Warning signs for Boks

rugby365.com columnist Grant Ball feels the Bulls and Stormers' losses should be clear indicators that the Boks' World Cup plans are heading off-course.

The Reds are known as a ball-in-hand team, but as suggested by www.rugbyxv.co.za last week, they chose to play for territory throughout the Newlands clash. Incredibly, most of that kicking came from their No.9 Will Genia, as they didn't want to revert pressure back to flyhalf Quade Cooper.

They picked a big pack who could control the first phases and dominate the collisions and breakdowns. With the Stormers' line-out a strength, they kicked down mid-field, and kicked out in areas where the Stormers couldn't use their maul effectively.

The Reds must be complimented on their game-plan and the execution of it. The way they played against the Lions was vastly different to how they played against the Stormers, and it was a tactical masterclass.

The big message from a South African perspective is that this is how sides are going to play against the Boks at the World Cup. Will they have a reply? The Bok coaching staff of Peter de Villiers, Gary Gold and Dick Muir didn't have answers to the questions posed last year, so those question marks will persist.

Two weeks ago, the Crusaders shoved the Sharks around at scrum-time, which was the Bok front row. This weekend, the Saders' locks dominated Bakkies Botha and Victor Matfield, and they didn't even have impressive youngster Sam Whitelock. These are not just warning signs for our Super Rugby teams, but also for the World Cup campaign.

What that shows is that previously unthreatened combinations shouldn't be guaranteed of their places in the Bok team. In the old pecking order, Matfield, Botha, John Smit et al were all certainties, but on current form, that wouldn't be the case. This again, is not news, as those players – to mention a few – are not clearly the best in their position in the country.

What's been clear in the first eight rounds of Super Rugby is how New Zealand and Australia are more focused on the national interest. Robbie Deans watched the Force alongside injured David Pocock, Jim Williams was present at Brumbies games, while Graham Henry was at Twickenham to watch the Sharks and Saders.

Where's De Villiers? In Israel 'helping' their team (gauging by what he's done with the Boks, they're likely to slip in the rankings, performances and foreign relations).

De Villiers came out and stated that John Smit is his World Cup hooker two weeks ago. Since, John Plumtree has effectively given him a slap in the face by playing Smit at loosehead for 83 minutes. Plumtree said at the start of the season he considers Smit as a hooker who can play other positions in the front row, but he hasn't backed that up with actions. You can't really blame Plumtree for not listening to or working with De Villiers, as it's unclear what the actual national plan has been with Smit and the dilemma has lingered for a while now.

Will Smit be consistently used at hooker this season? Time will only tell.

Looking at other countries, Richie McCaw hasn't been rushed back from injury, again in the All Blacks' interests. Compare this to how Matfield and Fourie du Preez play 80 minutes every weekend and Smit playing prop. Who is controlling who – the national team or are the provinces pulling all the strings?

Halfway through the tournament South African fans should be asking what the plan is for the Boks (or whether there is one?). Amid much hype before the Super competition started, SARU stated that these leading Boks would be managed as there was 'buy-in' from the local franchises. As was predicted in an earlier column, we haven't seen any evidence of this with individuals again not rested and played into the ground (this won't change until players have centralised contracts controlled by the national union).

Hence, the likelihood of these senior Boks arriving at the World Cup in anywhere near peak mental and physical condition is slim.

Judging on these facts, which one of the southern hemisphere triumvirate will have had the best preparation heading into the World Cup? It's definitely not South Africa.