Gatland refuses to talk `damage limitation'

So often it happens. A sporting encounter is built up as the mother of all grudge matches, but the potentially explosive match-up goes off with barely a whimper. Judging by the mantra-like utterances from both camps, discipline will be such a byword that you'd almost be lulled into thinking this could be glorified tip rugby.

Well, perhaps not. About the cheekiest comment given the week that's in it was the warning by Warren Gatland that if things turned nasty Ireland won't be taking any backward steps.

Any chance of this being construed as the opening salvo in a pre-match war of words was played down by his exceedingly diplomatic South African counterpart Nick Mallett.

"It's very similar to what he's been saying all along. Their traditional game is to be a very fiery and physical side and we've seen historically, such as their World Cup match against Australia in 1991, they lift themselves for games of this nature, and it's totally understandable and obviously laudable. "He's not going to send his team onto the pitch to admire these guys, stand back and let them play rugby. I would do exactly the same. And it's encouraging that he's saying the same as me. It doesn't matter how hard it is, providing there is discipline on the field from both sides."

Mallett maintained that discipline is not a concern for him. "That second Test was a bit of an aberration. I think what happened was that the Springboks side wasn't prepared for the physical confrontation in the first Test. Maybe it was our fault. We weren't perhaps as respectful of the Irish side as we should have been. "There was a massive difference between the Irish performance that day and in their preceding provincial games. And this is one thing that the Irish are always capable of doing." "So history tells us that Ireland can be 50 per cent better on a Test day and unfortunately we got a surprise as to how physical and committed they were."

Singing a slightly different tune to the one in the immediate, emotional aftermath of battle, perhaps also because South Africa are away from home, Mallett now concedes that Joost van der Westhuizen's infamous kick at a prostrate Malcolm O'Kelly during the second Test was "not acceptable". "The referee saw it. Nothing was done about it. I think the Irish were incensed by it and it turned into what looked like a first division match in France, and I've been involved in those."

With "an Anglo-Saxon referee", namely Clayton Thomas, Mallet says: "I don't see that happening on Saturday." Judged strictly by the scorelines - the winning margins against Wales and Scotland were eight and 25 points, compared to 83 and 58 in previous meetings - the South Africans seem to be slipping.

However, Mallett attributed this to the aping of southern hemisphere styles and consequent improvements in the northern hemisphere, noting that the greater emphasis on retaining possession gave Scotland a 58 per cent haul of the ball last Saturday.

Meantime the "crucial" appointment of Graham Henry in Wales meant they played "very, very good rugby, added to which we weren't quite on top of our game.

"Both teams played very constructive rugby and ran the ball back at us. I'm not sure that Ireland will do that. Ireland's traditional strength has been to have a very aggressive pack, and picking McGuinness and Elwood, both are very good kicking half-backs. If the weather is wet and there's a bit of a wind, it's going to be a very different challenge on Saturday. It might be a very tight, close game, with not many points in it."

There's no doubt that Ireland will change their tactics considerably from the last two Saturdays, though the inference that Ireland will be playing damage limitation rugby has angered Warren Gatland.

"Playing a damage limitation game would be doing a disservice to the country, to the players and to the jersey. For the last few days people have being saying that we would go out to play a damage limitation game and for that view to be expressed annoys me.

"We will be going out to play as positively as we can. We want to win the match and I believe that we can do that, but South Africa are obviously a very good side. I am not going to give their coach Nick Mallett anything about how we are going to play, but we will be taking the South Africans on."

Ireland will be wearing white jerseys, with a green stripe on the shoulder, blue shorts and green socks, no less ridiculous, as Gatland saw it, than the Springboks having to change colours when they were at home.

It prompted Donal Lenihan to impress upon the Irish media to "clarify the point in advance, so the Lansdowne Road crowd don't cheer the wrong team."

James Dalton, the Springboks hooker, aggravated a hamstring strain in training at Sydney Parade yesterday, and although he took no further part as "a precautionary measure" a final decision as to his availability will not be made until tomorrow.

If he is ruled out, then Naka Drotske will take his place, with Ollie le Roux acting as cover, to which end he practised his line-out throws yesterday. Le Roux has played at hooker in the past for Natal.