‘SLEEPY’ BOKS STARSTRUCK

Green and gold relegated to ‘star-gazing’, but they’ll be ‘up’ for Wallabies showdown

IT CANNOT have been too often in Springbok history that the players have been guilty of “stargazing” but the Boks have not been shy to admit it has been a curious experience sharing a hotel with the Liverpool Football Club.

The Queensland capital was awash with red on the eve of the Wallabies versus Springboks Rugby Championship match, once again putting the rugby union code into perspective in sports-mad Australia.

In fact, both the Boks and the Wallabies were relegated to having their captain’s runs at the Brisbane Grammar School yesterday after noon instead of the Suncorp Stadium because of Liver pool’s match there last night against the Brisbane Roar.

Again to highlight rugby’s precarious position in Aussie sport, Suncorp was sold out for the Liverpool friendly while only 25 000 tickets had been sold for the Wallabies game, although it should be taken into account the novelty value of the Merseysiders touring Down Under as part of their pre-season preparations.

“It has been an interesting, not to mention humbling, experience having to fight your way into the hotel through throngs of Liverpool supporters,” smiled Springbok captain Victor Matfield.

“We have not seen too much of the Liverpool players, though. It is probably because we sleep most of the day and stay up as late as possible.” Matfield is not joking. In a bid to beat jet lag, the Boks have remained on South African time since arriving relatively late in the week (in the early hours of Tuesday morning) and have done just as Matfield says: Have breakfast at lunch time, lunch at dinner time and then have a midnight snack before retiring after a latenight movie.

It’s worked for the South Africans before and was pioneered by the Bulls in Super Rugby a few seasons ago.

No doubt there’ll be furious work at the Suncorp Stadium tomorrow as all traces of the soccer match are removed and rugby markings are restored, and Matfield says the Boks are as ready as they can possibly be for what will be a furious contest against a Wallabies team that has had combustible coach Michael Cheika – he of the multiple suspensions for bad behaviour in the coach’s box – revving up his players for what will be Cheika’s first match in charge on Australia soil.

He took over as coach for the November tour to Europe last year after the sudden resignation of Ewan McKenzie.

“You can see Cheika’s hand all over this Wallabies team,” Matfield said.

“He has picked a pack that is not only highly physical but can also smash you at the advantage line, much in the mould of the Waratahs (Cheika’s Super Rugby team that won the title two years ago under him and were semi-finalists this year).”

Incidentally, Cheika has a record as coach that will not be beaten in a hurry – he has won the major provincial title in both hemispheres – the Heineken Cup with Leinster in 2009 and Super Rugby with the Waratahs last year.

Matfield said he had been waiting with interest to see whether Cheika would pick two openside flanks in the red-hot pair of Michael Hooper and David Pocock.

“In the end, he went for Hooper (with Scott Fardy on the other flank) but I think they will have Pocock on (with Hooper) before too long,” Matfield predicted.

“Our loose trio will be under pressure against those guys. We have to get to the ball first because if Hooper and Pocock beat us to it, they are very hard to dislodge.”

Matfield added his pack fully embraced the responsibility of protecting the Boks’ youthful axis at No 10, 12 and 13 of Handré Pollard, Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel.

“You don’t want Quade Cooper having free rein to direct that potent backline,” Matfield said.

“And I have immense respect for Matt Giteau (at No 12). He knows how to win games.

“I was honoured to play in a Barbarians team with him and I saw close hand his ‘big match’ ability.”

But Matfield said that perhaps too much was being made of the inexperience of the Bok inner backs compared to their opposition.

“Sure, guys like Will Genia, Cooper, Giteau and Tevita Kuridrani are proven worldclass perfor mers, but Genia and Cooper have not played at Test level for nearly two years and I don’t think Giteau and Kuridrani have played together before.

“I don’t think Cooper and Giteau have played alongside each other either.

“They will also been learning about each other,” Matfield said. BRISBANE: Schalk Burger will be a revelation in his unaccustomed role of No 8 for the Springboks today against the Wallabies.

That is the prediction of skipper Victor Matfield.

Burger has only started once before in the position for the Boks – against the US in a World Cup Pool game in 2007 – but Matfield is backing Burger to beat the odds once more and prove he has grown his game beyond being a battering ram and a breakdown battler.

“This guy is a wily warrior. Schalk is a world-class player and he has learned to evolve his game as time (and injuries) have worn on,” Matfield said.

“When he first came on the scene he was fearless in taking the ball to the advantage line, In fact, he was criticised at times for not passing.

“But his game has changed. He has learned to be a linking player as well as still having that physicality in carrying the ball into contact when nothing else is on,” Matfield said.

“There are probably a few reasons why Heyneke (Meyer) is giving him a run at No 8.

“Yes, we are thin there because of injury (to Duane Vermeulen) and we know what we have in the (highly mobile game) of Warren Whiteley but it is well worth looking at what Schalk can do in the position.”

Matfield said the plan had always been to give Burger a start in the Rugby Championship and with Marcell Coetzee having played so well at No 7 last week against the World XV, it added to Meyer’s reasoning to pick Burger at for No 8 spot.

“There are some players you just know will perform at Test level, because they always do!” Matfield said.

“I always think of my dear mate, Bakkies (Botha). He was always pretty good at Super Rugby level but when he put on the green and gold he stepped up to another level. Schalk is no different,” said Matfield.