How do you solve a problem like Ruan Pienaar?

Pienaar, after a shocking kicking display - 1 from 5 (and most were sitters) - fell on his sword at half time, pretending his ankle was sore, and handed the reins to Morne Steyn. The crowd cheered, Steyn kicked 3 from 4 (including some tricky long range efforts) and the match was won.

Steyn fans will feel vindicated in their demand that he be the first choice, and even Ruan (or should we say "Tiger") will be feeling it these days. But I am going to back De Villiers on this. Despite his horrendous goal-kicking, Pienaar needs to be the Bok flyhalf.

The Springbok backline looked decisive, dangerous and well-organized while Pienaar was on the field. De Villiers and Pienaar made some good in-roads through the All Black defense, including a great try by the two. Defensively they were strong - the All Blacks never once looked like scoring. Cue Pienaar's exit, and everything changed. Suddenly the Boks were devoid of ideas, mindlessly bashing it up - they never once got going again. Defensively they became frail, highlighted by Conrad Smith's try (when he brushed aside Steyn, running straight through his channel to score). Yes, the boy can kick, but there is little else Steyn gets right. With him at the helm, the Boks look like the clueless oafs the rest of the world accuses them of being.

The solution? Well, nothing really comes to mind, except entrusting Franscois Steyn with all the kicking duties, and that really doesn't sound much better. Franscois and Ruan are both confidence players - when they're on song they are geniuses, when they miss a few goals, it all falls apart. Mentally, they have the strength of chimp. All that said, the Boks led 17-3 with Pienaar on the field. Other than his goal kicking, his play was exceptional, and the Boks were cruising to victory despite his misses. Had they kept him on, they probably would have scored a couple more tries and won the game anyway.

I remain a Pienaar fan. (Even if his four misses - make that five with his drop goal attempt - take his TR total to about -25 by my count). Keep playing him, and the Boks will score enough tries to make his misses irrelavent.

Predictions: Tri-Nations Week Two

Kynan's Prediction

History is against the Bokke - the All Blacks have never lost in Bloemfontein. Now, admittedly, they've only played there twice and the last time was in the 1960's, but still, one should never discount history.

That being said, the Boks will win. They will be a little rusty (it's been weeks since any of them played), but the All Blacks will be tired, intimidated, and psychologically defeated. They've already been talking up the long flight and the effects of altitude. Ritchie McCaw will also be having nightmares of the Crusaders/Cheetahs game earlier this year, when Brussow and Juan Smith played him off the park (literally - he left with concussion).

And then there's Pierre Spies. He was quiet during the Lions Tour, but look for him to come roaring back. The game will be a little more open, the fields a little harder, the crowd a little more partisan, and the true beast within the Springbok team will explode into action. Two tries by Spies is my prediction, one of them directly over the top of King Ritchie.

Also look for a big game from Franscois Steyn. He needs to run it more, and the actions of Spies will go to his head and free him from all inhibition. He'll roar and rampage and it will be a beautiful thing to behold.

Scrum parity will be achieved, line-outs will be ruled by Matfield, Brussow will get the Boks quick ball at the breakdown, and their big Dutchmen will run riot. It's going to bring little tears of joy to my eyes.

Boks by 12. Spies top TR points scorer.

Andrew's Prediction

The Springboks are being coached by a man of straw and the question isn't if but when the situation will worsen to the point where de Villiers is replaced. For the Boks and their supporters I hope this happens sooner than later, and a new coaching set-up can have as much time as possible with the team before the 2011 World Cup. Does anyone really doubt that its the players and not the coach that run this show? The quality of John Smit's leadership on the field and the undoubted strengths and skills of the individual players have pulled them through thus far but it can't go on indefinitely. The cracks are beginning to show and are only going to get wider.

The match will be tight. The All Blacks will be buoyed by last week's victory and be all the stronger because of it. The Springboks are coming off a Lions Tour victory in which that the fact that they won seems to have been forgotten among all the flak surrounding their coach's verbal diarrhoea and tactical niavete. Both claim that they are the underdogs. Both flyhalfs are seen as the weak link by the opposition and will be targeted. There'll be parity in the scrums and at the breakdown. Expect a lot of kicking to touch by the Boks, exploiting their undoubted superiority in the lineout. I forsee a brutal but low-scoring first half, with the Boks starting better and keeping the All Blacks pinned in their half of the field. Things will open up in the second half and the All Blacks will restart the stronger team. This is where the coachless Boks will need to keep their heads. If they can weather the storm, then they'll win. But if Spies goes MIA when things get rough as he's wont to do, if Pienaar gets flustered and forced into errors, if Frans Steyn commits one of trademark acts of madness, if de Villiers makes a substitutional blunder... then the All Blacks will win this.

South Africa by less than 7. Sitiveni Sivivatu top Test Rugby points scorer.

