goosen also missed three long-range penalties between them.

It is hard to remember a substitute having a more disastrous impact than Greyling did. The front-ranker clearly needs his head read after conceding some of the stupidest penalties possible on a rugby field, including a shocking assault on the face of Richie McCaw that is bound to have some more serious consequences than the yellow card he was issued with.

The inexperienced Springbok pack was magnificent in a come-of-age performance that saw them match if not edge the All Blacks up front, laying a platform that was ultimately wasted by Morne Steyn and some laborious backline play.

There were some promising signs from the backline, but great try-scoring opportunities were butchered in the fifth minute, on the half-hour and on the hour mark.

With three minutes remaining and the All Blacks 18-11 up, the Springboks were then gifted another golden opportunity when Keven Mealamu threw a lineout ball five metres from his own line straight to Greyling, who promptly dropped the ball.

The Blue Bulls prop should have had the good grace to want to be swallowed whole by the Forsyth Barr Stadium turf, but instead he then cost South Africa even a bonus point for their efforts when he stupidly handled the ball in a ruck, allowing All Blacks flyhalf Aaron Cruden to kick a penalty after the final hooter.

Greyling’s first act after coming on to the field in the 50^th minute was also a blatant hands in the ruck, Cruden’s penalty allowing New Zealand to draw level just two minutes after Bryan Habana’s brilliant individual try.

There were times in the first half when the All Blacks were floundering against the Springboks’ suffocating defence, physicality in the collisions and pressure game. But the goalkicking woes drowned out all conversation about those major positives.

Fullback Israel Dagg’s wonderful attacking instincts saw him feature prominently in the move he finished for the All Blacks’ opening try in the 20^th minute and the hosts led 5-3 at half-time. At that stage, South Africa had already missed 15 points via missed kicks at goal.

But the Springboks regained the lead in the 50^th minute through Habana’s brilliant try. Flip van der Merwe won the lineout throw and, even though Francois Louw stumbled in receiving the pop off the top, he found Habana roaring through on the angle. South Africa’s all-time leading try-scorer burst through the first line of defence before he chipped over the fullback and regathered the ball to score in the right corner.

The next half-hour was dominated by Greyling, although Morne Steyn also kicked away some good attacking ball with aimless kicks. If it were the navy, they would be consigned to port immediately by the good ship South Africa, because their heads are clearly not in the right place.

But there are huge positives to be drawn from the game for the Springboks, even if the result was a major disappointment.

The ferocious performance of the pack, led by flank Willem Alberts and lock Juandre Kruger, is at the head of the list, while the defence was also much improved as the Springboks warded off several dangerous attacking forays by the New Zealand backs.

Springbok rugby may well have moved out of the ICU ward on Saturday and, if Meyer can correctly diagnose where the mental deficiencies are, he may well be able to produce pleasing results in Pretoria and Soweto in coming weeks.

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The lack of attacking spark has been a theme for the Springboks in their first year under Heyneke Meyer, and on Saturday they come up against the masters of offensive play, the All Blacks, at one of their fortresses – Dunedin.

Interestingly, the Springboks and the All Blacks have both scored just five tries from three matches in the Rugby Championship thus far, but for South Africa, three of those came in the opening match against the debutants, Argentina, in the shadow of Table Mountain at Newlands.

The All Blacks are playing their last Test at home this year, and they are eager to produce the 100% performance that has eluded them thus far in 2012.

“We always aim for that perfect performance; it’s the last time that we are playing in New Zealand for a while, although I think wherever you play you want to improve on before. But certainly, seeing that it’s the last time we play, it would be nice to put a good one together before we head off,” New Zealand captain Richie McCaw said on the eve of the game.

“At times we have not been as accurate as we could be, but it won’t stop us from trying to play. One or two passes sometimes can make the difference. It is just a matter of getting the timing right to do that, and keep the guys creating those opportunities.”

The good news for the All Blacks – and very bad news for the Springboks – is that the venue for the Test, the Forsyth Barr Stadium, is enclosed under a roof and therefore the outside elements will play no part. There will be no swirling wind to make South Africa’s much-loved up-and-unders difficult to catch and there will be none of the wetness that helped Argentina in their mission of stopping the world champions from playing their favoured ball-in-hand game.

Coach Meyer has admitted that the conditions will be similar to a dry, windless winter’s day on the Highveld, and the All Blacks have regularly lit up Loftus Versfeld with their dazzling running play. South Africa tends to avoid playing New Zealand in Pretoria these days, which is not surprising when you consider the previous four results have been 45-26, 52-16, 34-18 and 33-26 in favour of the visitors to the Blue Bulls citadel.

Up-and-unders are not going to be the answer on Saturday against the thrilling All Blacks back three of Israel Dagg, Cory Jane and Julian Savea. South Africa’s best hope is to really get up the noses of the All Blacks at the source, up front.

But the Springboks’ inexperienced pack will be up against McCaw, arguably the greatest rugby player ever, and the likes of Kieran Read, Andrew Hore and Tony Woodcock, who are up with the all-time greats.

