South African rugby coach Jake White has told his players they will have to combat the crowd as well as the Ireland team at Lansdowne Road on Saturday.
The Lansdowne roar is one of the most fabled sounds in rugby union, with a crowd of about 50Â 000 frequently generating what seems like the noise of double that number as they urge on their local heroes.
This weekend’s game will be South Africa’s last at the ground, rugby union’s oldest continually-used international venue with a Test history dating back to 1878, before it is re-developed.
White, whose team achieved a 38-36 Grand Slam-opening win over Wales last weekend, said on Tuesday: ”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.
”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.”
White has made one change to his Millennium Stadium starting team: AJ Venter replaces Juan Smith at openside flanker.
But the Springboks, chasing their first Slam since 1961, are sweating on the fitness of fly-half Jaco van der Westhuyzen who sustained a finger injury against Wales.
Right wing Breyton Paulse wins his 50th Test cap.
Meanwhile, Ireland have ended the speculation about 24-year-old flanker Johnny O’Connor’s future by including him in their back-row.
O’Connor, who plays his club rugby for English and European champions Wasps, could have qualified for England on residence grounds.
He beat Eric Miller to a place in the starting line-up and Ireland coach Eddie O’Sullivan said: ”Johnny deserves selection — he’s had a very good start to the season. He’s good at the breakdown and a fine link player. He works well on the ground and there will be a fair bit of work to do there.”
A groin injury to the Triple Crown winners influential centre Gordon D’Arcy has forced O’Sullivan to reshape the back division.
Shane Horgan, normally an Test wing, resumes his Leinster midfield partnership with Ireland captain Brian O’Driscoll.
Left wing Denis Hickie making his first Test start in nearly a year since rupturing his Achilles tendon at the World Cup in Australia.
Ireland have beaten South Africa just once in 16 Tests, a 9-6 Lansdowne win in 1965. But no southern hemisphere team has completed a Grand Slam since the 1984 Wallabies. – Sapa-AFP
Just one change to winning Springbok team