Week Two: Andrew's Team

*New buys in italics

FR Andrew Hore (NZL) - $1,140,000
FR Bismarck du Plessis (SAF) - $1,165,000

LK Isaac Ross (NZL) - $740,000
LK Brad Thorn (NZL) - $1,130,000

LF Heinrich Brussouw (SAF) - $1,117,500
LF Juan Smith (SAF) - $1,107,500

HV Brendon Leonard (NZL) - $952,500
HV Stephen Donald (NZL) - $1,012,500

CT Ma’a Nonu (NZL) - $1,180,500
CT Jaque Fourie (SAF) - $1,222,500

OB Bryan Habana (SAF) - $1,177,500
OB Sitiveni Sivivatu (NZL) - $1,180,500

Team Value: $13,147,500
Cash in Bank: $3,500

Early buys on some Boks really paid off and I’ve been able to afford a better team as a result. Unfortunately, Cory Jane’s benching removed one of the cheapest starting players and I had to reshuffle things a little to compensate. I decided to bite the bullet go for two hookers in the FR. Du Plessis is a proven TR points earner and will be there next week too. With Ross already in the team, I plumped for Thorn. He was the cheapest starting lock available and although I think Matfield and Botha will be all over them like a bad rash, the former was too pricey and the latter is a notorious TR underachiever. I purchased Brussouw ahead of time when he was underpriced and he’s sure to be a good point scorer. McCaw and Spies were too expensive, so I eventually decided on Juan Smith to join him. Smith’s a pretty solid earner even though he’s seemed a bit off his old form lately. To mitigate Cory Jane’s departure, I picked feisty Brendon Leonard as my other HV alongside Donald. On the right day Leonard is a TR point monster. Jaque Fourie was the cheapest of the starting CTs when I bought him, now he’s only a whisker under the most expensive, so that was good business and I’d have picked him over De Villiers anyway. Initially I bought Rokocoko as my other OB. His price rose over $100,000 overnight so I sold him when I had just barely enough to buy Habana. I might regret it come Saturday but on paper’s there’s not much between them - both these players seem to be fighting the dying of the light but still have occasional flashes of the old magic.

Remember that these two teams play again next week, so only sell injured players after the round locks. Good luck.

Week Two: Kynan's Team

* New buys in italics

FR Kevin Mealamu (NZL) - $1,080,000
FR Bismarck Du Plessis (SAF) - $1,165,000

LK Isaac Ross (NZL) - $740,000
LK Victor Matfield (SAF) - $1,202,500

LF Pierre Spies (SAF) - $1,185,000
LF Kieren Read (NZL) - $882,500

HV Ruan Pienaar (SAF) - $1,127,500
HV Stephen Donald (NZL) - $1,012,500

CT Ma’a Nonu (NZL) - $1,202,500
CT Jean De Villiers (SAF) - $1,225,000

OB Franscois Steyn (SAF) - $1,162,500
OB Sitiveni Sivivatu (NZL) - $1,180,000

Team Value: $13,165,000
Cash in Bank: $32,500

Cory Jane's benching threw my entire team selection into disarray, causing me to select 2 benched players, instead of just keeping the benched Cory Jane... but there is some method to my madness.

First off, I dropped Hore for Mealamu, even though Hore is the starting player. Why? Because Mealamu scored more points last week, despite playing off the bench, and he is South Africa's nemisis. He almost ALWAYS seems to be burrowing in for tries, and with the reversion to the old laws, I'm expecting some second half mauls in SA's 22 - cue Kevin Mealamu.

Second, I dropped McCaw for Read. This was madness. I never should have done it. I should have kept McCaw and Jane, and sacrificed Franscois Steyn. I would go back and correct my mistake, but I'm worried about transfers... I only have 7 left for 2 rounds. So now, I have to hope for an injury or shocking performance from one of the NZ loosies causing Read to make an early entrance, or a shear blinder from Steyn in which he scores 500+ TR points to make up for the missing McCaw... I'm an idiot, but it could pay off. GO FRANSCOIS! I'm your biggest fan!

Everyone else pretty much picks themselves. I vascillated between Pienaar and Du Preez, and Fourie instead of De Villiers... they all good picks. Hopefully I made the right ones.

One Reason the Kiwis are Crying Softly in their Sleep

The man is a total freak of nature. If the game opens up a little, as the All Blacks are claiming, they are in for a world of hurt. I think back to England vs SA in Bloem in 2007 and Spies's two tries that day...

He is my wild card pick for the week, and below are several reasons why.

New Zealand make two changes for Boks

The All Blacks have made two changes to the team that beat Australia last week. Unsurprisingly, the have brought in Brendon Leonard, who snipes around the fringes will keep the South African defence close in, freeing up the speedsters on the outside. Speaking of speedsters, Rokocoko returns to the side, ousting Cory Jane - which throws my fantasy team selection into disarray. No-one else is affordable! All Springbok fans will also be disappointed by this move - Rokocoko needs just one more try to equal Christian Cullin's record of 10 tries versus the Boks... hopefully it won't be Saturday.