They are bound to supply their backline with at least 50% possession and at least 50% of that will be front-foot ball, so New Zealand will create enough try-scoring opportunities for their lethal finishers.

The Springboks, on the other hand, are labouring with a flyhalf that stands too deep, an inside centre who has just played crash ball all year, an outside centre who looks out of place, and a fullback not known for his attacking prowess.

With 64% possession against the desperate Wallabies last weekend, the Springboks could still only score one try.

It is difficult to see what weapon the Springboks could possibly hurt the All Blacks with.

They will probably try to physically intimidate and rattle their hosts, but that approach has rarely borne fruit in New Zealand and has usually led to a yellow card and more gaps for the best users of space in the game.

After the All Blacks have absorbed the physical challenge, they will be able to play their game and that’s when it will become a rough night for the Springboks.

Like men overboard in turbulent seas, they’re going to have to cling on to every tackle in sight, claim every scrap of 50/50 ball that they are presented with and hope that the All Blacks believe that they are invincible and try and run the ball from everywhere, including positions that will just put them under pressure.

The Springboks have claimed just nine victories in New Zealand since 1921,and some great South African sides have fallen short in the Land of the Long White Cloud. There won’t be many expecting Meyer’s inexperienced and embattled team to secure a 10^th win.

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Experienced loose forward James Haskell is delighted to be back with an England side he believes is playing with the same passion as the All Blacks.

Haskell has spent the last six months with the Otago Highlanders in New Zealand, following stints in Japan with the Ricoh Black Rams and two years in France for Stade Francais. The 27-year-old will return to London Wasps, for whom he played for seven years, at the end of the SuperRugby season.

Haskell earned 42 test caps between 2007 and last year’s World Cup and is one of the few “old guard” that new England coach Stuart Lancaster has retained after taking over the reins for the Six Nations at the start of 2012.

“I’ve always said that my reason for playing rugby is to play for my country and this is a very exciting new set-up. I was told Stuart wanted to rebuild the passion and mentality of the team, and I want to be a part of that, it’s very exciting,” Haskell says in Johannesburg during England’s build-up for the second test against South Africa.

“Stuart has made it like the All Blacks – the shirt is not yours, you have to fight for it and I’m happy to fit in with that. I may have 42 caps, but I’m back right at the bottom of the ladder and in this team, experience doesn’t count for much,” Haskell says without a hint of bitterness.

While the well-travelled Haskell is clearly built for physical confrontation at 114kg and 1.94 metres tall, he believes he has become a better player now for more cerebral reasons.

“The difference is in small percentages and in things that aren’t so tangible. I hope I’m more consistent and my game-understanding is better.

“They have a very attacking mentality in New Zealand, they get a lot of quick ball and it’s all about one-on-one battles and pace and speed. If they can beat their opposite number, then it’s a try.”

Haskell suggests there is an air of predictability about English rugby and that of their current opponents, South Africa.

“We have the talent and passion, but it’s those little nuances and mental stuff that we need. Like learning from other countries what they do well and speaking to other coaches.

“We can maybe not be so robotic. I’ve learnt from Adam Thomson and Andrew Hore at the Highlanders that, bar knowing what foot they kick off and their basic pattern, they don’t know anything about the opposition. They just worry about their game plan. You can become caught up in talking about your opposition too much,” Haskell says.

While Lancaster is not expected to tamper with the current test loose trio led by captain Chris Robshaw, Haskell will be out to impress on Wednesday against the Southern Barbarians in Kimberley.

“There’s a lot of competition in the back row but there’s no rush. I’ll just play on Wednesday and do my best to live up to Stuart’s expectations,” the former U21 star says.

Although he is playing in the number six jersey on Wednesday, Haskell says the proof of his ability will be in far more than just stealing the ball at the breakdowns.

“I played eighthman in Japan and a bit at 6 for the Highlanders, but at 7 for the rest and that’s my favourite position. I love the battles and the speed of the game, but the England captain is currently number seven!

“But the days of a flank just trying to get over the ball are probably gone. You need to be a ball-carrier and disruptive on to the ball. Just look at Richie McCaw, he carries the ball well and reads the breakdown brilliantly.”

While New Zealand’s brand of rugby has clearly stolen Haskell’s heart, he also has admiration for the steel of the Springboks.

“South African rugby, especially the Bulls and Stormers, is more about physical attrition. You know what’s coming, there’s a certain predictability, but you have to be on top of your game to stop it! If you don’t match their intensity then they’ll boss the gain-line and then play from there,” Haskell says, before warning that a Springbok side that thinks a little more out of the box would be impossible to contain.

“If the Boks learn things like tip-ons (offloads), then they’ll blow everyone away.”

While Haskell says he is looking forward to playing his rugby in England once again, he has clearly learnt much in foreign climes.

“I’ve been away for three years which means I’ve been around a bit. It’s helped me off the field as well, but it’s been invaluable playing outside of Europe, especially in SuperRugby,” Haskell says.