Wallabies: Not dead yet

No, the Wallabies aren't dead yet. They still have a chance to win the Tri-Nations in a rubber-match against the All Blacks in Brisbane in two Saturdays (September 13).

But last Saturday's massacre at the hands of the Springboks at Ellis Park was an abject humiliation. A scoreline of 53-8 is an ass-kicking by every standard imaginable. Debutante league-convert Timana Tahu must be wondering what hit him.

If you haven't seen the game, spare yourself a viewing unless you're a Bok fan desperately seeking schadenfreude as consolation. Think about that: the Tri-Nations wooden spoon holders just spanked the potential tournament champions by 45 points!

It's been a wild & wide-opened tournament so far, but the All Blacks need to win to restore some integrity to the trophy. Nevertheless, common sense says a wounded Wallaby team playing at home, at sea-level, in the friendly confines of Brisbane, is a wholly different animal than the one playing away on the high-veldt elevation at Johannesburg, where they had (and still haven't!) won in 45 years. All Blacks beware!

New Zealand gets to work off the ring-rust tonight against Samoa in a rare mid-week test in an even-rarer test match venue in New Plymouth. ABs rest all-world skipper Richie McCaw.