All Black's day and on to Australia

I was disappointed that the Springboks didn't beat New Zealand in their Tri-Nations encounter at Newlands last Saturday. Everything was set up for the win with Dan Carter missing 4 kickable penalties to leave us only trailing 0-5 at the break.

That is not a bad position to be in with twenty minutes to go, the pressure on the All Blacks and only 5 points in it. Unfortunately for us there were two turning points. Firstly Bryan Habana's foot finding the touchline and then Percy Montgomery missing two vital kicks during his 100th Test match which he would normally have slotted on any other day. Either of the two would have had us ahead or level at worst.

It was not to be.

In terms of our defence I believe that Schalk Burger proved how valuable he is to the Springboks in covering the inside. As soon as he was replaced Dan Carter got through and scored right under the poles.

Despite everything that Test was within our grasp and in the last quarter things could have turned out so differently.

That is all in the past and the guys must now focus on the Test against Australia on Saturday.

The Springboks need to get back to their strengths - their physicality and their powerful set of forwards. The danger in terms of the Wallabies will come from their backline and it is vital to the cause that we keep clean possession to them down to a minimum.

Once again Schalk will be essential to ensuring that we defend well on the inside. The Aussie backs are highly innovative while the team as a whole plays the multiple-phase game exceedingly well. The breakdowns will be vital and Schalk will help to slow the game down.

If the Springboks want to score tries this weekend then they are going to have to play the game in the Wallabies half of the field as much as possible. Field position could well be a major factor in this one.

In terms of defence the Wallabies are exceptional, owing much to the fact that they don't commit numbers to the breakdowns. This makes it harder to break their defence down.

In terms of lineouts we are going to have to improve on last Saturday's performance where we let ourselves down a bit.

Here's hoping we can bounce back this week.

Jake White speaking to Mike Trapido of the Mail & Guardian

NOT SO SUPER 14

South Africa's last horse in the race for Super 14 honours, the Natal Sharks, fell at the second last hurdle on Saturday and it wasn't pretty.

The 28-13 win by the the Waratahs was primarily down to a rock solid defence which has served the Australians well right throughout the tournament. The Sharks battled to get over the advantage line, being driven back time and again.

This is by no means a criticism of the Waratahs – I have always maintained that to win big games and tournaments you have to first get your defence in order. They have and this makes for a great final against the Crusaders.

The Crusaders, the most successful side in the tournament's history, made 5 changes to their line-up for the match against the Hurricanes.

It showed as they dominated the Hurricanes 33-22 with Daniel Carter in ominous kicking form. As we all saw once the team had secured top spot it was hard to push themselves but that all changed on Saturday.

With Carter now getting some game time under his belt, home advantage and the experience of playing in their 10th final, the Crusaders are going to take some beating.

With the Waratah's defence this is not a foregone conclusion and should provide rugby with a great final.


IRB's CONSULTANT COACHES

I am delighted to be given the opportunity to join the team of consultant coaches and work on special projects within the Tier 2 and 3 countries around the world.

This forms part of the IRB's Strategic Investment Programme which will see £48 million invested in intensive programmes between 2009 and 2012.

I will be visiting Fiji and Samoa early in June for a series of clinics which will coincide with the IRB Pacific Nations Cup clash between the two on June 7 in Fiji. It is also envisaged that I will be assisting several European countries later in the year.

I am thrilled to be given the chance to get back into rugby particularly working with the countries who most need the help. It is an area I am very familiar with and hopefully I can contribute in some way to the growth and development of rugby in those countries.

Jake White speaking to Mike Trapido (Mail & Guardian)