As the Wallabies and All Blacks prepare for the Tri-Nations Test in Sydney on Saturday, both teams are showing just a hint of panic, writes iafrica.com's Rob Peters.

There is a certain note of panic in the All Blacks and Wallabies camps this week as the management teams attempt to right their respective ships following back-to-back losses.

While the Springboks have not put a foot wrong to date (you can't argue with three-from-three), their opponents seem to be in a downward spiral. Discipline has cost the Wallabies dearly this season, while a sudden loss of basic skills — and lack of a gameplan — has seen the All Blacks hit the skids.

Predictably, ABs coach Graham Henry has found himself under fire, while you get the feeling that another Wallabies loss will see Robbie Deans go from 'saviour' to 'that bloody idiot Kiwi in charge of Australia'.

Looking for answers

That is not where the similarities end for the management teams either as both have called in players short of match-practice in an attempt to rectify their poor runs.

Henry has rushed back star flyhalf Dan Carter for the game, despite the mercurial number 10 only having played a couple of games for Canterbury since injuring his Achilles tendon in France last year, while Deans has called on big flank Rocky Elsom, who has not played since arriving back in Australia from his time in Ireland.

Both moves smack of desperation. The ABs already expect the world of Carter, while Australia will be hoping the hard-as-nails Elsom will help muscle up a Wallaby pack notorious for going backwards?

But despite the magical nature of Carter, anybody who believes the ABs are suddenly a new team now that their prodigal son has returned, needs to think again.

As good as he is, Carter cannot fix the problems at scrum-time, nor can he do anything about his tight five being muscled at the breakdown, and he certainly cannot do anything about the team's problems at the lineout.

Carter presumably has no say in his scrumhalf either, and therein lies the problem for Graham Henry and his management team — they don't seem to know what their best team is, with the midfield and halfbacks seemingly the most problematic areas.

After persevering with Ma'a Nonu early on in the season, they have now gone back to Luke McAlister in the number 12 jersey, while Jimmy Cowan and Piri Weepu are basically sharing the scrumhalf duties, which is doing neither of them any favours.

It seems the management has not learned the lessons of 2007 after constant change of personnel led to the debacle at the Rugby World Cup in France. If they are going to continue changing their line-up, the All Blacks will continue playing as they did in South Africa recently and that won't be good for the Kiwis.

Where to now?

The Wallabies, meanwhile, are desperate for a victory in the competition after losing their first two matches — a solitary bonus point is all they have to show for their efforts.

The arrival of Elsom is certainly a boost, but he will undoubtedly be rusty having last played in May, for the Barbarians. It is difficult to see how much of a difference the combative flanker will make on Saturday, particularly if he is only able to last 60-odd minutes.

Discipline is what is costing this Wallaby side and they showed against the Boks that when they get frustrated they tend to come unstuck. If the All Blacks manage to get under their skin, particularly at the breakdown, the Australians may just find themselves getting kicked out of the game again — this time by Carter.

You have to feel for Dean though because he simply does not have the player resources available to him that the other two coaches do. The loss of skipper Stirling Mortlock has led to a re-shuffle in the backline, and while neither Adam Ashley-Cooper nor James O'Connor will let the side down, the change will not help the Australians in the long run.

Boks will take notice

The South Africans may not be playing this weekend, but they will be taking a keen interest in the build-up to the Test in Sydney.

Because while Australia and New Zealand attempt to shore up their deficiencies this weekend, the Springboks will take comfort in the knowledge that their campaign, to date, has been near-perfect.

It is a good place to be if you're a South African and it will make watching this weekend's Test a lot easier on the nerves?