SA delay naming team for All Blacks test

WELLINGTON – South Africa have delayed naming their team for the Tri-Nations test against New Zealand in Hamilton on Saturday as they await results of fitness tests on injured pair Bryan Habana and Pierre Spies.

Winger Habana went off with a hamstring strain shortly before halftime in the Springboks’ 21-6 loss to Australia in Brisbane last Saturday and did not return to the field. Number eight Spies would also be tested after sustaining a groin injury during the Wallabies game, South Africa Rugby spokesman Anthony Mackaiser said on Tuesday.The team would be named at 12h30 today, he added.Lock Bakkies Botha is still recovering from a minor knee injury, but is expected to be named.Victory for South Africa over the defending champions would secure the Tri-Nations crown for the visitors while the All Blacks have a slim mathematical chance of retaining their title if they win their last two matches by large margins. The Springboks, currently training in Australia’s glitzy Gold Coast region in the tropical northern state of Queensland, have also held off arriving in Hamilton early out of fears the sleepy northern town might be too boring for the players.- Nampa-Reuters