RUGBY NEWS:WALES HAVE struggled all year to decide whether James Hook or Stephen Jones is their leading outhalf but they are unlikely to have to make a choice for their match against New Zealand on Saturday.
Hook is rated as no more than 50-50 to be fit to face the All Blacks after injuring his knee in the win over Canada last Friday.
Hook had a scan yesterday and Wales were due to make a decision this morning ahead of a lunchtime team announcement. The third number 10 in the squad is the 19-year old Dan Biggar, who won his first cap as Hook's replacement against Canada.
"James is continuing to have treatment, but we will have to make a decision on him on Tuesday morning," said the Wales assistant coach Shaun Edwards.
"I would rate him at 50-50 to be fit. We are coming up against the most respected team in world rugby and we are going to have to get everything right on the day."
Jones has played against New Zealand six times for Wales and lost six times - the men in red last defeated the All Blacks in 1953, which was long before any of the current coaching team, let alone the players, was born.
"[The All Blacks] represent the ultimate challenge," said Jones yesterday. "I have enjoyed a couple of close contests against them, in the 2003 World Cup [53-37] and in Cardiff a year later when we lost by a point [26-25], and it is always a case of matching them not just physically but mentally. The mind is a powerful weapon. You have to have self-belief when you come up against the world's best sides."
South Africa coach Peter de Villiers made the startlingly honest claim in London yesterday that his team cannot wait for their tour to end and are counting down the days until they fly home. While professional pride should ensure they remain competitive against England at Twickenham on Saturday, De Villiers did not sound entirely convinced.
"Sometimes it's very difficult to motivate yourself," he said. "These guys play around the clock and I hope we can get them to stand up for the last game this weekend. We know it's going to be very difficult. Their bodies are conditioned but nobody sees the psychological fatigue. That's the challenge for us."
According to De Villiers, frustration over the IRB's strict breakdown protocols and the experimental law variations relating to the maul and the lineout is sapping the resolve of north and south alike.
"I don't understand the breakdowns or the laws any more," said the South Africa coach, who was still unhappy with the zero-tolerance stance applied by the English referee Dave Pearson at Murrayfield last weekend.
Guardian Service
