STAR Trek aficionados will arguably draw parallels between three-dimensional chess and the current state of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry between the Springboks and the All Blacks.
Famously, 3D chess is played by that seminal sci-fi’s intellectual superiors - Spock, Data and the like - and although perhaps a superfluous analogy, it would seem Bok coach Rassie Erasmus and his New Zealand counterpart, Dave Rennie, are playing at a higher level than the rest of the rugby-loving public.
The mental battle - a cold war of jibes and jabs - is shaping up nicely, with both teams getting in their psychological hits before the first Test at Ellis Park (kick-off 5pm) on Saturday.
The All Blacks landed the first few body shots, noting that teams are intentionally slowing down the game - much to their chagrin and, in their view, against the "spirit" of the game after recent resounding tour match victories against the Stormers, Sharks and Bulls.
On Monday, Erasmus fronted up to the media in Johannesburg. Instead of making a player available, the Boks placed their law advisor, former Test referee Jaco Peyper, at the top table. Erasmus explained the move as avoiding exposing a player to public scrutiny regarding matchday 23 selection and tactics. A similar approach is expected on Tuesday.
There are levels to 'The Game', after all.
“The team announcement is only on Thursday and is to respect New Zealand, knowing how tough this first Test is going to be,” Erasmus said, straight-faced.
“We think the less time they have to prepare for our team, the better. It's not an arrogance thing, it's a respectful thing.
"Having a player here to answer questions, people will obviously ask that player (about the game plan), and we don't want to announce that," Erasmus continued.
"New Zealand have played four matches, and there's certainly been a narrative out there which I think is very technical around the speed of the game and the slowing down of the game.”
With Manchurian Candidate levels of overt subterfuge combining with the upcoming Test series, Erasmus and Co will need to guard carefully against falling into the All Blacks' mind games. However, the Bok coach has two Rugby World Cup–winning campaigns to fall back on, as well as the experience of a veteran outfit.
The Boks will, therefore, aim to enforce their gameplan on the visitors, backed by a Plan B or Plan C if the initial strategy falters.
As Erasmus put it: “I think there are three truths: New Zealand's truth, the world’s truth, and then what we believe - the waarheid.
"Now, the waarheid is: our last two games against New Zealand in Auckland and Wellington, were those slow games?
“We think there's a certain way you win World Cups, and we think that's a grind. When you're under pressure on attack, it's very tough to keep cohesion if you start fumbling a few balls.
"We try to find the balance between that and when games are really, really clutch and crunch, that you have a system you can fall back on which protects the player when they might lack the confidence to execute. Since Tony's been with us, we feel we're attacking all right.
"We feel we're not doing too badly. But we always want to ensure we've got something to fall back on when the pressure is really tough.”
When this war of words finally boils over into a hot war from this weekend, it promises to be a fascinating study in tactical approaches and game management. The big question then remains: who will step in from the cold, and who will be left with a burn notice?