French to struggle against Aust, says South Africa coach

SYDNEY - South African coach Jake White suspects a leg-weary French side will struggle against Australia in their one-off rugby test in Brisbane on Saturday.

White's Springboks, who arrived in Sydney today ahead of their Mandela Cup test against the Wallabies on July 9, have seen the best and worst of the notoriously mercurial French over the past few weeks.

France were unlucky not to win the first test against the South Africans on June 18 which finished a 30-30 draw but fell away a week later in the second to go down 13-27.

White felt the French were running out of gas in their last test and would find it difficult against the fresher Wallabies, who have had two soft matches against Samoa and Italy.

"You can see that they are at the end of a long season," White said.

"A guy like (flanker) Remy Martin has played 41 games this year.

"When you put that into context -- any person who plays 41 games in one season and then goes on a tour to South Africa for two tests and then to Australia for another test match -- I think the odds are definitely stacked against the French team."

The French have been in high rotation mode with eight changes in the two South African tests and the same again for Saturday while Wallabies coach Eddie Jones has also suggested he will rest some of his key players for internationals in the lead-up to the 2007 World Cup.

But don't expect White's starting 15 to be a transit lounge.

"I've only had the job for the year, I'm trying to get combinations and a settled team," he said.

"I think with the amount of players we changed in the years before me -- I think the first goal was to try and get a settled squad.

"The plan now is for me to look at the under-19s, 21s and look at which players we think will be in the World Cup in 2007."

White helped to calm a brewing storm in South African rugby the day before he left for Australia, coming to agreement with South African Rugby Football Union president Brian van Rooyen over the use of a quota system for black players in the team.

While no specific arrangement had been made, White, who'd threatened to quit if forced to use a set number of blacks each game, walked away from the meeting with confirmation that he had a job through until 2007 and a strict quota system would not be used.

"You never want to be fixed to a number and I don't think I have ever coached to a number," said White, who added he still had to closely consider equality and political issues even if he did not have a numbers policy.

"I don't agree with that and that's why I made my stand back home."

The Springboks play Australia four times this year, the first two matches for the Mandela Cup, the second two for the Tri-Nations.

The South Africans will be looking for their first win in Australia since 1998.

- AAP