The Springboks are the bookmakers' favourites for Saturday's Tri-Nations Test against defending champion All Blacks in Bloemfontein - and it's not something that pleases Springbok coach Peter de Villiers.

He made it clear that he and the Boks had great respect for the All Blacks and that the Boks preferred to be the underdogs.

"We love to be the underdogs," De Villiers told a media gathering in Bloemfontein on Monday.

"You can never write the All Blacks off, and they showed why they are so dangerous," he said with reference to their comeback from being 3-13 down in Auckland at the weekend to beat the Wallabies 22-16 in the first Tri-Nations Test.

De Villiers added that there was little to choose between the two sides, and that it would be wrong to underestimate the visitors.

"We didn't write off the All Blacks. I don't know who wrote them off. We always knew that they are a good rugby side as they showed on Saturday against the Wallabies. If you think you think you can pitch up for 60 or 70 minutes against the All Blacks then you're in at the wrong place," said De Villiers.

The All Blacks won their last Tri-Nations Test against the Springbok 19-0 at Newlands last year.

The Springbok coaching team will meet with the man who refereed the World Cup Final in 2007, Alain Rolland, later in the week to discuss his interpretation of the laws - and there is no doubt that the breakdown will be high on De Villiers list for discussion.

"The breakdown will always be a concern and we'll definitely talk about that. There are too many grey areas there," said De Villiers.

The All Black line-out looked suspect against the Wallabies, where the hookers and jumpers gave away four balls to the Wallabies.

Newcomer to the Tri-Nations, All Blacks lock Isaac Ross, wasn't too perturbed about that, however.

"It will be a big challenge," he said about the Boks formidable line-out that boasted Victor Matfield, Bakkies Botha, Juan Smith and Pierre Spies as jumpers, "but we're looking forward to that."

365

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