Breyton Paulse makes his 50th Springbok appearance in a first 15 to play Ireland in Dublin on Saturday that shows just one change to the team that beat Wales at the weekend.
Flanker-cum-lock AJ Venter returns at number seven, replacing Juan Smith who has been dropped from the first 22.
Coach Jake White is still sweating on the fitness of flyhalf Jaco van der Westhuyzen, and said in Dublin on Tuesday that he will wait until the last minute, if necessary, before handing the number 10 to anyone else.
The Springbok bench shows two changes to the replacements for the game at the Millennium Stadium.
The more versatile Danie Rossouw comes in for Tim Dlulane, and White gave few clues to who might replace Van der Westhuyzen by dropping Brent Russell but keeping his options open by deciding to bring in either Gaffie du Toit or Jaque Fourie.
Du Toit and Russell are two of the most likely candidates for the number 10 shirt along with Percy Montgomery. And while more of a centre-cum-wing, Fourie starred in the Lions 2002 Currie Cup campaign, scoring 15 tries in 19 games from fullback.
If Montgomery were to move to flyhalf, then Fourie would likely come in at 15. However, the more experienced Du Toit is a more accomplished flyhalf, though also more familiar with the fullback position.
White said last Sunday that he may not make the obvious choice if he needs to replace Van der Westhuyzen. He was giving no hints on Tuesday either, but while Du Toit has a tummy bug that is expected to clear up in time for Saturday, the Irish weather is likely to work against the free-running Fourie.
Looking forward to Saturday’s match, Paulse — already the most-capped Springbok wing — played down the significance of his 50th cap.
”Obviously it’s going to be a special occasion but it’s just another Test. I don’t want to put any pressure on the guys to play for me. It’s all about doing our stuff right and not getting too restricted by it being my 50th cap.”
White was also keen to focus on the task ahead. He went through the video of the Cardiff match with the team on Monday night and said he had learned lessons from the game. One in particular was giving away penalties for technical infringements.
Schalk Burger, sin-binned for persistent infringements, was singled out by White as an example of how his young team must mature.
”If you want to become one of the best in the world, then you’ve got to adapt. If he’s going to be dumb and keep running and diving in head-first, then he’s going to have to live with those consequences.”
As if to prove the point that he will not tolerate indiscipline of any kind after the Boks’ notorious last appearance in this part of the world, White told reporters Burger has been find R5 000 for his yellow card.
But he is also concerned about how Kiwi referee Paul Honiss will handle Saturday’s game. Having had problems with Paddy O’Brien — also a New Zealander — against Wales, the Springbok coach feels interpretation of the rules may not be the only problem.
”The crowd influence plays a huge part. We got a lot more penalties when we played Wales at home, as opposed to what we got this weekend,” White observed.
But White is also aware of the fearsome reputation of Irish fans for what will be the last appearance of a Springbok side at the venerable old Lansdowne Road Stadium before its redevelopment.
”You drop a ball at Lansdowne Road, the crowd will boo you. You get tackled and driven back … they’ll go crazy and build up the Irish.
”I don’t think it’s just the intensity of the game, I think it’s the intensity of the atmosphere that will play a huge role,” White said.
”The crowd going berserk and the Irish running into you at 100 miles an hour — those are things we’re just going to have to adapt to.” — Sapa-AFP