While the Springboks are preparing for battle under new national coach Peter De Villiers, many believe the gearshift to touring Test match rugby will be a bridge to far for Warren Gatland's red dragons.

Six Nations Champions v World Champions is how the visit of Wales is being sold on the mean streets of South Africa - and although De Villiers has dubbed it 'war in the trenches', Springbok fans believe there's much more to it than merely another grave for a Tommy. And I wouldn't count on finding too many welcoming faces at Johannesburg International Airport next week when the Welsh team arrive.

Wales, who seem to be as durable as a teabag, are being drained of their title-winning players, with injury possibly being a very good ploy or card to play, if you ask South Africans.

'The Springboks are traditionally at their strongest midway through the year and statistics prove that the period from May to July very much favours the men in green and gold'


The Springboks are traditionally at their strongest midway through the year and statistics prove that the period from May to July very much favours the men in green and gold. This period has traditionally been the beginning of the Springbok 'hunting' season, when Bok players have sharpened up during the Currie Cup and in more recent times, during Super Rugby.

Teams from the Northern Hemisphere, by contrast, have by this same time become rusty and the death rattle of their rigor mortis is as sweet a sound to the Springboks as the final whistle has been for the Welsh on safari in Africa when the scoreline starts looking like cricket.

With De Villiers ringing the changes and the South Africans out of the Super 14, Springbok fans believe the Six Nation champions are heading to a shallow grave on a lonely hill, somewhere best forgotten, on the savannahs of Africa. The Springboks, as world champions, will be aware the 'hounds are at their heels' and will also have been wounded by their recent Super 14 disappointments. This spells nothing good for the Welsh.

The combination of these two factors, along with the traditional ebb and flow of seasonal strength, should convincingly turn Welsh rugby into cricket (on the scoreboard in any event).

Add to this the desperate state of the injury-riddled (or excuse-riddled) Six Nations team and the 98-13 Loftus Versfeld lesson in 1998 looks set for revision to an IPL-like Twenty20 scoreline.

De Villiers ha ominously called for the Springboks to revive the 'Fortress South Africa' notion of invincibility on home soil. Bad timing all round for the Welsh?

Ah, well, there'll always be that handy old 'injury plague' cop out. Or food poisoning ... or a dodgy referee... or a dodgy referee and food poisoning! And a long list of injuries... talk about 'welching on a bet'.