Springbok captain John Smit said South Africa and France had named their strongest teams for a one-off Test at Newlands on Saturday, which will pit the world and northern hemisphere champions against each other.
World Cup champions South Africa made six changes from the team that beat Wales 34-31 last Saturday, and all the players brought in were members of the Bulls team that won the Super 14 final and were rested for Cardiff.
Smit said the clash was important looking ahead to the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand.
“When you look at the line-ups, these two teams are playing the best combinations they’ve got,” said Smit. “A win on Saturday will certainly help in the build-up to the World Cup.”
Springbok coach Peter de Villiers agreed: “It’s an opportunity to gain confidence looking ahead to the World Cup,” he said.
France named a new cap in 21-year-old Biarritz flanker Wenceslas Lauret who, coach Marc Lievremont said, would help his team counter a powerful Springbok back row.
The French team included eight of the side that clinched a Six Nations Grand Slam against England last March.
South Africa opted for Stormers flanker Francois Louw, who made his debut against Wales, to team up with Stormers teammate Schalk Burger and Bulls No 8 Pierre Spies.
“We think that is the best combination,” said De Villiers.
But in other positions, De Villiers said the selectors had gone for experience, with Bulls centre Wynand Olivier replacing Juan de Jongh, who had an outstanding debut in Cardiff.
“The space will be less this week and the time will be less so we have opted for experience,” he said.
Patchy game
De Villiers said he was looking for an improved performance after a patchy game against Wales.
“We need to keep the ball in hand more and set more phases,” he said.
Smit said the Springboks could not afford to make a slow start, as they did in Cardiff when they trailed 16-3 early on before storming back.
“We need to be on the button from the start,” he said. “France are strong everywhere. They are a champion side.”
The French team will support their national football side — who are in the same group as hosts South Africa — who play their first World Cup match on Friday against Uruguay in Cape Town.
Smit said the Springboks would also hope to benefit from the excitement of the football event.
“It is a special time to be a South African,” he said. “We will feed as much on the emotion as possible.”
France named eight players for their bench but media manager Lionel Rossigneux said this would be reduced to seven by Saturday.
“We have named the 23rd player in case we have a problem with one of our props during the week,” he said.
Teams:
South Africa: Zane Kirchner; Gio Aplon, Jaque Fourie, Wynand Olivier, Bryan Habana; Morne Steyn, Ricky Januarie; Pierre Spies, Francois Louw, Schalk Burger; Victor Matfield, Danie Rossouw; BJ Botha, John Smit (captain), Gurthro Steenkamp. Replacements: Chiliboy Ralepelle, Jannie du Plessis, Flip van der Merwe, Dewald Potgieter, Ruan Pienaar, Juan de Jongh, Jean de Villiers
France: Clement Poitrenaud; Vincent Clerc, David Marty, Maxime Mermoz, Aurelien Rougerie; Francois Trinh-Duc, Morgan Parra; Julien Bonnaire, Wenceslas Lauret, Thierry Dusautoir (capt); Romain Millo-Chluski, Lionel Nallet; Nicolas Mas, Dimitri Szarzewski, Thomas Domingo. Replacements (from): Guilhem Guirado, Jean Baptiste Poux, Julien Pierre, Louis Picamoles, Dimitri Yachvili, David Skrela, Marc Andreu, Luc Ducalcon. — AFP