WORLD CUP OVERSHADOWS ALL BLACKS, SPRINGBOKS TEST

In the history of two of rugby's fiercest rivals -- the All Blacks and Springboks -- it is hard to think of a Test that means so little as Saturday's Tri-Nations encounter.

Instead the championship, the jewel in the crown of southern hemisphere rugby has been totally upstaged by the World Cup in France later this year robbing this weekend's Test at Jade Stadium of its traditional prestige.

Springboks coach Jake White is resting his top 20 players, not willing to risk them two months out from the World cup, while All Blacks coach Gaham Henry is fielding a team with players selected because he says they need game time.

"The reality is that both nations have put huge premiums on the rugby World Cup this year," White said.

"One can look at this test in isolation and feel aggrieved ... but let me tell you, the World Cup final between South Africa and New Zealand in France, people aren't going to worry about what happened in Christchurch.

"You'll see the best players playing each other in France and I guess that's where everyone wants to get to on October 20 (when the final is played)."

Despite the watered-down nature of Saturday's clash, and the fact the odds are stacked against South Africa who have not won in New Zealand for nine years, Springboks forwards coach Gert Smal has tried to talk up the passion.

"The game is not made for sissies," Smal declared when told many All Blacks believe their captain Richie McCaw was the target of cheap shots off the ball in their Tri-Nations opener last month.

The Wallabies were also unhappy with the way the Springboks targeted George Smith in Sydney last weekend.

"As far as I know our instructions will always be to the players to keep it as clean as possible and play the game as hard as possible as well," Smal said, adding that Test players should expect to be physically tested.

"I won't call it cheap shots. I think it is a physical game.

"You can't run away from the physical part of the game and you have to be able to deal with it."

McCaw said his side paid the ultimate price for focusing too much on their opening Tri-Nations 26-21 win over South Africa in Durban, and did not adjust well to the follow-up game when they lost 15-20 to Australia in Melbourne.

But he doubted that would be an issue this week.

"You've got to use it (loss) to your advantage," he said.

"It made us take a good look at what we got wrong. Perhaps the week before we glossed over a few things that we didn't get quite right in South Africa.

"I know a lot of the guys are hurting ... if we don't learn from this experience, then this team's in trouble."

Australia lead the series with two wins from three matches.

South Africa's sole chance of winning the series is to achieve a bonus point victory over the All Blacks to go to the top of the ladder while hoping the All Blacks beat Australia in their rematch next week.

Two wins, or one bonus point victory, to the All Blacks in their last two matches will see them retain the title.

Meanwhile, if either South Africa or New Zealand take heed of recent history, they will do well to fall off the pace in the first half on Saturday night.

All four Tri-Nations Tests so far this year have been won by the team trailing at halftime.

Teams (15-1)

All Blacks: Mils Muliaina, Doug Howlett, Isaia Toeava, Luke McAlister, Sitiveni Sivivatu, Daniel Carter, Piri Weepu, Rodney So'oialo, Richie McCaw (captain), Reuben Thorne, Chris Jack, Keith Robinson, Carl Hayman, Keven Mealamu, Tony Woodcock.

Reserves: Andrew Hore, Neemia Tialata, Jerry Collins, Chris Masoe, Brendon Leonard, Conrad Smith, Nick Evans.

South Africa: JP Pietersen, Breyton Paulse, Waylon Murray, Wynand Olivier, Jaco Pretorius, Derick Hougaard, Ruan Pienaar, Jacques Cronje, Pedrie Wannenburg, Wikus van Heerden, Johann Muller (captain), Albert van den Berg, Jannie du Plessis, Bismarck du Plessis, CJ van der Linde.

Reserves: Gary Botha, Eddie Andrews, Gerrie Britz, Hilton Lobberts, Michael Claassens, Peter Grant, Tonderai Chavhanga

F1 'SPYING' ROW COMES TO LONDON COURT

A bitter row between the Ferrari and McLaren Formula One teams over alleged espionage in Formula One came to London's High Court Tuesday.

Ferrari engineer Nigel Stepney was sacked after being accused of supplying McLaren's chief designer Mike Coughlan with over 500 pages of secret Ferrari technical information in April.

At Tuesday's preliminary hearing in a case relating to the intellectual property dimension of the row, Coughlan and his wife Trudy were ordered to pay costs following an early morning search of their home by officials last week.

Nigel Tozzi, the lawyer representing Ferrari, told Justice Michael Briggs that the Coughlans should not have had documents which were found during the search.

