The world champions have been beaten already - what a poisoned chalice that Webb Ellis Cup seems to be. Any similarity with the travails of the preceding world champions, however, ends there. Losing a tight one to the All Blacks in Wellington hardly represents a crisis, but that niggling question that so troubles those rugby types south of the equator - viz, who are the best team in the world - remains a live one.
The Tri Nations this season stretches out before us, so there is ample time to settle the debate. These days it is even longer than usual; the three combatants, New Zealand, South Africa and Australia, now play each other three times, rather than just the two, presumably for want of something better to do. The sooner Argentina are invited into the fray, the better.
This match contained a lot we might have expected from the two best teams in the world: big hits, evident desire on both sides, blah, blah, blah. But as an advert for the experimental law variations whose trials are being continued in this tournament, it was no better than your average Six Nations slugfest.
The weather did not help. The first half was played in continual rain. It abated for much of the second, which was when New Zealand seized control of the game, but by the end a howling gale from Antarctica had stepped in to lend its version of hostility. Balls were regularly spilled as New Zealand tried to finish the Springboks off and the Springboks themselves tried to salvage a bonus point. Maestros such as Dan Carter, superb throughout, and Bryan Habana, whose fine try just before half-time had hinted at the world champions' calibre, finished the game puffing heartily into their icy hands.
With Richie McCaw injured and any number of All Blacks having fled in pursuit of riches in the north, there was genuine belief among the Springbok camp that this could be their first win over the All Blacks in New Zealand for 10 years. It was not entirely misplaced. New Zealand dominated the early exchanges, and three penalty goals from Carter in reply to one by the distinctly off-form Butch James had the All Blacks holding a 9-3 lead before South Africa managed to get into the game. But fine interplay between Adi Jacobs and Jean de Villiers had the latter streaking clear to send Habana in for a fine try minutes before half-time to trim the lead at the break to one point.
That was as many as the Springboks were going to score. In typical style, New Zealand turned it on when it mattered. Carter was caught in all sorts of trouble in his own 22, defensive chores seemingly beneath his majesty, but a massive relieving kick by Rudi Wulf gave Carter the chance at the other end to parade the stuff he does better than any. Like a matador he toyed with South Africa in the phases that followed until he worked a loop around Tony Woodcock and fed Brad Thorn, who put Jerome Kaino over. Carter converted from wide out to put them more than a score beyond the visitors, and his late penalty concluded the scoring.
As for the ELVs, there was nothing much to report. If the weather is bad and the teams are pumped up, no pesky law variations are going to do much to change the tenor of the match. It was noticeable that there was but one rolling maul - tried by the Springboks around the 50-minute mark. It lasted a couple of seconds before they thought better of it - and the loss of this aspect of the game is the most worrying for the future of the sport.
Otherwise, it was amusing to watch the referee Stuart Dickinson confuse himself with whether a penalty or free-kick was the appropriate censure, instinctively signalling for the former on a few occasions before quickly changing to the latter. Penalties can only be awarded now for offside and foul play, which seems a ludicrous catch-all for any number of offences. He seemed to award penalties against the Springboks for boring in at the scrum and towards the end for Habana playing the ball off his feet. Both should now result in free-kicks, although you might describe each as foul play, as you might any number of offences.
So plenty still to clear up, not least who are the best team in the world. The next debate on that is scheduled for Saturday.
New Zealand Muliaina; Sivivatu (MacDonald 69), Smith, Nonu, Wulf; Carter, Ellis (Cowan 75); Woodcock, Hore (Mealamu 72), Somerville (Tialata 75), Thorn, Williams, Thomson (Lauaki 61), So'oialo (capt), Kaino
Try: Kaino Con: Carter Pens: Carter 4
South Africa Jantjes (Montgomery 64); O Ndungane, Jacobs, De Villiers, Habana; James (Steyn 59), Januarie (Conradie 72); Steenkamp, Smit (capt; B Du Plessis 38), Van der Linde (Mujati 46), Botha (Bekker 72), Matfield, Burger, Smith, Van Niekerk (Watson 59)
Try: Habana, Pen: James
Referee: S Dickinson (Australia)
Attendance: 36,568
