Wednesday, 12th September 2007 at 2:33 pm

Springboks show their hand

From the moment the World Cup schedule was announced, this has been the game everyone’s been waiting for: South Africa versus England, effectively playing for the right to avoid Australia in the quarterfinals. The two teams have met regularly over the last 18 months, with the Springboks getting the better of an admittedly weakened English side in South Africa earlier this year. There’s only so much to be read into the past exchanges, though: this week a very different platform offers significantly greater meaning to the two teams.

And with just a couple of days to go before the game - which Feverpitcher ed Dan Nicholl will be hosting at Sibiya Casino with Dave Von Hoesslin, if you’re at a loose end in the Durban area - the build-up has reached a furious level, particularly now that the teams have been named. For England, it’s the fitness of Johnny Wilkinson, unsurprisingly, that’s the central talking point; for the Springboks, the new-look midfield has been the focus of attention.

Frans Steyn’s outrageous talent is unquestioned, one of Jake White’s tougher juggling acts being how to fit the Sharks star into his XV. Losing Jean de Villiers is a considerable blow, but Steyn showed in the second half against Samoa that’s he capable of providing something magical from midfield as well as flyhalf, wing and fullback; throw in Habana on the wing, and there’s an excitement to the Springbok backline that bodes extremely well for South Africa on Friday night.