Australia v S Africa: Teams

Rossouw: Dismissed suggestions that the Springboks are a second-string side

South Africa are determined to force those who have called them the 'Springboks-Lite' to eat their words when they face Australia this weekend.

The injury-ravaged Springboks travel to Sydney for their Tri-Nations opener missing 20 of their front-line players, including Victor Matfield, Bakkies Botha, Fourie du Preez and Bryan Habana.

Four of Peter de Viliiers 22-man squad are yet to be blooded at Test level and a further six of his starting line-up have less than 10 international caps each.

But such labels have only served to anger the world champions and on Saturday they aim to prove to their doubters that they are far from a second-string outfit.

Lock Danie Rossouw, one of five 2007 World Cup winners in the squad, poured scorn on the tag while fellow World Cup winner, Wynand Olivier warned Australia not to expect a soft contest.

"This second-string stuff, I'm not listening to that stuff," said Rossouw. "It's a Springbok team and if you get picked for a Springbok team, you give your best.

"We've got the best 22 for this game and that's how it is. It's not nice to be called the second-string team."

Physical confrontation

Centre Olivier added: "There is a lot of quality in this Springboks side. For us, it's a big opportunity just playing for the Springboks.

"This weekend is definitely going to be a big one - B side, A side, it doesn't matter. A Test is a Test and it's always a physical confrontation and I can't see anything less than a physical confrontation."

De Villiers was also dismissive of the label insisting that his revamped squad were more than ready to make the step up to Test rugby.

"The new caps had outstanding Super Rugby seasons and this is an exciting opportunity for them," he said. "They have been rewarded for their form and now it's up to them.

"We have got some new combinations, but there is a lot of potential in this side and the players are hungry for this chance."

Australia on the other hand will be taking nothing for granted following their humiliating 32-23 defeat to Samoa last weekend.

The Wallabies fielded well below their top side for that encounter but they remain well aware that the Springboks have a point to prove and will be fired up on Saturday.

Fired-up

"It's something that a lot of us have talked about, that this is their team that put their hands up during the Super 15," said flanker Pocock, who returns to the side.

"And they'll be very keen to show why they've been selected, and they'll be working very hard, so it's not going to be easy.

"They're a tight outfit no matter who they pick and with the tradition the Springboks have, whoever pulls on that jersey is going to be a better player on that day.

"So we're expecting a very physical, fired-up Springbok team, particularly in the forwards."

With the Wallabies confidence severely dented following the Samoa defeat, Olivier believes his side are well placed take full advantage of the situation.

"In years to come, they're going to say Samoa beat Australia, they're not going to ask what the Australian side was like," he said.

"So Samoa beat them and, for us, we're the Springboks and we've come here to win the game and put up a challenge. The guys are mentally up for this."

Australia: 15 Kurtley Beale, 14 James O'Connor, 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12 Pat McCabe, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Will Genia, 8 Ben McCalman, 7 David Pocock, 6 Rocky Elsom (c), 5 James Horwill, 4 Rob Simmons, 3 Ben Alexander, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Sekope Kepu.

Replacements: 16 Saia Fainga'a, 17 Pekahou Cowan, 18 Nathan Sharpe, 19 Matt Hodgson, 20 Scott Higginbotham, 21 Nick Phipps, 22 Anthony Fainga'a.

South Africa: 15 Gio Aplon, 14 Bjorn Basson, 13 Juan de Jongh, 12 Wynand Olivier, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Ashley Johnson, 7 Danie Rossouw, 6 Deon Stegmann, 5 Alistair Hargreaves, 4 Flip van der Merwe, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 John Smit (c), 1 Dean Greyling

Replacements: 16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 CJ van der Linde, 18 Ryan Kankowski , 19 Jean Deysel, 20 Charl McLeod, 21 Adrian Jacobs, 22 Patrick Lambie