The new-look South African Springboks are relishing the opportunity of renewing acquaintances with Jonah Lomu again after the giant winger was recalled to the All Blacks squad today.
Springboks coach Rudolf Straeuli, making final preparations ahead of Saturday's Tri-Nations match in Wellington, welcomed the news that Lomu and centre Tana Umaga had been recalled for New Zealand.
"Umaga and Lomu are two home boys from Wellington," Straeuli said at a news conference today.
"And for us, a New Zealand side without Lomu is not a challenge, so we'd like to play against him."
Both were dropped before the All Blacks beat the Wallabies 12-6 in Christchurch in appalling wintry conditions last Saturday, a result which didn't surprise the Springbok coach.
"I backed the All Blacks to win 18-15. I knew it was going to be close but my score was wrong, the conditions made the score even smaller," he said.
For Straeuli, who replaced Harry Viljoen as South African coach last March, Saturday's game, and the match against the Wallabies in Brisbane a week later, will be a big test for his revamped team.
"Just reading in the newspapers, you would think there was only two sides the way it was reported in the last two weeks," the former Springbok flanker said.
"Nobody has said anything about us; we're a new team, nobody knows about us, we are an unknown factor.
"Our preparations have gone well, we've had four Test matches and we've won all four and building as a side and working well."
New Zealand's severe weather conditions would not change the Springboks game plan, Straeuli said, nor would the fact the Springboks have won just two Tri-Nations games in Australasia.
"The same challenge waits for them when they come to Johannesburg - it won't be cold weather, but it will be altitude," Straeuli said.
"We haven't seen much in Saturday's match, except that we can expect bad conditions over there.
"In wet weather you can only play one type of game and I think Australia saw that after 154 kicks Andrew Mehrtens is one of those kickers that you don't take on in a tactical kicking game plan.
"We've got to make sure that New Zealand doesn't run away with the competition."
The Springbok team to play New Zealand on Saturday will be announced on Wednesday.