Saracens, the Premiership side with more than a tinge of Springbok about them, confirmed on Friday that they want to move one of their Heineken Cup group matches to Cape Town. England's champion club admitted that they have already asked permission from the competition organisers, European Rugby Cup, the RFU and South African Rugby.
Earlier this week Saracens disclosed plans to play their home tie against the Ospreys at Wembley Stadium, which has become something of a home-from-home for the side that normally plays at Watford. However, on Friday came the admission of the more ambitious attempt to take Biarritz to the 51,900-capacity Newlands Stadium. By then John Smit, the Springbok captain, will have joined Saracens, bringing the club's quota of South African-born players to 12.
As Eddie Griffiths, the club's chief executive, said when announcing Smit's two-year deal: "We are an English club with a strong South African flavour." He added: "Our player recruitment is always done from a rugby perspective, but having a World Cup-winning captain will obviously do no harm."
On Friday the club was ploughing a similar furrow when it said it was "committed to acting in the best interests of European rugby" and would "consult widely and seriously with season ticket holders and supporters before reaching any final decision". Switching fixtures is nothing new to the Heineken Cup. Biarritz themselves make a habit of moving their bigger matches to the football stadium in San Sebastián and last season Jonny Wilkinson's Toulon team proved the Catalans were as mobile as the Basques – moving their quarter-final to Barcelona – creating Spanish venues for two of that weekend's knockout matches. This season Leinster open their title defence at the football World Cup venue, Stade de la Mosson in Montpellier, but nothing matches Saracens' plans, which come just a few months after planners thwarted attempts to move from Watford to Barnet.
However, this weekend Smit has other things on his mind as he leads an under-strength Springbok side in the opening fixture of this season's Tri Nations.
South Africa appear to be repeating the format used in 2007 when they rested players in the annual series against Australia and New Zealand before winning the World Cup. Australia, their opponents on Saturday, have already called foul and demanded to know why 21 first-choice Springboks are back home, but Smit does not accept he is leading a B team, despite the absence of players such as Bryan Habana, Fourie du Preez, Bakkies Botha, Victor Matfield, Schalk Burger and Juan Smith. Of the XV who start at ANZ Stadium possibly only Smit and the fly-half Morne Steyn will be starters when South Africa launch their World Cup defence against Wales, but Smit came out fighting: "If we are a B team it is because B stands for Boks and nothing else. We are going to play rugby and not just to make up the numbers."
South Africa will certainly have most of their big names back when the World Cup kicks off in seven weeks, but the team which look best prepared are New Zealand. Whereas Australia suffered the embarrassment of being beaten at home by Samoa last weekend, the All Blacks showed their neighbours how to cope with Pacific islanders.
After shaking off the rust, an experimental New Zealand team cruised passed Fiji, winning their Tri Nations warm-up 60-14, with Colin Slade, understudy for Dan Carter, scoring and making one of the eight tries as he bagged 19 points himself.
