DERBY DAYS:South Africa and the All Blacks were quick to establish themselves as the sport's leading lights early in the 20th century, writes DAMIAN CULLEN.

South Africa v New Zealand: Saturday, July 25th, kick-off – 5pm (local time), 4pm (Irish time)

“WHEN SOUTH Africa plays New Zealand, consider your country at war.” So said Boy Louw – the legendary Springbok who played in all eight forward positions for his country in the 1930s – to the South African team prior to a Test against New Zealand in 1949.

The rivalry between the countries began at a time when both nations considered themselves the premier power in international rugby.

How little has changed since.

Both were quick to establish themselves as among the sport’s leading lights early in the 20th century. The Springboks defeated the Lions in 1903, and a decade later registered a Grand Slam against Ireland, England, Wales and Scotland. By then, New Zealand had already a successful European tour under their belt – a controversial 3-0 defeat to Wales in Cardiff the only blemish after a 35-match voyage.

However, before any meetings between the two Southern Hemisphere powers could be arranged, war intervened and so the long-anticipated clash did not take place until August, 1921, when 25,000 spectators squeezed into the Carisbrook ground in Dunedin to watch the home side win 13-5.

With neither country in any doubt as to their position in international rugby, the series was billed the “World Championship of Rugby”. The visitors claimed the second Test, 9-5, with the third, played in awful weather conditions, failing to produce a single score.

The return visit seven years later in South Africa also failed to produce a series winner, which, if anything, only added to the growing legend.

There was, however, a further complication to the rivalry.

To this day simply known as “The Tour” in New Zealand, the captain of the Springboks during the 1981 trip to take on the All Blacks, Wynand Claasen, later wrote in his autobiography, More than just rugby that, “a series between the Springboks and the All Blacks became a battle of the giants – the unofficial world championship. In both countries rugby has been regarded as the national sport, played with awesome power and passion; it has become a religion.”

But the tour had little to do with sport. Due to apartheid, regular international rugby began to disappear for South Africa in the 1980s and so the 1981 Springbok tour was hugely controversial (though South Africa’s political policies had already impacted on the All Blacks for decades – especially on the selection, or more accurately non-selection, of Maori players for tours to South Africa).

In July, 1981, the South Africa rugby squad touched down in a country hopelessly, and dangerously, split by their arrival.

Protests greeted the visiting side’s every move, and their second game, against Waikato in Hamilton, had to be abandoned when several hundred protesters managed to make it on the pitch.

Rugby was of secondary concern throughout the tour, and the final Test in Auckland was disrupted by flour-bombs dropped on to the pitch from an airplane. It was a circus, with, perhaps appropriately, some of the most enduring television images of the tour being policemen fighting protesters dressed as clowns.

Subsequently, South Africa’s political regime resulted in the country missing much more important rugby clashes – in particular the first World Cup finals, and so the rivalry was denied a major clash in the sport’s biggest stage until 1995.

The World Cup final at Ellis Park, Johannesburg, was won by the host country, 15-12, after extra-time and South Africa also claimed the third-place play-off crown at Cardiff a decade ago, though New Zealand blitzed the Springboks 29-9 four years later in the quarter-final clash in Melbourne (before being shocked themselves by the hosts in the next round),

The 1995 decider underlined the fact that going to South Africa, and winning, as the Lions found recently, is no simple task.

In fact, while New Zealand in the modern era may have a hold over South Africa, it was not until 1996 – under the captaincy of Seán Fitzpatrick – that the All Blacks won a Test series in South Africa for the first time.

After the 1981 fiasco and the history of the sport between the two countries, it is, perhaps, fitting that, since 2004, the Freedom Cup is awarded the winners of the South Africa versus New Zealand battles in the Tri-Nations series.

Famously, though, the cup was mistakenly presented to Springbok captain John Smit three years ago by former scrumhalf Joost van der Westhuizen, who was acting as a presenter for a South African television station. Smit, presumably not wanting to embarrass his former team-mate on live television, accepted the cup. It was then handed over to the winners of the series, New Zealand, off-air.

New Zealand – seeking a fifth successive Tri-Nations title – defeated Australia, 22-16, in a typically tense, hard-fought trans-Tasman encounter in Auckland on Saturday, with outhalf Stephen Donald kicking 17 of the home side’s total and All Blacks captain Richie McCaw claiming a try.

Now, Conrad Smith, Sitiveni Sivivatu, Rodney So’oialo, Brad Thorn and Co bring their spectacular show to Bloemfontein, to face the bullish world champions.

The quirky nature of the Tri-Nations series means the New Zealanders will stay in South Africa and face the hosts in a second Tri-Nations match the following weekend, in Durban.

South Africa coach Peter de Villiers has kept faith with the squad that claimed the recent series against the Lions. Schalk Burger is out, of course, because of a 12-week ban for misconduct during the second Lions Test, but Bakkies Botha’s two-week suspension has expired.

“The Lions series was ideal preparation for the Tri-Nations,” De Villiers said. “The core squad that secured the series win in the first two Tests has . . . much more to offer.”

We’ll find out this weekend.

2009 Tri-Nations Schedule

July 18thNew Zealand 22 Australia 16Eden Park, Auckland

July 25thSouth Africa v New ZealandVodacom Park, Bloemfontein

Aug 1stSouth Africa v New ZealandABSA Stadium, Durban

Aug 8thSouth Africa v AustraliaNewlands, Cape Town

Aug 22ndAustralia v New ZealandANZ Stadium, Sydney

Aug 29thAustralia v South AfricaSubiaco Oval, Perth

Sep 5thAustralia v South AfricaSuncorp Stadium, Brisbane

Sep 12thNew Zealand v South Africa Waikato Stadium, Hamilton

Sep 19thNew Zealand v Australia Westpac Stadium, Wellington