Springboks just don't weather well

Scotland 21 South Africa 17:THE SPRINGBOKS flew south yesterday ahead of Saturday's game at Twickenham, bracing themselves for a rejuvenated England side and the results of drug tests that tripled in intensity on Saturday after the positives which followed their game against Ireland.

Last week, the world champions ordered the wing Bjorn Basson and the prop Chiliboy Ralepelle to pack their bags after tests showed traces of the prohibited stimulant methylhexaneamine.

However, those results did not arrive until after the second game of the Springbok tour in Cardiff, where no testing was done. But, on Saturday, the testers returned with a vengeance after the defeat at Murrayfield, demanding that six South Africans give samples instead of the usual two.

Sources within the Springbok camp would not name the players tested, but it is known four from the starting XV and two of the replacements were involved.

Scotland were asked to give only two samples.

The problem for South Africa is they still do not know how methylhexaneamine got into the systems of Basson and Ralepelle and, because they were the only two to be tested in Dublin, whether many others might have been tainted.

They sent their energy drinks for analysis, concerned the whole touring party might have been in danger of failing drug tests.

The result of that analysis is not yet known and, in the build-up to Saturday’s game against Scotland, South African players took only water, and medication was kept to a minimum.

According to Morne Steyn – not one of those tested – the changes, which also included food supplements, disrupted their preparations for Scotland, although the outhalf, like captain Victor Matfield, steered clear of blaming anything other than South Africa’s inability to cope with the wind and cold of Edinburgh in November.

Steyn kicked four penalties and replacement lock Willem Alberts scored the game’s try, but the world champions’ hopes of a grand slam tour were kicked into touch by 21 points – six penalties and a drop goal – from the Scotland outhalf Dan Parks.

Now they have to hope for a performance against England that gives some hint of a side able to defend the crown in 10 months.

Against Ireland and Wales they may have won, but their style of rugby has been light years behind the stuff played by New Zealand, Australia and even, on their day, England.

Against Scotland, the Springboks had hoped to show more adventure, but came unstuck when the rain came lashing down.

“Credit to Scotland, they played the conditions better,” said Matfield who spent much of the afternoon either being lectured to by the referee or questioning Stuart Dickinson’s decisions.

“You know, we’ve been listening to criticism of our style of play recently, listening to people saying that we need to play more rugby. I think we tried to play rugby here, but we tried to do it in our own half instead of theirs. It was a mistake. We put ourselves under pressure instead of putting them under pressure. Yeah, we’ll mourn a bit tonight.”

For Scotland, celebrations were more the order of the day.

A week after being humbled by the All Blacks, they beat the side rated second in the world by doing what they do best. The backrow, led by John Barclay but well supported by the replacement Richie Vernon, were everywhere.

The giant 21-year-old Richie Gray, making only his second start, made light of the world’s top lineout, and the pack collectively refused to let a difficult first 15 minutes upset them.

It was Scotland’s first win over South Africa in eight years and also their fourth victory in five Tests, with the coach Andy Robinson sensing more to come.

“This victory is achieved by the players and the mindset they’ve brought into the week that they’re able to take on anybody,” said Robinson.

“There’s something brewing, but there’s a lot of hard work to go on. Every time we perform we’ve got to be at our very best. We’ll go step by step. We’ve got a long way to go.”

SCOTLAND: Southwell; Walker, Ansbro, Morrison, S Lamont; Parks, R Lawson; Jacobsen, Ford, Murray, Gray, MacLeod, Hines, Barclay, Brown. Replacements: Vernon for MacLeod (34), Hall for Ford, Low for Murray (both 67), Paterson for Walker (72), Rennie for Brown (78). Not used: Laidlaw, Jackson.

SOUTH AFRICA: Kirchner; Aplon, F Steyn, de Villiers, Mvovo; M Steyn, Hougaard; Mtawarira, B du Plessis, J du Plessis, Botha, Matfield, Stegmann, Smith, Kankowski. Replacements: Alberts for Stegmann, Pienaar for Hougaard (both 46), Lambie for M Steyn (63), van der Merwe for Botha (65), van der Linde for Mtawarira (71), Strauss for B du Plessis (72). Not used: Jacobs.

Referee: S Dickinson(RFU).