Position at risk (File)

Rob Houwing, Sport24 chief writer

Cape Town – New Zealand’s spirited second-half revival in Bloemfontein might just be the lifejacket that prevents the disposal of several All Blacks as their brains trust contemplates the Tri-Nations follow-up against the Springboks in Durban on Saturday.

But even that may not be enough as coach Graham Henry and company seek to remedy – and rapidly – the factors that led to South Africa bossing proceedings last weekend.

So they face a dilemma before announcing their line-up on Tuesday: whether to view their veritable first-half bullying by the Boks as an aberration, and thus retain a high degree of faith in the starting XV humbled in the Free State yet notably more competitive in the second 40 minutes, or act decisively to try to strengthen their run-on troops at Absa Stadium.

The problem with the latter approach, however, is the oft-resultant perception that panic has set in, and it is still worth remembering that New Zealand briefly showed signs of snatching the first match after the ignominy of the opening half.

South Africa, of course, are hale and hearty and smart money suggests that, if Jean de Villiers is passed fit, then points-machine Morne Steyn for Ruan Pienaar at flyhalf might be the lone alteration to the Bok combination – and even that is not guaranteed because of the general-play qualities exhibited by the latter before he limped off at the break following what is not thought to be a particularly serious injury.

The All Blacks’ wise men, then, ought to be required to deliberate for significantly longer than their Bok counterparts.

Four players – scrumhalf Brendon Leonard, tighthead prop Neemia Tialata, No 8 Rodney So’oialo and hooker Andrew Hore – will probably come under especially close scrutiny.

New Zealand’s present, unsettling yo-yo approach to the No 9 jersey is tipped to continue, with critics back in the Land of the Long White Cloud suggesting a return for Jimmy Cowan, who started in the Auckland win against the Wallabies but fell right out of the match-day 22 in Bloemfontein.

This time Brendon Leonard may experience a similarly spectacular fall from favour, as versatile Piri Weepu (he can double as a flyhalf) ought to keep his bench role.

Yet Weepu may also not be considered a realistic option to start at scrumhalf in Durban, after his ill-directed pass to substitute lock Jason Eaton led to South Africa’s precious second try at Bloemfontein which finally put the game out of the visitors’ grasp.

Mountainous tighthead Tialata occasionally felt the heat when Bok No 1 Beast Mtawarira put in a “special effort” shove, and he also incurred broad Kiwi wrath when he took an eccentric 22 drop-out himself, which he botched and South Africa banged over a penalty within a minute later.

Columnist Peter Bills, in Monday’s New Zealand Herald, described Tialata’s “ludicrous” action as conducted “with all the dexterity of an elephant trying to play football”.

Assistant coach Steve Hansen noted after the match that the New Zealand scrum “came right” in the second half, which seems to hint that replacement Owen Franks will earn a maiden start this week; Tialata has a knee strain anyway.

Franks is only 21 and, after just three appearances off the bench, picking the Crusaders prospect would involve certain risks.

Veteran So’oialo, off his game in successive matches against Australia and South Africa, is similarly under threat at No 8 from another up-and-coming Crusaders man, Kieran Read, although the latter is rather more familiar with the blindside flank’s chores.

Certainly So’oialo was played off the park by his opposite number Pierre Spies in Bloemfontein, the Bulls juggernaut playing arguably his best ever 80 minutes of Test rugby against blue-chip opposition and showing mighty leg-power virtually throughout.

New Zealand’s lineout woes, a key area of current crisis, are not expected to be laid too heavily at the door of incumbent lock pair Brad Thorn and Isaac Ross – it is hooker Andrew Hore’s inconsistent throwing-in that will be placed under the microscope early this week.

Reserve hooker Keven Mealamu, 30, is a 65-cap All Black veteran with a habit of playing his best rugby against South Africa, although he is a fairly diminutive customer whose presence may mildly compromise the New Zealand scrum – the tall and muscular Bismarck du Plessis shone for South Africa in all departments in the Free State city.

Just for the moment, South Africa’s controversial coach Peter de Villiers may be relishing having fewer “issues” on his plate than his direct counterpart Henry …