TOWARDS the end of Saturday night's Test against France, Australia had five players on the field in their first year with the Wallabies: Ben Alexander, Dean Mumm, Luke Burgess, Ryan Cross and Peter Hynes.
Hynes and Burgess were among the Wallabies' best on the night.
So it was intriguing to read the former national coach John Connolly opine that one of Robbie Deans's big decisions for next Saturday's Test against France in Brisbane would be to consider whether journeyman Sam Cordingley (who is off overseas at the end of the season) should replace Burgess.
It's hard to understand this mindset from Connolly. One of the problems the Wallabies have had since 2004 is a lack of energy and flair in the halfback position. It was noticeable on Saturday night that their revival in the second half - after a somewhat awkward first half that was described by Deans as "pretty inaccurate" - was sparked by two brilliant runs from Burgess.
With Lote Tuqiri in doubt for next weekend, Deans has the chance to bring in either Lachie Turner or Digby Ioane (who has played one Test) to continue the process of greening the Wallabies.
After the Springboks' recent demolition of Wales, supposedly the best team in Europe, and following on from their splendid World Cup triumph, it is obvious South Africa will be a very strong force this season. All Blacks coach Graham Henry is calling the 2008 Springboks a "10-out-of-10" side. Their only weakness seems to be a less-than-potent scrum, and a certain lack of flair in the halves.
The Springboks are always at their most formidable in South Africa. The Wallabies are playing two of their three Tests against them on their home soil - in Durban on August 23 and in Johannesburg on August 30.
Moreover, the home Test is being played at Subiaco Oval in Perth, which is likely to be friendlier for the Springboks with its large expatriate population.
We will get a good reading on the strength of the 2008 Springboks - and the All Blacks without Richie McCaw - on Saturday night when the Tri Nations kicks off in Wellington. The only member of the Springboks squad who has won a Test in New Zealand is Percy Montgomery. That was in 1998, the year the All Blacks lost five successive Tests.
Victor Matfield has said that one of his last remaining goals in rugby, and the reason he has come back from a lucrative European stint, is to win a Test on the All Blacks' home turf. South African commentators have made the point, too, that if the team wants to retain the Rugby World Cup in 2011, the Springboks have to win Tests in New Zealand.
The Springboks have won their past 13 Tests. The All Blacks have won 29 Tests in a row at home. With the All Blacks missing McCaw, back-up halfback Jimmy Cowan facing disorderly behaviour charges and Ali Williams (New Zealand's only world-class line-out jumper) being a doubtful starter, you'd think the Springboks were in line for an opening Tri Nations victory. There is a complication, though. The Tri Nations are being played under the experimental law variations that were used in the Super 14.
The strengths of the Springboks in recent years have been their excellent line-outs and their almost unstoppable mauls, especially near the try line. Will the ability of defenders to pull down the maul be the sort of negative to the attritional mauling Springboks game that cutting Samson's hair was for the damaged giant? How will the reversion to the open-play imperatives of the ELVs play out with the big Springboks pack and a five-eighth with a tendency to kick ball away?
These questions bring us back to Deans and his selections for Saturday's Test against France. Should he further blood some of the newer players in the starting XV with an eye to an ELVs-plus Tri Nations tournament, which is the real test for the Wallabies in 2008?
