Corné faces cool reception in icy Manchester

Published Feb 3, 2003

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Cape Town - Corné Krige faces a hostile reception in Manchester on Tuesday night when his Stormers face the Sale Sharks in icy conditions with rugby relations still tense between England and South Africa following December's explosive Test match at Twickenham.

The Stormers are in weather-beaten England for two warm-up games for their Super 12 campaign, against Sale tonight and the Natal Sharks in London on Friday. Although both matches are friendlies, coach Gert Smal may be lucky to return home without suffering further injury to his squad.

English indignation over the slugfest at Twickenham is still so high that Krige, the Springbok and Stormers captain, could find himself targeted for retribution.

Sale Sharks spokesperson Dave Swanton summed up the feeling in the club last week when he said: "Your captain, Corné Krige, thumped (Sale fullback) Jason Robinson twice during the Twickenham match. People over here still aren't too happy about that."

After the Twickenham Test, which South Africa lost by a record 53-3, English rugby officials fingered Krige as the chief culprit. This was after Sky Sports had released video material captured from their 22 cameras at the ground showing the flanker's involvement in repeated incidents of foul or dirty play.

The popular Krige and his team were branded thugs by the British media and tensions were heightened by the Bok captain's parting shot at England before flying back to South Africa.

"We'll see you in Perth," said Krige, referring to the next time the two countries are due to meet in the pool stages of the World Cup - a match now being billed as rugby's version of the third Anglo-Boer War.

"I don't know why South Africa had to resort to such senseless tactics (at Twickenham)," said Swanton. "You are a proud rugby nation who have won the World Cup... it was all so unnecessary."

Although Robinson, who has been a part of the England team preparing for the Six Nations, is unlikely to play against the Stormers, Krige was visibly surprised before flying out to England last week when told that feelings over the Twickenham Test still ran so high.

"I tackled him fair and square," said Krige.

After the match, five Bok players were taken to task by coach Rudolf Straeuli for ill-discipline. Straeuli has subsequently warned that players who fail to redress ill-discipline will not go to the World Cup.

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