Spiro Zavos believes that the Springboks were over-confident and under-prepared for their opening Tri-Nations Test against the All Blacks in The Sydney Morning Herald.

"Peter de Villiers, the zany Springboks coach, dismissed talk of South Africa not winning at Eden Park since 1937 with this comment to journalists: ''If you play the field as well as the opposition, you'll lose.'' I took that remark to mean that the Springboks didn't think they had to do anything extra or different to break their Eden Park hoodoo. This was a big mistake. "They could have arrived in New Zealand earlier than six days before the Test. They were overconfident. A spy claims that on Friday night he spotted Ricky Januarie tucking into a McDonald's hamburger. Sean Fitzpatrick said the senior players looked tired not long into the match. "The game plan of the Springboks did not involve much high-octane play. They played their usual kicking game as if they only had to turn up to win. There was thuggishness from Bakkies Botha, but no energy or thoughtfulness in their play."