KEY POINTS:
One of the key elements of interest arising from the new-look Springboks against Wales in last night's test - and the second test - is not so much the identity of the winners as the identity of the Springboks.
New coach Peter de Villiers, himself the first black
coach of South Africa, shocked observers last week by announcing a team with a record seven players of colour. That wasn't so much of a surprise - De Villiers was hired after World Cup-winning coach Jake White resigned when coming under pressure from rugby bosses to "integrate" more coloured players into the Springboks.
The surprise was the identity of some of the players left on the sideline - Victor Matfield, for many the best lock in world rugby in recent years, is on the bench and there is no place at all for Francois Steyn, the prodigiously talented blond youngster who can play everywhere in the backline except halfback (and don't even bet against that).
Fullback Percy Montgomery, the Boks' Mr Reliable, will also watch the first test against Wales from the bench and there is no place at all for loose forward Ryan Kankowski of the Sharks, one of the best players across the Super 14 this year.
However, having said that - and accepting that South Africa as a nation may have to live with transition or integration or any other euphemisms for selecting people for reasons other than rugby (although de Villiers stoutly rejects this) - de Villiers seems to have made some sharp selections in his coloured players.
They are: fullback Conrad Jantjes, wingers Tonderai Chavhanga and Bryan Habana, centre Adrian Jacobs, halfback Bolla Conradie and props Brian Mujati and Gurthro Steenkamp.
Jantjes, for example, was in fine form during the Super 14 and is a better bet for the future than the veteran Montgomery. Chavhanga is blisteringly quick - some may remember him embarrassing Joe Rokocoko on Eden Park two or three years ago - and he and Habana are probably the fastest pair of wings on the globe.
Conradie is only in the side because original selection and fellow coloured player Ricky Januarie apparently misbehaved at a team dinner and was dropped for disciplinary reasons.
At No 8, Pierre Spies - regarded by many as the fastest No 8 in the world - has returned after a life-threatening lung disease invalided him out of last year's World Cup.
Props Mujati and Steenkamp are both regarded as promising but test match rugby is a difficult forum for introductions and the Welsh will likely put the squeeze on the front row, while World Cup prop CJ van der Linde warms the bench. The only other point is to wonder why Kankowski is not on the bench ahead of the experienced but much more wooden Danie Roussouw.
In all, there are only five of the Boks who started the 2007 World Cup final against England. Flanker Schalk Burger, halfback Fourie du Preez, and centre Jacque Fourie are injured.
Most expect the world champions to be too strong for Wales but many expect the Boks to be rusty and lack combination and for the final scoreline to be close.
South Africa
Conrad Jantjes; Tonderai Chavangha, Adrian Jacobs, Jean de Villiers, Bryan Habana; Butch James, Bolla Conradie; Pierre Spies, Juan Smith, Luke Watson; Andries Bekker, Bakkies Botha, Brian Mujati, John Smit (capt), Gurthro Steenkamp.
Replacements: Bismarck du Plessis, CJ van der Linde, Victor Matfield, Danie Rossouw, Ruan Pienaar, Peter Grant, Percy Montgomery.
Wales
Jamie Roberts; Mark Jones, Tom Shanklin, Sonny Parker, Shane Williams; Stephen Jones, Gareth Cooper; Ryan Jones (capt), Dafydd Jones, Jonathan Thomas; Alun-Wyn Jones, Ian Gough, Gethin Jenkins, Matthew Rees, Adam Jones.
Replacements: Richard Hibbard, Duncan Jones, Ian Evans, Gareth Delve, Warren Fury, James Hook, Morgan Stoddard.