Boks set for Scotland showdown
Brad Morgan
24 August 2007
On Wednesday night, South Africa's football team fell 1-0 to Scotland at Pittodrie. On Saturday, at Murrayfield, Bafana Bafana's rugby counterparts get a chance to lower the Scottish flag when they face the Scots in a World Cup warm-up test.
The Springboks will be going for a record sixth win in succession over Scotland, having scored five mostly comfortable victories on the trot since a 21-6 loss at Murrayfield in November 2002.
It will be South Africa's last match before the World Cup, which kicks off when hosts France tackle Argentina at Saint Denis on 7 September. The Springboks open their World Cup challenge two days later, against Samoa in Paris.
Strongest possible line-up
Coach Jake White has opted for his strongest possible line-up but, due to some injuries, a number of his first choice players will miss out on the Edinburgh clash.
Chief among those absent will be captain John Smit, who has not
played since injurying a hamstring against Australia in the Tri-Nations in Cape Town on 16 June. Smit enjoyed one of his best seasons yet in the Super 14, guiding the Sharks to the Super 14 final against the Bulls where they lost in controversial circumstances right at the death.
Despite his good form, and especially his strong scrumming, it is in the area of his captaincy that the Boks will miss Smit most. A born-leader, he has the absolute respect of his team mates, and is a calming presence on the field.
In his absence, Victor Matfield will captain South Africa for the second time.
Gary Botha will start at hooker in Smit's place.
De Villiers injury
Centre Jean de Villiers, normally the first choice at inside centre alongside Jaque Fourie in the midfield, is also out of action. He suffered a rib injury in the Springboks' 105-13 romp against Namibia, and was left at home to undergo rehabilitation while the rest of the squad
headed north for warm-up matches against Connacht and Scotland.
De Villiers has been receiving hyperbaric oxygen treatment in an effort to speed up his recovery. It is believed to make heal injuries three times faster than orthodox treatment.
In 1995, when South African won the World Cup at home, Bok fullback Andre Joubert underwent similar treatment to heal a broken hand.
With De Villiers out, the SA selectors have opted for Francois Steyn at inside centre. The versatile Sharks' back will be making his ninth appearance in the green and gold; in his previous eight matches he has played four positions, namely centre, fullback, wing, and flyhalf.
Habana back
Bryan Habana, after making an appearance as a substitute against Connacht, returns at left wing. It will be his first scheduled full outing since he was injured in South Africa's 55-22 win in the second test against England on 2 June.
Up front, Danie Rossouw starts at
eightman. He turned out against Connacht at flank, having been sidelined for some time due to a niggling hamstring injury, and it showed in a rusty performance.
Coach White has indicated that he plans to use the big Bulls' man to carry the ball up from the base of the scrum.
In the front row, CJ van der Linde, who was behind BJ Botha in the pecking order earlier this season, is preferred at tighthead prop.
History at Murrayfield
Murrayfield has, in the past, been a happy hunting ground for the Springboks. They've played there 12 times, winning nine games and losing three.
South Africa's biggest victory over the Scots at the venue, and their biggest victory ever over Scotland, was recorded in 1997 when a team that included Percy Montgomery and Os du Randt, thrashed the home team 68-10. Both players will be in action on Saturday, playing in an SA record sixth test against Scotland.
In their 68-10 victory, the Boks ran in
eight tries to one, with Montgomery dotting down twice and kicking eight conversions for a personal haul of 26 points. If he scores 11 points on Saturday, he will become the first Springbok to score 100 test points against Scotland.
SA's worst loss at Murrayfield was their 21-6 defeat in 2002. They have played there once since that time, thumping the Scots 45-10 in November 2004. Eight of the South African starting 15 began the 2004 match.
Saturday's test will see two very experienced teams taking the field. South Africa is more experienced with 515 caps among the starters, while Scotland's starters have earned 395 caps. That's a combined total of 910 caps.
It's an important outing because the victors will take winning momentum with them into the World Cup in France.
TEAMS
South Africa Percy Montgomery, JP Pietersen, Jaque Fourie, Frans Steyn, Bryan Habana, Butch James, Fourie du Preez, Danie Rossouw, Juan Smith, Schalk Burger, Victor Matfield
(captain), Bakkies Botha, CJ van der Linde, Gary Botha, Os du Randt
Replacements: Bismarck du Plessis, BJ Botha, Albert van den Berg, Wikus van Heerden, Ruan Pienaar, Andre Pretorius, Ashwin Willemse
Scotland Rory Lamont, Nikki Walker, Rob Dewey, Andrew Henderson, Simon Webster, Chris Paterson, Mike Blair, Dave Callam, Kelly Brown, Jason White (captain), Jim Hamilton, Nathan Hines, Euan Murray, Ross Ford, Gavin Kerr
Replacements: Fergus Thomson, Allan Jacobsen, Scott Murray, Ally Hogg, Rory Lawson, Dan Parks, Hugo Southwell
| 