It's an ominous looking team, with only Isaac Ross appearing out of his depth. He'll be in for a fright come the first few collisions. Graham Henry has an old stalwart in Eaton on the bench though, so his risk is mitigated.

Should be a HUGE game... depending which Bok team shows up -- the battle hardened World Cup winners, or the PdV Express... always impossible to tell.

All Blacks — 15 Mils Muliaina, 14 Joe Rokocoko, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Ma’a Nonu, 11 Sitiveni Sivivatu, 10 Stephen Donald, 9 Brendon Leonard, 8 Rodney So’oialo, 7 Richie McCaw, 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Isaac Ross, 4 Brad Thorn, 3 Neemia Tialata, 2 Andrew Hore, 1 Tony Woodcock.Subs: 16 Keven Mealamu, 17 Owen Franks, 18 Jason Eaton, 19 Kieran Read, 20 Piri Weepu, 21 Luke McAlister, 22 Cory Jane

State of the Nation - South Africa

Andrew's tips based on the Springboks starting XV:

Essential Buy: Bismarck du Plessis. Second only to Mealamu as the highest scoring FR in this year's S14 and he racked up the Test Rugby points in last year's Tri-Nations. Barring injury he'll be a cert to start next week too so buy him before his price rises.

Bargain Buy: Heinrich Brussouw. At $1,045,000, he's the cheapest of the South African LFs and, thanks to his superb scavanging skills and Burger's ongoing ban, has a good chance of being the highest scoring among them.

Overpriced: Bakkies Botha. The big lock's brutality and aggression are legendary but it rarely transfers into TR points - he often fails to get into triple figures. At $1,117,500 you'd be much better spending your money elsewhere.

Wild Card: JP Pietersen. Likely to be overlooked for Habana or Steyn, the flyer has a history of occasionally scoring a lot of points and might be worth taking a gamble on.

Springbok Team Released - Distinct Lack of Madness

In another bizarre move by coach Peter De Villiers, he has announced a team with only a few obvious blunders (Ricky Januarie, I'm looking at you). The midfield, sketchy at best during the Lions series, looks decidedly solid with a return to Jake White's favorite combo. Pienaar's defensive fragility (and the absence of Burger's midfield cover tackling) will be more than compensated for by the hulking presence of JdV and Fourie.

I'm also pleased that I won't have trade any of my early SA picks from my fantasy team -- PdV and I see eye to eye (for once).

The All Blacks will be disappointed that sanity has prevailed, and their hopes of a victory must be all but snuffed out by now.

Springboks – 15 Frans Steyn, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Ruan Pienaar, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Juan Smith, 6 Heinrich Brussow, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 John Smit (c), 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Beast Mtawarira.Subs: 16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 Jannie du Plessis, 18 Danie Rossouw, 19 Ryan Kankowski, 20 Ricky Januarie, 21 Morne Steyn, 22 Wynand Olivier.

New Zealand Squad Announced

Well, I was wrong... but not by much. My Dean Mumm pick turned out to be a bust, but at least Berrick Barnes came through for me, so it was all worth it in the end. Only twenty points behind, and I blame the ref for Australia's loss. Al Baxter was consistently, and unfairly, penalized at scrum-time, when it was clear he was the one binding and New Zealand were the collapsers! Several penalties here turned the game around. But no sour grapes...

I have already picked several South Africans, and their prize is rising (I'm up $600,000 in profit thanks to early selling and buying). I bought Bismark, Spies, Matfield, De Villiers and Steyn to fill out my team already. They're sure starters (with the exception of Pienaar), but it could be I've wasted some transfers -- but the extra cash will be worth it is later rounds.

In other news, New Zealand announced their touring squad for their two South African games. No surprises, except the ommission of Franks and Gear for budgetary reasons. Apparently even sports teams are suffering through the global recession.

New Zealand – Mils Muliaina, Joe Rokocoko, Sitiveni Sivivatu, Cory Jane, Conrad Smith, Ma’a Nonu, Luke McAlister, Tamati Ellison, Stephen Donald, Jimmy Cowan, Brendon Leonard, Piri Weepu, Rodney So’oialo, Kieran Read, Jerome Kaino, Richie McCaw (c), Tanerau Latimer, Jason Eaton, Bryn Evans, Isaac Ross, Brad Thorn, Neemia Tialata, Tony Woodcock, Owen Franks, John Afoa, Keven Mealamu, Andrew Hore, Aled de Malmanche

Edit -- Apologies to anyone who bought Jean De Villiers (like me). He is expected to be warming the bench, unless Adi Jacobs fails a fitness test. Jacque Fourie looks like the better bet at the moment for SA centers, though he is nursing a quad injury... so, take your pick -- maybe you just want to stick with Kiwis for now.