Johannesburg — THE South African Rugby Union's (Saru's) decision not to send many of the best Springbok players to Australia and New Zealand for the away leg of this year's Tri-Nations tournament has resulted in a rare old rumpus, with accusations of betrayal and cowardice being flung across the Indian Ocean with abandon.

Posturing was to be expected during the buildup to the Rugby World Cup tournament, which starts in France in September, since games between the three nations this close to the competition will affect tactics and selections for the likely World Cup encounters.

So what conclusions can reasonably be made -- other than that, when it comes to rugby, antipodean hypocrisy knows no bounds -- and what are the implications? After all, New Zealand was happy to withdraw its best players from this year's Super 14 competition, and Australia has kept some of its top players in cotton wool ahead of past world cups, so it is a bit rich for them to point fingers at SA now.

The best medical advice available to Springbok coach Jake White is that many of the leading Boks are suffering from exhaustion after playing in the Super 14 semis and finals, closely followed by five Test matches. So, the group of players that flew Down Under yesterday may in fact constitute the best Springbok team at this time.

Whether White is correct in opting to rest them now, rather than earlier in the year, is open to debate. He clearly believes they have done enough preparation and have more to lose than gain by being subjected to a tough two-match tour Down Under two months before the World Cup. And if he has managed to steal a march on the old foes by disrupting their preparations at the same time, then good on yer, mate.