Percy Montgomery and Juan Smith might be celebrating milestones in their Springbok careers on Saturday at Newlands, but Dan Carter is hoping that the All Blacks can gatecrash the Bok party.

World Cup hero Montgomery will line up for his 100th Test match in the Green and Gold jumper, while flank Juan Smith will be celebrating his 50th Test match for his country.

But there will be little time for dwelling on records on Saturday, as the All Blacks will be coming at the Springboks all guns blazing with the Tri-Nations title at stake.

All Blacks superstar Dan Carter congratulated Montgomery on his pending landmark, but at the same time confirmed that the All Blacks would be doing their utmost to spoil the party for the Springbok veteran.

"It's a huge occasion for them, especially for Percy," Carter said at the team hotel in Cape Town.

"A hundred Tests is a great achievement, and all credit to him on achieving that feat. They (Springboks) will be looking for a good performance to help celebrate that.

"But we came to win, and not make it the most memorable game for them."

Itching for revenge

The New Zealand team were seemingly in relaxed mood ahead of the vital Newlands Test, but under the surface the Kiwis are surely itching for the chance to avenge the defeats they suffered at the hands of South Africa and Australia in this year's Tri-Nations.

It is of course no secret that Carter is a match-winner for the All Blacks, and that he is widely regarded as the premier flyhalf in world rugby.

His form will once again have a distinctive bearing on Saturday's match result, considering how effective he was against South Africa in Wellington and Dunedin last month.

Carter reaffirmed just how much the tournament meant to them as All Blacks, and hinted that he had some unfinished business at the home ground of Western Province.

"The Tri-Nations is very important to this All Black side, and this weekend will be a very tough challenge," said the playmaker.

"My record is not the best here at Newlands, I've only played here once and we went down (16-22, August 6 2005).

"So it is tough and we've got a huge challenge on our hands this weekend. We want to keep the Tri-Nations alive, and to do that we must win. We really have to step up and give a good performance."

Boks have opened up

The talented pivot said he felt that the creative freedom given to the Boks by coach Peter de Villiers will make them a dangerous force, but that it did not diminish their abilities in defence.

"I definitely think they've opened things up a little bit," said Carter, referring to the Springboks' style of play under De Villiers.

"They are an attacking weapon — they've got some speedsters out wide, and great finishers, a strong forward pack and hard-running loosies.

"They are extremely dangerous, but I think it's more their defence that won them the game in Dunedin against us last time.

"We could only score one try and they defended brilliantly, so we're going to have to overcome that strong defence this weekend if we're to win the game," he revealed.

Carter not fazed by special attention

Bok coach De Villiers praised Carter's all-round abilities on Monday, and revealed that the Boks were unable to shake the pivot from his focus in Wellington and Dunedin, despite paying him some severe physical attention.

The coach then went on to say that it would be easier for the Boks this weekend to "take out his support structures".

But Carter remained unfazed by speculation about the Springboks and their match tactics.

"I'm not too sure whether it's a compliment or not," said Carter of De Villiers' statement.

"It's just one of those things — you obviously go into a game targeting certain areas. I guess it's just a bit of an insight in the way they (Boks) are trying to play.

"Whether they target individuals or not, it's up to us as players to work around that. "If they attack our support players, we'll just have to work harder to get around that, because you can't be left behind in the match."

It is open to debate who or what De Villiers was referring to when he spoke of Carter's "support structures". Perhaps the coach was talking about the Kiwi scrumhalves, who are less experienced than their Bok counterparts.

But the New Zealand flyhalf feels that first-choice scrumhalf Jimmy Cowan cannot be viewed as a weak link.

"I feel that Jimmy's proved himself," said Carter. "He's more than capable of playing Test match rugby.

"Against Australia, it was only his second start, and he played as if he was a veteran. So hopefully he can do the same again this weekend, but we need the forwards to really step up and dominate. That makes his job and mine so much easier.

"The kicking game that Jimmy has also takes a bit of pressure off myself."

Carter will once again be facing Bok flyhalf Butch James as his opposite number, and the pair will resume their the fierce head-to-head battle from the June Tri-Nations clashes.

James was very prominent on defence, especially in Wellington, and gave Carter a working over with some heavy tackles.

James a great player

But despite that, James was singled out for some criticism, as his form was considered inconsistent in some quarters. Carter, however, does not agree with those detractors.

"I thought he played extremely well against the Pumas, and he's played pretty well in the Tri-Nations," he said.

"He's a great player, and I'm sure he'll have another big game and a real influence on the match on Saturday."

Carter also thought that scrumhalf Fourie du Preez, who is starting his first Test match for South Africa this year, would add plenty of value to the Bok cause.

"He's a great tactical player, and a world-class scrumhalf. He showed his capabilities against the Pumas last weekend," said the Kiwi superstar.

"He's playing extremely well, and if he gets good ball from his forward pack, he'll definitely be a player to watch out for.

"He will give some time and space for his dangerous backs to exploit."

365