Rugby Union: Unions feel force of Blacks

New Zealand. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39

NEW ZEALAND warmed up for Saturday's Test against South Africa in Johannesburg with a 39-6 win over Central Unions - the fourth win of their tour.

A team made up of mostly second-string players ran in five tries, their biggest haul so far, with full- back Matthew Cooper contributing 14 points with a try, three conversions and a penalty.

The Central Unions team, comprising players from several of South Africa's smaller provincial sides, were hindered by their lack of match practice and were unable to stem the flow of countless All Black attacks.

New Zealand have now scored 142 points in four undemanding games in the Republic, suggesting that their three-Test series in Australia has given them the perfect preparation for anything the hosts can muster.

Laurie Mains, the All Blacks coach, said the Test team was likely to be announced tomorrow, adding that he was slightly concerned about the effects of altitude on his players.

Meanwhile, the South Africans still insist they have been concealing their real strength and are deferring all judgment until Saturday's long-awaited meeting at Ellis Park.

Central Unions: Penalties Herbert 2.

New Zealand: Tries Wright 2, Bachop, Cooper, Seymour, Rush; Conversions Cooper 3; Penalty Cooper.

CENTRAL UNIONS: L Gilomee; G Jacobs, W van Aswegen, H le Roux, S van Vuuren; E Herbert, K Coetzer; A van Wyk (capt), S Wessels, C van der Merwe, L Botha, I Hattingh, T Loubser, T van der Walt, C du Plessis. Replacement: C McMahon, for Herbert, 62.

NEW ZEALAND: M Cooper; E Rush, M Ellis, E Clarke, T Wright; S Bachop, J Preston; A Pene, D Seymour, M Cooksley, B Larsen, A Earl, G Purvis, G Dowd, S McDowell (capt). Replacement: Z Brooke, for Seymour, 52.

David Campese accused South African rugby union players of being 'arrogant' yesterday and dismissed their captain, Naas Botha, as an ordinary performer. Only 24 hours after arriving in the Republic with the Australian Wallabies, Campese, well-known for his outspoken views on a variety of rugby topics, had been upset by an advertising campaign to promote Australia's Test against South Africa in Cape Town on 22 August. Campese's No 11 jersey is apparently shown alongside the slogan 'Watch the Wallabies getting skinned'.