Pool A England v South Africa: Paul Reesprofiles the South African fullback who will equal Joost van der Westhuizen's record of 89 Springbok caps when he lines out against England in a crucial World Cup clash in Paris tonight.

Percy Montgomery used to be a hate figure of South African crowds outside Cape Town, booed and jeered so often because of a perceived unreliability that, six years ago, he abandoned his international career to join Newport.

Tonight, he will equal Joost van der Westhuizen's record of 89 Springbok caps, having already scored more international points than any other South Africa player. He will remain in France after the World Cup, to joining Perpignan, but this time he will be available should his country call.

The 33-year-old fullback knows what it takes to beat England in the World Cup in Paris. He was a member of the 1999 side that eliminated them in the quarter-finals at the Parc des Princes, and he believes the current Springboks have the same winning mentality.

"We won 17 internationals in a row then and there was not a trace of negativity in the squad," he said. "We believed we could win every game and it is the same now. We have a great togetherness and we know that we have not yet reached our peak."

Montgomery was in Wales during the locust years that followed the 1999 World Cup, but when Jake White took over from Rudi Straeuli as coach, one of the first calls he made was to the fullback. "Jake visited me in Newport and said he wanted me to return to South Africa," said Montgomery, who initially resumed his international career while playing for the Dragons, the regional side that Newport had become.

White had, says Montgomery, "restored the pride and respect of the Springboks and he represents what South African rugby is all about. We are not afraid to express ourselves. We showed in our opening game against Samoa that we can score tries from tight situations, but we were not at our best that afternoon.

"England will offer more of a threat in the set pieces and I just hope that the game opens up in the second half so that we can show what we are all about and score a few tries."

As South Africa have risen from the ashes of 2003, they have passed England on the way down. "They are the holders and they have players who know what it takes to win a World Cup," he added. "It is going to be a huge game on Friday and it is anything but a foregone conclusion. We just have to continue concentrating on what we have been doing well and not dwell on who we are playing."

The four home unions have all made slow starts to this World Cup, something Montgomery attributes to the fact the competition is being played at the start of the European season.

"We have been playing for most of the year, but you also have to remember that some of the smaller unions have improved in recent years and they are always going to be up for it in their first match. It is good for the game that the United States can push England, Canada can lead Wales after 50 minutes and Namibia can keep in touch with Ireland.

"These countries have benefited from the International Rugby Board investing in their games and they all had nothing to lose at the weekend, while England and Wales would have had their eyes on the bigger matches which they had the following week. We may have scored 59 points against Samoa, but it was a close game for a long while and the opening round was a good advert for the world game."

The danger for South Africa is they will have to start all over again after the World Cup. Montgomery is among a number of players moving to Europe and White's position will be reviewed. "It would be ideal if the South African union could find a way to keep the older players in jobs and make it attractive to finish their careers at home," said Montgomery. "We have been losing players coming to the end of their careers to overseas clubs for a long time and it is not good for the youngsters coming through. In my early years we lost the likes of Francois Pienaar, Joel Stransky and Gary Teichmann, and it hurt us.

"There's a move to ban players who are based overseas from playing for the Springboks, but I don't think that would be a good move. I won't be retiring from international rugby after the World Cup, but there is a lot of rugby to be played before then. Friday will define our tournament and it's what we've been preparing for in the last four years."

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