Eddie Jones coached the Brumbies to their first ever Super 12 title back in 2001 and went on to become Wallabies coach later that year. As head coach of Australia, he took his team to the final of the 2003 World Cup where they were beaten by England in extra time, before stepping down at the end of 2005.

He is also credited with inventing the ‘rugby chess’ style that the Brumbies and Wallabies have employed to great success. Instead of committing many forwards to each breakdown, Jones's teams would only commit three or four players in an attempt to win quick ball for the other forwards to continue on with. As these groups of forwards advance, they develop a great deal of momentum which means when they release the ball to their backline the opposing backs are either flat-footed or offside.

The presence of Jones does not signal a shift in the way South Africa will play the game. They will continue to play the style that has served them over the past few years. Instead, Jones will be able to provide strategies for dealing with the Wallabies' rugby chess and the All Blacks' counter-attacking prowess. Remember that in 2003, it was Jones who noticed that the All Blacks would spread the ball wide immediately rather than use their forwards, leading to Stirling Mortlock's intercept try in the opening minutes of that game. That score had the All Blacks fighting an uphill battle for the rest of that semi-final, a battle they would ultimately lose.

‘Jones will be able to provide strategies for dealing with the Wallabies' rugby chess and the All Blacks' counter-attacking prowess’


While Jones was taking the Wallabies to new heights, Springbok coach Jake White was left to pick up the pieces after South Africa's disastrous 2003 World Cup campaign. He immediately took his side to a Tri-Nations victory in 2004, their first since 1998, and then on to a 13-game home winning streak in 2006.

Recent results have not been so kind to the Springboks, losing to Ireland and England on their 2006 end-of-season tour, although they managed a victory against England in that tour's second encounter. In 2007, South African rugby looks to be building to a peak, claiming their first ever Super 14 title after an all South African final and then a series victory against England. In the Tri-Nations the Springboks beat the Wallabies in the tournament's opening game and then lost narrowly to the All Blacks before controversially resting their top 20 players.

During their time as opposing coaches, White and Jones would frequently engage in a war of words before their sides clashed, however there appears to be little animosity between the men now that they are colleagues – reports indicate they are "as thick as thieves".

The masses of experience that both men possess can only benefit the Springboks going into the World Cup and the combination of White's hard-nosed approach and Jones's cerebral strategies will be a formidable one.

Questions have been asked of Springbok tactics, most notably their inability to adapt to hostile opponents or referees, but the addition of Jones seems to have answered most of those, so the only remaining question would be: If the players execute the game plan properly, can anybody beat the Springboks?