The Tri-Nations is about to enter a gruelling but exciting second half and all Southern Hemisphere super heavyweights are capable of winning it. And there's the extra motivation of the prestigious trophies 'on the side' - that is the legendary Bledisloe Cup battle between the All Blacks and Wallabies, with the Australians also revering the Mandela Cup against the Springboks.

The All Blacks are sitting pretty at the top of the table and are definitely on a high after their magnificent slaughtering of the Wallabies at Eden Park, whereas the Springboks could also claim sky-high levels of confidence after their own demolition of the Pumas last stopover.

That match turned out to be an ideal training session for them considering the advantage of being match-hardened which is certainly vital in terms of fitness, stamina and endurance in lasting the distance mentally and physically. It also gives them a psychological advantage that puts them in good stead maintaining their strengths, especially being match-fit going into the next clash.

It makes for a showdown of colossal proportions beginning this weekend at the cauldron of Newlands, Capetown. The All Blacks are well aware of their last visit here back in 2005 when they were soundly beaten 22-16 and, from memory, nuggety halfback Byron Kelleher was viciously KOd by giant lock Victor Matfield early in the match, introducing replacement Piri Weepu for only his second cap.

Daniel Carter had one of his rare off days despite his dominant performance during the tour of the Lions in New Zealand earlier that same year. On the bright side, this was also the same venue when the destructive Jonah Lomu single-handedly overpowered the hapless red rose of England and etched his name in folklore after ‘that’ try during the 1995 World Cup.

With selections yet to be confirmed, it was interesting to see the recall of ''Project Isaia Toeava'' for the All Blacks squad to cover the injured Leon MacDonald and Rudi Wulf, the latter having otherwise satisfied his coach with good solid performances before hurting himself in club rugby.

Toeava is under no illusions of where he might be chosen to play, if at all – Wellington Hurricanes’ enforcer Chris Masoe would tell him that. Bearing in mind that Masoe was also called up after skipper Richie McCaw suffered his ankle injury almost two months ago, yet he was never given the opportunity to reclaim his position in the playing 22.

Auckland Blues specialist openside flanker Daniel Braid somehow overtook him along the way and, because of this peculiar stance, that would have caused either dishonesty or disharmony within the ranks. If this theory is proven correct, it was then no surprise that the selectors’ “faith” in Braid backfired big time and subsequently, it may have been a telling factor on the result of that ill-fated match in Sydney.

How the All Blacks immediately responded to that in disposing of the Wallabies with ease only seven days later is anyone’s guess. Notwithstanding, it is pleasing that Toeava has been given another chance and perhaps the reincarnation of Ma’a Nonu could have been the reason for his inclusion - a player with an abundance of skills, power and panache now being exposed and appreciated the more game time he has at the highest level.

Nonu has come of age and, if he continues his devastating form, the sky is the limit. At the moment, he is practically unstoppable and his two tries from the Auckland stampede were due to his patience, doggedness and tenacity. His four line breaks also told the difference, something that not even one player in the NRL could boast on any given weekend.

Of his tries, he scooped up a loose ball and passed whilst being tackled, rose again before backing up, took the pass one-handed and turned Stirling Mortlock inside-out, dummying his way over for a fine try. The fact he was there shouldn’t be under-estimated.

Again, his second try was achieved when he doubled around and supported the ball carrier before sprinting down the left flank, and the rest is history. Questionable as the decision to award the try might have been, teams will often get the 50/50 calls on their day. The penalty try that went amiss the week before, when winger Sitiveni Sivivatu was clearly taken out without the ball with the tryline beckoning, is proof how home-ground authority can sometimes hold sway.

This is indeed why I dread the feeling that if Australian referee Matt Goddard relents to the pressure of 50,000 screaming fanatics at Newlands, he will obviously be found out and will most likely succumb to the chant of “cheats” to frustrate the likes of McCaw and Co. Let’s hope it won’t be the case.

Then again, there are more pathetic rumblings coming from ''The Mouth of the South'' Peter de Villiers, who seems too worried about accusing the All Blacks - yet again - of cheating at scrums and lineouts. Quite frankly, I am sick and tired of these ongoing allegations that are totally unfounded, completely unwanted and extremely uncalled for.

This undoubtedly leads some teams to enforce and implement their strategies based on playing to the whistle, in other words testing the referee, and thus treating the players like mannequins which at times is part of the reason why the game is in a sorry state these days. Heck, why can’t they just get on with playing rugby?!

On the contrary, regarding the Sonny Bill Williams saga, the only positive aspect to come out of it is the fact he wants to become an All Black. As with everything else, it’s his life and it’s his problem, although I sympathise with his many legions of supporters, be it at the Canterbury Bulldogs or the New Zealand Rugby League Kiwis. To watch him having a sudden change of heart and inquisitive attitude virtually overnight was a shock to the system for most, so it is very disappointing how he has been poorly advised.

However, fast forward to the Rugby World Cup 2011 and who knows? He could pair up with Nonu in the centre to form the most lethal midfield combination in history.