The defendants had "behaved disgracefully," he said, adding that Ferrari could have remained "blissfully ignorant" of what had happened had it not been for a tip-off.

For the Coughlans, Martin Palmer argued that the defendants had behaved responsibly and any decision should be delayed pending further interim hearings.

The judge noted that Coughlan, who was in court, behaved in an "entirely appropriate" manner when the search was conducted but ruled that payment should be made.

The case was adjourned until Wednesday amid a legal complication.

McLaren was not represented at the hearing.

Stepney, who denies any wrongdoing, is facing a criminal investigation under a separate process in Italy.

Gregan Wants Boks Out Too

Australia and New Zealand could ditch South Africa from the Tri Nations rugby competition and find a new partner, veteran Wallabies scrumhalf George Gregan said Thursday.

Gregan hit out at the Springboks, who have named an understrength team for Saturday's Tri Nations test against Australia, saying New Zealand and Australia could exclude South Africa from future Tri Nations play.

"If someone's not happy in a partnership, then obviously it's got to be dissolved and you've got to find a new way to move forward, and there's always been a really strong relationship between Australia and New Zealand," Gregan said.

"If that was to happen, you'd be able to find something which would work and it would give opportunities to a lot of the Pacific Islanders, other teams...Argentina, who knows.

"But they'd be able to come up with another concept if they (the South Africans) wanted to align themselves with the northern hemisphere."

Gregan was echoing comments from Australian rugby officials, angered by the Springbok's selection of second string teams in this year's Tri Nations, who have said South Africa's playing future might lie in Europe.

Those officials have suggested the Sanzar partnership of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa might be altered to exclude South Africa and include Argentina or a Pacific Islands combination.

SANZAR FOUNDER WANTS BOKS OUT

The South African Rugby Union is "an absolute disgrace" and the Springboks should be kicked out of the Tri-Nations, says David Moffett, one of the chief architects of SANZAR.

Moffett, the former head of the NRL and New Zealand, Wales and NSW rugby unions, told an Australian newspaper, The Sydney Morning Herald, Australia and New Zealand had to cut South Africa from the next television deal, and instead play more trans-Tasman matches.

"It is imperative that Australia and New Zealand cast South Africa adrift," Moffett said. "The players are just getting killed by all the travel."

And rather than having a Super 14 with five South African provinces, Moffett said the tournament should be disbanded and replaced by a Super 10 competition with five New Zealand teams and five Australian teams, with the fifth Australian team being based in Melbourne.

He added that when expansion was required, national teams from the Pacific Islands, based in Australia and New Zealand, should be included.

In 1996, Moffett was heavily involved in the formation of SANZAR, the Super 12 and Tri-Nations, but is now a vocal opponent. Speaking from New Zealand, where he recently moved after leaving the Welsh Rugby Union, Moffett said this Saturday's Test at Telstra Stadium had been tarnished by South Africa leaving 20 of their best players behind.

Moffett has been particularly trenchant on the subject in his newspaper column with The Press newspaper in Christchurch. He wrote at the weekend that: "With friends like South Africa who needs enemies? The SARU are an absolute disgrace and should be told immediately by NZ and Australia that they will not be required when the next television rights deal is negotiated [in 2010].

"We are led to believe that all three SANZAR countries had agreed to field their strongest teams, and in fact NZ and Australia had sent their best available players [to South Africa] and filled the stadia and coffers of SARU.

"What was the response of our supposed partner? They waited until after the second Test and selected a B team. If I was a paranoid type I would be thinking conspiracy. Denying NZ and Australia hard match practice against one of the best teams in the world in the lead-up to the World Cup will obviously harm the preparation of the All Blacks and Wallabies.

"Of course, the other injured party in this sorry saga of selfishness by SARU is SANZAR's major financial partner, News Limited. Their response so far has been muted, but I can imagine their fury behind the scenes."

Moffett said there was a simple solution - "ditch South Africa from the next TV deal".

"They behave more and more like northern hemisphere unions and should make it official by playing in competitions in the north," he said.

"New Zealand and Australia can get a much better deal for fans, players, sponsors and broadcasters by playing three Bledisloes a year, and a home and away trans-Tasman Super 10 competition. Selfishness seems to be the order of the day in the professional rugby era and perhaps now is the time for Australia and NZ to play that game."

Moffett said as the South Africans had treated Australia and New Zealand with disdain, the two countries should consider organising important lead-up matches in the UK just before the World Cup, so that they hit the tournament with match fitness and form.