Smit defends 'old' Boks

John Smit believes the Springboks' biggest strength is their experience. At the same time, the captain concedes that it could be the biggest weakness too.

In an interview with CNN, to be broadcast on Saturday, Smit said: "If we win it, it will be because we've got such an experienced squad and if we lose it, it will be because that squad was too old."

He said that criticism of the team being too old had been "driven by the media where ... they haven't been able to talk about anyone else for a while".

Eighteen players in the Springbok World Cup team of 30 were in the squad that won the World Cup in 2007.

"We've got the majority of our squad who've been to a World Cup and won it and now have the responsibility of defending it.

"The crazy thing is we go in there not even close to being the oldest team in the World Cup," he said.

England, one of the oldest teams at the tournament, have an average age of 29; South Africa and New Zealand are both on 28.

Smit said this World Cup would be harder because the Boks were expected to win - "and do it twice in a row, which has never been done before".

Yesterday, the Boks received a pleasant surprise in New Zealand: Maori backing for their opening game against Wales on Sunday.

The unexpected news was delivered to the players when they were symbolically accepted into the Taranaki Whanui tribe at an official welcome ceremony on Wellington's City Waterfront yesterday.

War canoes shadowed the team as they strolled to the ceremonial homestead where a kaiwero - a spear-carrying Maori warrior in traditional dress - challenged the squad by laying down a sprig of leaves.

The offering was accepted by Smit - a sign of the team's peaceful acceptance of the challenge.

Professor Sie Ngatata Love explained that the Boks had been accepted as friends and that it was the tribe's duty to support the Springboks - although he did say that might prove difficult to sustain should the Boks meet New Zealand at any point in the competition.

The All Blacks, meanwhile, are considering the idea of playing a trial match among themselves ahead of the World Cup's opening match against Tonga on Friday.

Coach Graham Henry suggested that "15 against 15" is a serious option for New Zealand given that France, who are in the same group, have indicated that they may not field their strongest side.

Marc Lievremont, the France coach, said at the weekend that he would consider his permutations after his team had faced Canada on September 18. They play New Zealand six days later.

"At the last World Cup we had a soft qualifying round and we played [in effect] Scotland B, so in our preparations we have to take that into consideration if those things occur," Henry said. "We will have to work a bit harder during the week, play 15 against 15 in periods of training."

The statistics demonstrate why he has cause for concern. The eight pool matches New Zealand played in 2003 and 2007 were little more than exhibitions. They scored a total of 591 points and conceded only 92.

That a full-blown match-up between the 30-man squad is on the cards indicates both how determined Henry and his players are to succeed and how nerves and pressure are starting to increase.