By popular consent, today's Griqualand West against the Irish dirtrackers match in Kimberley's Hoffe Park will be the hardest game of the tour outside of the two Tests. Griquas are the form province in South Africa at the moment, and even South Africans find Hoffe Park particularly intimidating and unfriendly.
A brief dialogue on arrival at the team hotel on Monday between the hotel receptionist and two South Africans perhaps indicated the mood amongst home supporters. Having ascertained the identity of the Irish rugby team, not easy given they had returned from a jog in their respective four relay teams (the indian squaws, the eight skins, the commando's and the pink dwarfs), the guests said: "Wait 'till Griquas get a hold of them."
"Ya," agreed the receptionist, "our boys will annihilate them."
Hereabouts in this sleepy old diamond town, almost 1,000 kilometres north-east of Cape Town in the high veldt and famous for its aptly named Big Hole, it is said that more millionaires gather under the Kimberley club roof than any other club in the world. Even by South African standards, the white-dominated rugby province (rugby has always been played in the Coloured townships but the development policy appears to have stuttered) don't exactly suffer unduly from an inferiority complex.
Apparently, Griquas don't so much beat their visitors at Hoffe Park, as eat them. They've a hard and aggressive pack. Their crowd like nothing more than the sight of their pack battering the opposing eight into submission.
But, as highlights of their thumping 57-0 win over the Golden Lions in the Vodacom Cup final last Saturday week showed, they can run tries in from all over the place. Admittedly, they don't have their celebrated rookie, lynchpin and points machine Gaffie du Toit (Ireland's Test side instead get him on Saturday in Bloemfontein).
Also missing is regular number eight and captain Luther Bakkes (concussed in the Vodacom final) and left-winger Jearus Nicholas (a postman whose work has taken him back to Western Province).
Furthermore their original choice to replace du Toit at out-half, Springbok Boeta Wessels, has pulled out with a cold.
This has meant a further reshuffle amongst their backs but Robert Markram is one of five players at the disposal of Andre Markgraaf, the once disgraced former Springbok coach now reviving his reputation.
They still have a couple of Springboks in the highly rated Danie Theron and centre Edrich Lubbe as well as three members of the Emerging Springboks team to play Wales on Friday, the exciting Lourens Venter at centre, scrumhalf Hakkies Husselman and flanker Piet Krause.
Their mobility up front is highlighted by the presence of flanker Philip Smit in the second-row alongside rangy 6 foot 7 inch lock Albert van den Berg, scorer of 10 tries in 14 Vodacom Cup games.
Such is their reputation that, according to Dion O'Cuinneagain, Griquas are regularly served up on the Tuesday before a first Test match so as to rough up the tourists. Three years ago, when the All Blacks historically won the Test series here 3-1, their only other blemish on the nine-match tour was a lucky 18-18 draw with Griquas, who are considerably better now.
Hence, when Markgraaff says he is merely going to tell his boys to go out and enjoy themselves "because it will be hard for them to lift themselves again," it's to be taken with a kilo of salt.
The Irish management appear to have protected the vast bulk of their Test team from duty whilst also putting a fair bit of aggressiveness into their own pack. There's a core of five Limerick players there and certainly you'd feel safe walking down any street in the world with Trevor Brennan and the Clohessys for company.
You sense they won't be tugging the forelock or running away from the physical confrontation as the '94 dirtrackers in Australia reputedly did. You sense also it might be an interesting test of discipline and of Tappe Henning's er, neutrality, given he was a touch-judge last Saturday. Hence, when asked about the hostile atmosphere, Gatland retorted: "From the crowd or the referee?"
While more partisan than most in South African, home support is not expected to be more than 7,000 for a Tuesday afternoon game at the impressive 13,000 capacity stadium which was completely refurbished three years ago. The heat will not be too stifling as the afternoon wears on, the shade lengthens and the evening chill begins, while the parched-looking pitch is surprisingly well covered and spongy.
Nevertheless, the Irish players were quick to feel the dryness at the back of their throats from the Northern Cape's thin air. Added to which, the likes of Mick Galwey, Des Clohessy (the 24year-old playing his first representative game apart from one Munster cap as a flanker three years ago) and Derek Hegarty are bound to be rusty, while the latter duo are two of seven uncapped players in a raw-looking side.
Furthermore, there was a battered look to the squad during a low-key run-out at Hoffe Park yesterday morning which focused on scrummaging and defensive organisation. Aside from the injured Eric Elwood and David Corkery, several seem to be carrying knocks - Peter Clohessy, Galwey, Gabriel Fulcher, Anthony Foley and David Wallace, whose ankle strain from a fall while jogging on Monday night looks the most serious.
Against that, it's a pretty strong-looking, experienced bench. In times past too, this one might have been a rout, whereas there's a more resilient edge to Gatland's Ireland.
"I think we'll win," said captain Foley confidently yesterday. "There's a great atmosphere in the squad and we need a win. Once upon a time we might have thought `gee, South Africans'. But they're not supermen. Hit them hard and they hurt just like everybody else."
Ireland should be more organised and cohesive than a week ago, especially with regard to the four-up defence, while their immense tackling has thus far been a trademark. It could be another close one, it mightn't be one they win (though you sense there's another one coming), but once again it won't be a bloodless coup either.
