ANDY COLQUHOUN, Edinburgh | Thursday 5.00pm.
THE tantalising possibility of the Springboks fielding four black players simultaneously was raised when coach Nick Mallett named his side to play Spain on Sunday.
Mallett confirmed the team named on ZA*SPORT on Tuesday but it was the inclusion of Deon Kayser among the replacements that prompted the speculation.
The XV contains new caps Wayne Julies and Kaya Malotana as well as Breyton Paulse, making this is the first Springbok team to contain three black players.
If Kayser were to join them the presence of four black players on the field would have huge political and social resonance. South African rugby is light years away from being truly representative of the nation’s population but, belatedly, new strides are being made in that direction.
Henry Honiball – who is resting his hamstring niggle – again sits out the game making him the only member of the 30-man squad who will not have started a match by Sunday night.
Spain will provide little more than tackle-bag opposition.
They are enthusiastic and eager to appear against the world champions but will be hopelessly outclassed.
Their locks will give away six centimetres to Fritz van Heerden and Krynauw Otto – worrying portents when you read that their lineout won only 33 per cent of their own throw-in against mighty Uruguay.
Already their coach Alfonso Feijoo – who played against the Emerging Springboks in a curtain raiser match to the Springbok versus World XV game at Loftus Versfeld in 1977 – has talked of Japan’s record 145-17 defeat as a bench mark to be avoided.
“The Springboks have no need to impose their authority, they are already a better side,” he said this week.
But he is forgetting how hungry this Springbok XV are to prove a points.
Players such as Pieter Muller, Stefan Terblanche, Ruben Kruger, Krynauw Otto and Chris Rossouw may all have hopes of pushing closer to a place in the side for the quarter-finals. While the younger players are as hungry to confirm their places in the squad and impress on Mallett that they are good enough if injury should strike the first choice.
Records to watch out for on Sunday are:
Most points in a test by South Africa – 101 vs. Italy (1999)
Most tries in a test by South Africa – 15 vs. Wales (1998); Italy (1999).
Most points in a match – 31 Percy Montgomery vs. Wales (1998)
Most tries in a test – 5 Stefan Terblanche vs. Italy (1999)
Most conversions in a test – 9 Montgomery vs. Wales (1998)
— MWP
South Africa
– 15-Breyton Paulse; 14-Stefan Terblanche, 13-Wayne Julies, 12-Pieter Muller, 11-Kaya Malotana; 10-Jannie de Beer, 9-Werner Swanepoel; 8-Andre Vos (captain), 7-Ruben Kruger, 6-Anton Leonard, 5-Fritz van Heerden, 4-Krynauw Otto, 3-Adrian Garvey, 2-Chris Rossouw, 1-Ollie le Roux.
Replacements: 16-Naka Drotske, 17-Os du Randt, 18-Mark Andrews, 19-Bobby Skinstad, 20-Joost van der Westhuizen, 21-Percy Montgomery, 22-Deon Kayser.