Scrum of the Earth /

JP Pietersen: 'Kaaahuuuuiiii'

South Africa 0
New Zealand 19: Tries: C Smith, D Carter, K Mealamu Cons: D Carter (2)

The All-Blacks are back in business. You are forgiven if you were glued to the 100m final rather than the Herculean efforts of the New Zealand forwards in Cape Town.

Whatever panic button was pushed after two successive defeats earlier in the competition, it has been gently put back on hold - for now at least - as the champions-elect took a firm grip of the TriNations with a gritty 19-0 defeat of the Springboks.

South Africa were poor. World cup hangovers are ghastly things - just ask England - and their unruffled heads and Olympian standards, which they set in France last year were clearly left behind at the bottom of the empty bottle of Châteaux Margeaux.

Tactically inept - sometimes it was like watching a dog aimlessly chasing his ball around a park - this mutt lacked teeth and coach Pieter de Villiers is being dragged around like a blind man.

De Villiers’ appointment was a political choice but a disregard for conservatism and bloody-mindedness shows that policy and scheduling was part of the old rule.

New Zealand hardly hit world record pace themselves. Mr. Perfect Dan Carter was offbeat, coughing up five chances at goal, and despite the odd moment of genius, Carter must be getting weekly updates of the cracking surf in the Languedoc-Roussillon.

If the black attack stuttered along with a hop-skip and a jump, their mulish defence and scholarly stratagem was marathon-like.

Richie McCaw was a warrior and found able allies in the ever-improving Jerome Kaino and Rodney So’oialo’s hustle and bustle.

Three tries to nil, a shed load of errors and an infection of attacking nous giving critics plenty of ammunition to lament the Experimental Law Variations - at least the 9.69 seconds of Usain Bolt got us on their edge of our seats.

Jamaica? Rugby? Whatever next...

IRB honcho Bernard Lapasset had this to say about it all, "This is tremendous news for Rugby World Cup. The fact that 10 member unions have signalled their intention to tender for the 2015 and 2019 tournaments reflects the growing global prestige of the Rugby World Cup. The IRB Council will announce the RWC 2015 and 2019 host unions in July 2009, six years prior to the first tournament and 10 years prior to the 2019 event."

Hibbard: Suffering from a bad case of shoulder-knack...

Ospreys' Richard Hibbard is set to miss the first few weeks of the new season after undergoing surgery on his injured right shoulder.

The Wales hooker suffered the knock while in South Africa during Wales' summer tour, and experienced pain when he returned to pre-season training. The Magners League begins on 5th September, with Ospreys opening against Connacht. Hibbard should be fit again in time for Wales' international match against South Africa in November.