I'll always be a Bok, says Bob

Bob Skinstad has committed himself to Springbok rugby until June of next year. This emerged at a Springbok media briefing in Johannesburg on Tuesday when coach Rudolf Straeuli not only outlined his plans for the remainder of the build-up to the World Cup but also revealed the national estimation of South Africa's Super 12 challenge after the last round of matches.

The Skinstad announcement tacitly implied his involvement in the World Cup later this year, but as Straeuli said later, although he has identified the core of the team the onus remains on the players to stay in form.

Skinstad's future has been the topic of much debate, but he will remain available to the Green and Gold for at least another year.

Although Skinstad's Springbok involvement is almost assured in the immediate future, the prospects for Dean Hall look rather bleak. The Cats and Lions winger has struggled with a knee injury for most of the season and although the exact severity of the knock and how long it will take to recover are not known yet, Straeuli has already ruled him out for the remainder of the season.

"We have been in consultation with the relevant specialists and all I can say is that it is not looking good. He is unlikely to play before the World Cup. He has been monitored on a weekly basis, but the prognosis on his knee injury has not been convincing," Straeuli said.

Despite his current injury the World Cup prognosis is infinitely better for Corne Krige. The Springbok captain has been ruled out for six weeks, but he won't be rushed back.

Straeuli welcomed the fact that players like centre De Wet Barry, wing Pieter Rossouw, hooker Lukas van Biljon, utility back Deon Kayser and lock Albert van den Berg have either or are on the verge of recovering. Straeuli, it seems, has big plans for Sharks hooker John Smit. "He won't be rushed back. I reiterate that there is a bigger plan," Straeuli said.

Although the national coach did not spell it out in so many words the inside back axis remains a concern. By way of example Straeuli said the Springboks had used 23 different centre combinations over the past three years.

"We need some consistency at nine, 10 and 12. In some instances in the Super 12 the coaches have adopted a rotational policy. One shouldn't get too emotional about the players' performances in one match. I'm sure the Cats, for instance, will field a different team this weekend.

"We can't go into the World Cup with untried players in key positions. The Springboks who played in 1995 have almost all retired. We never knew what our second tier of players looked like, but we went through a lot of that last year. You need experience - that's why we will try and stick with the players who are selected for the initial Tests and the Tri Nations.

"Obviously if we want to adopt a certain tactic then we will have to make a specific change or two. Apart from that we will stick to the same team," Straeuli assured.

The national coach lamented the South African teams' poor defence and skills levels in the Super 12. He used an example from his playing days to illustrate his point.

"In the 80s the Blue Bulls had a simple plan. Naas would kick the ball on to a player and we would tackle the hell out of him. If you can catch the man you can catch the ball," Straeuli said.