The Springboks, in common with the vast majority of South African rugby teams, have a reputation for presenting a physical challenge on the field.
Simply put, win or lose, when you play South Africa, you know you've been in a game. It is very rare that the boot is on the other foot, but if there is one team that can claim superiority in the controlled-violence stakes, it is Samoa.
This week the two sides meet at Loftus Versfeld in the "final" of a four-team tournament that has largely failed to stir public interest. Italy will play Scotland in the curtain raiser.
The last time South Africa played Samoa they got a vivid taste of how hard it is to win when the crowd is on the side of the team in blue. North Harbour stadium in north Auckland was the venue for the final match of pool play for the Boks in the 2011 World Cup.
Auckland being the adopted home of the vast majority of Samoans who live in New Zealand, the cries of "Bokke" from the crowd were easily drowned out by the chant of "Manu" and it was South Africa who were happiest to hear the final whistle.
As a game of rugby it wasn't much to write home about, but as a political statement it was unforgettable. The islands of Western and American Samoa churn out fabulous rugby players, but basic economics
Surrogate home
mean that they never get to play a Test against a tier-one nation at home. North Harbour, a surrogate home, provided the proof that when Samoa don't have to travel the world feeding off scraps as guests of the top table, they are a match for anyone.
The six previous Tests between South Africa and Samoa gave an average advantage to the Boks of 40 points. In 2011 they began well and led 13-0 at the interval, but Samoa won the second half 5-0 and they won most of the collisions along the way. One of those ended the tournament for Frans Steyn and another earned a red card for Paul Williams as he lost a fight with Heinrich Brussow at a ruck.
John Smit came off the bench with 12 minutes remaining and got sent to the sin bin for a deliberate knockdown two minutes later, so the game ended as a 14-a-side encounter.
Two years later, both teams have undergone massive change, with just six Boks remaining in this week's starting line up from the side that played in Auckland. And, ironically, several of those stalwarts are under pressure from a public that liked the way last week's team looked in the final quarter against Scotland.
Once again, questions are being asked of Pierre Spies. The veteran of 52 Tests has an unwanted reputation as a big man in little games and a little man in big games. Last week could not be regarded as a big game, but it was going the way of Scotland for an hour or more and Spies seemed largely uninterested.
Nevertheless, Spies plays this week, and the front row has also been given a vote of confidence, despite the fact that things took a sharp turn for the better when the bench was cleared against Scotland. The Beast seems short of confidence, which may or may not have something to do with the meltdown currently happening at his home union, the Sharks. On the other side of the scrum, Jannie du Plessis may be paying the price of his prodigious 2012, when he played far too many games.
New dimension
Another North Harbour veteran, Morné Steyn, starts for the third Test in a row, even though coach Heyneke Meyer gave assurances that he would be benched in favour of Pat Lambie for at least one of the games. Lambie's more direct approach transformed the back line in the final quarter in Nelspruit and if this team is to progress, he needs to play.
In the second row, Juandre Kruger has paid the price for one uninspired match too many, but his replacement, Flip van der Merwe, scarcely brings a new dimension to the side.
It may be that the coach has decided that he needs an enforcer against the robust Samoans and if the bookies were laying odds on the first yellow card then look no further.
Both Willem Alberts and Jean de Villiers were named in the starting side on Wednesday, but Friday fitness tests will determine whether they actually play.
Alberts has had precious little rugby this year and it's hard to understand why the coach has even considered preferring him to Siya Kolisi on the side of the scrum. Kolisi was the man of the match after coming on in the fourth minute against Scotland and has played plenty of games for the Stormers alongside the returning François Louw.
Equally, why play Jean de Villiers? If he is carrying an injury, let him get over it. His place in the side is secure and these are the times when you want to find out if Bulls centre Jan Serfontein has courage to go with his undoubted talent.
This, after all, is the last chance to experiment. After Loftus it's back to Super Rugby and, after that, the Rugby Championship.