Wallaby fetcher George Smith has made some special preparation for the Tri-Nations Test against the Springboks at Newlands on Saturday – by cutting his hair.
The Wallaby stalwart underwent a makeover of sorts for Saturday’s showdown by cutting his hair to prevent the Boks from pulling it out.
"Yeah, I had it cut because too many South African players were pulling it (in the past)," admitted Smith, who recently earned his 100th Test cap for Australia.
"I heard they (the Boks) had a good bit (of hair) a few years back and I thought now was a good time to get it off."
Smith was alluding to the 2004 season, when reports surfaced that the Springbok players – with a certain loose forward as the alleged instigator – had a playful ‘price on Smith’s head’.
That price was said to be $100 (then R550), payable to the player who returned to the locker room with one of Smith’s dreadlocks after the Tri-Nations Test in Perth.
On a serious note, Smith said his aim for Saturday’s clash will be to steer clear of incurring the referee’s wrath. “I always play to the referee, he's the boss in the middle so I try and get on his good side as much as possible," said Smith.
"Referees differ in different situations. You have to be aware of what the referee is saying and then make sure that you are playing within his laws and the laws of the game. On Saturday, there will be nothing different in my aspect of playing. I'll be playing to the laws of the game."
The Australians would be wise to adopt Smith's thoughts on how to go about working the rucks and mauls for fear that they could be punished as severely as New Zealand were in last Saturday's Test in Durban.
The All Blacks' offences in Durban eventually contributed no less than 24 points in the Boks' 31-19 victory after flyhalf Morne Steyn banged over eight out of nine penalty attempts.
“It has become almost common practice nowadays for referees to vary the way they patrol the breakdown points from one week to another, much to the irritation of players and coaches alike.
"It (the way the referee blows at the breakdowns) can be frustrating if you allow it (to frustrate you)," Smith explained. You have to quickly adapt to the situation and make sure that you're on song. You have to allow the referee do his job in the middle.
"The thing is, you can control what your emotions are doing out there and make sure you do things right to the best of your ability. If you allow your frustrations to creep in and continue like that throughout the game who won't be playing the game you should be playing."
The Springboks, who staged a hugely impressive performance in Durban, have drawn wide scale praise and the Wallabies face a daunting task of trying to stop the John Smit-led juggernaut.
Smith, however, feels that the Australians are clear on what should be done at Newlands on Saturday. "You have be competitive on your own set-piece and then try and stop as much ball when it’s the turn of the Springboks," said Smith.
"We have to make sure we execute our set-pieces well. When you get an opportunity, disrupt play in their area and take advantage. That (the set-pieces) has been their (the Boks') strength, as well as their physicality in games. We just have to disrupt that, that's all."
The Australians were last in action on July 18, when they suffered a 22-16 defeat at the hands of New Zealand in Auckland, while the Springboks have just played two matches in consecutive weeks.
This has raised a debate that the Aussies, after a three-week lay-off, may not be as sharp on match day, and that the Springboks may be feeling the burden of back-to-back Tests against the All Blacks.
"It's true that the Wallabies have not been playing for three weeks but many of the players have been in action with club football, although that is not at Test level," said Smith.
"Over the past three weeks we've been training particularly hard in Sydney and the boys won't be underdone. The important thing is that everyone has an understanding of what we need to do in this game in Cape Town.
"We've come here early and the squad have recovered from the flight. The Boks won't be fatigued. They are special players and they will recover as they should after the two Tests, and then they'll have a three-week break coming up."
