South Africans prepare for flying Samoans

12.00pm

By JAMES CORRIGAN

It was not meant to be like this in the World Cup of extremes where every meaningful match was supposedly a forgone conclusion up until the knock-out stages.

By rights, South Africa should have been able to saunter around the Suncorp Stadium tomorrow with both eyes firmly fixed on next week's quarter-final. But now, if they even dare take one eye off a game that suddenly has huge resonance then they are likely to find themselves flattened by the flying Samoans.

The Springboks need only ask England, who were frightened out of their skin-hugging shirts last Sunday.

Then the Samoans were inspired by taking the scalp of the "world's best team" but in Brisbane six days on there will be so much more to play for.

Whoever wins - and South Africa must still be overwhelming favourites - will go forward to play New Zealand, provided of course the World Cup does not take complete leave of its senses and see England slipping up against Uruguay or the All Blacks against Wales.

The stakes are high and one player in particular, should have trouble sleeping tonight. Indeed, if Derick Hougaard does not toss and turn then he is either on tablets strong enough to incapacitate a buffalo, never mind a Springbok, or did not witness the fearful working over that Samoa gave Jonny Wilkinson in Melbourne.

The young outside-half has been entrusted by Rudi Straeuli to solve a position that has become something of a problem to the South African coach.

The wayward boot of Louis Koen was widely credited with allowing England off the hook in Perth a fortnight ago and Straeuli has risked all in opting for the Blue Bulls'20-year-old who was uncapped before this tournament.

He will have the experienced hands of Joost van der Westhuizen inside him to guide him through and the veteran scrum-half has promised his rookie companion all the protection he can give against a Samoan defence which swarmed over the England half-backs like well-drilled bees.

"I need to protect Derick a lot because he will be a target," Van der Westhuizen admitted.

So, too, will every other Springbok for the Samoans who were given two days off training this week to recharge the batteries that were running on empty after 80 minutes of mayhem last week.

Corne Krige, the South African captain, is expecting a whole lot more of the same. "I think they can produce such form for two games in a row," he said. "If they play the first 60 minutes like they did against England, then it will be a great game."

- INDEPENDENT

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