Thank Goodness for satellite television, without it we would only be able to read about the most pulsating rugby tournament in the world the Tri - Nations. Sure, we have the Six Nations over here ; and yes its true the three top rugby playing protagonists of the Southern hemisphere do visit the British Isles at least once a year and are usually involved in excellent matches. Then of course there is the World Cup, which is a wonderful festival of rugby and nail biting all the way once the knock out stages have begun. The rugby connoisseur's can often delight in the southern hemisphere Tours of the British Lions. The three tests that are usually played always offer great excitement, particularly if the Lions have won one of the first two tests. But none of this compares to the do or die commitment of the Tri-Nations Rugby Championship.
Played over a period of a couple of months, this year's tournament promises to be one of the best ever, with the initial tournament outsiders, Australia, a revelation so far. The Wallabies warmed up for the tournament with two games against France and wow...they were spectacular. They won both matches in emphatic style and in so doing signalled their warning to their two Tri-nation rivals, New Zealand and South Africa. Almost as impressive however were the All Blacks, who firstly beat the plucky Irish before going on to demolish England, who were sent home ingloriously with a poor show on the pitch and an embarrassing one off it. While the Antipodeans were bashing the brains out of France, Ireland and England, World Champions, South Africa, were being just as ruthless against Six Nations Champions, Wales, winning their series 2-0. The results of all these matches proved conclusively that the gulf between southern and northern hemisphere rugby is as wide as ever!
With the warm ups over, the first game in the Tri-Nations was played between New Zealand and South Africa in Wellington, where in a memorably tough game, the All Blacks out fought the 'Springboks' and justified their favouritism for the tournament. Although there were only two tries scored, the game was played in an intensity that is only equalled when either of these two nations plays the Aussies.
What happened next was unthinkable or was it? The Springboks proved why they are World Champions and they came back ferociously in their second game against the All Blacks, just a week later. They came out on top with a 30-28 victory winning the game with a last minute try when they were down to 14 men on the field. The All Blacks were in shock; they had clawed defeat out of the jaws of victory and incurred their first home defeat for 30 matches.
With new found confidence and with the hearts of lions the South Africans made their way to Perth to play against the Aussies. They were betting odds favourites to win and the Australians knew it. They pounced on the Springboks from the off start and slowly 'turned the screw' as the match became increasingly intense. The Australians scored two great tries without reply and ran out unexpected winners 16-9. It was difficult to tell who were the most surprised at the end, the look on the faces of the Australian players suggested that they were. They clearly did not realise how much progress they had made since the World Cup and the only way to confirm it was to beat the All Blacks the following week. A feat they most magnificently managed, beating the Tri-Nations champions emphatically 34-19. They now have to repeat that performance this week just to prove they have not been dreaming.
The scene is now set for the next phase of the tournament, Australia against New Zealand in two tests to be played in Australia.
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