Revamped Springboks to offer a far sterner challenge

RUGBY:IRELAND'S WORLD Cup opponents Australia will focus on their own performance and not worry about what a revamped South Africa will throw at them in their Tri-Nations Test in Durban this afternoon, skipper Rocky Elsom said yesterday.

South Africa have endured a miserable Tri-Nations campaign so far, losing both of their tour matches by significant margins.

The Springboks, missing more than 20 players because of injury, lost 39-20 to Australia in Sydney and 40-7 to the All Blacks in Wellington.

With a host of players returning from injury the South Africa team that will play Australia shows 13 changes to the team that started against the All Blacks.

Former Leinster star Elsom, 28, believes that while the Springboks will pose more of a challenge than they did in Sydney it was vital for the Wallabies to concentrate on their own game.

“They will be doing the same as us, which is just focusing on themselves. We have obviously got our game that we want to play and they will have theirs,” Elsom told reporters in Durban.

“Getting our bit right is the most important thing. They will have some things that we are aware of, having played them so much, but it just comes down to us doing what we do well.”

Australia have just two matches left before they begin their rugby World Cup campaign in September but Elsom said his team was focused only on the Tri-Nations.

“World Cup aside, tomorrow’s result is pretty critical for us. We have expectations on ourselves, particularly when we come here, and we would like to see them fulfilled,” he said.

During their win in Sydney, Australia dominated the breakdown point but Elsom said that he expects a far stiffer contest in that area with the Springboks having called up the powerful number eight Pierre Spies and the specialist openside flanker Heinrich Brussouw.

“They are going to be a bit stronger at the breakdown than they were in Sydney,” he said. “We will both be going pretty hard at it.”

SOUTH AFRICA: F Steyn; JP Pietersen, J Fourie, J De Villiers, B Habana; B James, F du Preez; T Mtawarira, J Smit (capt), J du Plessis, B Botha, V Matfield, H Brussow, D Rossouw, P Spies. Replacements: B du Plessis, G Steenkamp, G Mostert, J Deysel, F Hougaard, M Steyn, G Aplon.

AUSTRALIA: K Beale; J O’Connor, A Ashley-Cooper, P McCabe, D Ioane; Q Cooper, W Genia; S Kepu, S Moore, B Alexander, N Sharpe, J Horwill, R Elsom (capt), D Pocock, S Higginbotham. Replacements: SFaingaa, SMaafu, S Timani, B McCalman, R Samo, L Burgess, A Faingaa.

Referee: B Lawrence (New Zealand).