The Boks, fresh from their back to back wins over New Zealand, face Australia at Newlands on Saturday in what promises to be a cracker of a game. A win for the Boks will go a long way in ensuring that South Africa wins their first tri-nations title since 2004; while a win for Australia will place them in a strong position in the tournament given that they are yet to play a single home game. A win for the Wallabies will also send a warning shot to the world of rugby that the Wallabies will be serious contenders for the Webb Ellis trophy come 2011.

Deans has not made any changes to the starting XV that went down 22-16 to New Zealand nearly three weeks ago. The only change sees Peter Hynes come into the matchday 22 in place of Phil Waugh, as the Wallaby coach opts for a four – three split on his bench. This makes sense given the wobbly game that young O’Connor had in New Zealand. Similarly, PdV has kept his faith in the starting XV that ran out against New Zealand in Durban, with the only change being the return of Ruan Pienaar on the bench in place of Wynand Olivier. Pienaar’s presence in the team makes the Boks look a much more balanced side as compared to last week, when there was no cover at fly-half for the Boks. This in itself should make for a good encounter; two settled sides; one on red hot form and the other improving its performances game by game. I am tempted to say that on current form we will be seeing the two best sides in the world go head to head on Saturday.

It’s hard to see the Wallaby front row standing up to the Boks’ scrummagers.. PdV has even tried to initiate some mind games by all but calling the Wallabies cheats when it comes to scrum time! Although I expect the Boks to have an upper hand in this department I do not expect the Wallabies to try and collapse the scrums in an effort to nullify the Bok supremacy in this area. I thought Baxter fared very well against Woodcock but he faces the ultimate test in The Beast. We mustn’t forget however that Benn Robinson showed John Smit a thing or two when they scrummed against each other in the Super 14.

Expect the lineouts to be keenly contested this weekend as both teams pride themselves in dominating this area of the game. I think it will be dead even; but the major difference will be that the Boks are likely to try and use the lineouts as a set up for the driving mauls; a known Achilles heel of the Wallabies. The Wallabies by contrast will use the lineout as a launch pad to spread the ball wide and test what has been an “iffy” Bok defensive line.

Brussow gets another stern test in the form of George Smith but to date, Brussow has passed all tests with flying colours. Richie McCaw’s all round game makes him the king of openside flankers; but George Smiths physical stature makes him the king of the breakdown. Brussow has been the darling of SA rugby because of his exploits on the ground, but Mr Smith will be the acid test of just how good Brussow is and I will put my head on the block and say that Smith will outperform Brussow on Saturday.
If the Boks have the best pack in world rugby, then the Wallabies have the best backline. From 10 to 15 Australia have players who can be described as complete on both attack and defence and I fully expect the Wallabies to create a series of holes in the Bok backline. DeVilliers and Fourie, be warned!
The strength of the benches seems pretty evenly matched, although Ricky Januarie’s presence on the Bok bench continues to mystify me. In a game that’s likely to be as close as this one, Ricky could make the difference between a Bok win and a Bok loss.

Overall I don’t think we will see a Test that is as physical as the one we saw last week. The Wallabies rely more on smart tactics, retaining possession, and stringing the phases together to create gaps outwide. No doubt the Boks will still try to man handle and intimidate the Wallabies. Giteau, Barnes, Mortlock, Mitchell and Cooper all have good boots and they will no doubt try to keep the game in the Bok half; as I am sure Messrs Steyn, Du Preez, and Frans Steyn will try to keep the game in the Australian half. Because of the kicking we are likely to see, the lineouts will become a critical part of the game; and as mentioned, I expect the Boks to try and use the lineouts to attack the Wallaby forwards while the Wallabies will use the lineout to attack the Bok backs. The defense that is able to withstand the most pressure will win it for their side.

This is a really tough game to call; so I won’t. I will simply sit down with a beer in my hand and enjoy the two best teams in world rugby going at it.

South Africa: 15 Frans Steyn, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Juan Smith, 6 Heinrich Brüssow, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 John Smit (c), 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Replacements: 16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 Jannie du Plessis, 18 Andries Bekker, 19 Danie Rossouw, 20 Ricky Januarie, 21 Ruan Pienaar, 22 Adi Jacobs.

Australia:15 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 14 Lachie Turner, 13 Stirling Mortlock (c), 12-Berrick Barnes, 11 Drew Mitchell, 10 Matt Giteau, 9 Luke Burgess, 8 Wycliff Palu, 7 George Smith, 6 Richard Brown, 5 Nathan Sharpe, 4 James Horwill, 3 Al Baxter, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Benn Robinson.
Replacements: 16 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 17 Ben Alexander, 18 Dean Mumm, 19 David Pocock, 20 Will Genia, 21 Peter Hynes, 22 James O’Connor.

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