The Independent's Mike Greenaway reports from the Springboks' low-key arrival in Australia.
"It was an almost eerily subdued arrival for the Springboks in Sydney on Sunday, with barely a soul acknowledging their presence at the arrivals hall when in previous years the full-strength Boks have been accustomed to being trumpeted onto the bus to the tune of Sarie Marais by a Cape-style band, while thronged by autograph-hunting, homesick green-and-gold clad expats.
Maybe the day lost to the recalcitrant Engine No 3 on Friday’s QF 64 spoiled the planning party, and the total no-show of Aussie reporters (not one – never mind the usual TV crews) at the arrivals press opportunity was mostly because of the Test match against Samoa that had ended not long before the Boks landed at about 8pm local time.
“Where is everybody?” captain John Smit smiled rhetorically. “Ah well, I guess they are not excepting too much from us but for the life of me I don’t know why. But I reckon we can be very assured that this loss to Samoa we have just heard about is going to shake things up a bit this week and I think we might see the heat being taken off us being the ones accused of fielding a second-strong side ...”
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