White calls up reservists as All Black test nears

South African rugby coach Jake White has called in lock Danie Rossouw and prop Lawrence Sephaka to join his squad as injury cover ahead of their decisive Tri-Nations test against the All Blacks in Dunedin on Saturday.

The versatile Sephaka comes in after replacement prop Gurthro Steenkamp returned home with a fractured hand, suffered against the Wallabies in the Springboks' 22-19 win at Perth on Saturday.

Rossouw will come into the side for replacement flank Pedrie Wannenburg, who was forced to fly home because of a troublesome lower back.

Sephaka, who was involved in the SANZAR conference at Perth last week, joined his teammates in Sydney yesterday but Rossouw wasn't to arrive in Dunedin until tomorrow.

Prop CJ van der Linde, who took a knock against the Wallabies, is expected to be cleared later in the week.

"CJ has a bit of a knock, but I won't make a call on him just yet," White told reporters.

"It's going to be an easier week in terms of the physical preparation in Dunedin, so I don't really have to make a call on sending him home or not."

However, White's major concerns centre around finding a replacement for suspended winger Breyton Paulse, who received a three-week ban from a SANZAR judicial committee for kicking Wallabies prop Al Baxter.

Teams are not allowed to call players up for suspended players, which means White has to find a new starting winger from within his present squad.

Those selections are limited by the fact that the readymade choices -- Jean de Villiers and Jaque Fourie -- have forged a strong midfield partnership in the Tri-Nations .

De Villiers, Fourie, winger Bryan Habana and fullback Percy Montgomery are the only players who have played on the wing at first class level and they are all currently in the starting 15.

That means either a major backline reshuffle or finding a replacement for Paulse from a group that includes De Wet Barry, Michael Claassens, Marius Joubert or Wayne Julies.

Barry and Joubert were outstanding in the midfield last year, both on defence and attack, but have fallen off the pace this year.

Joubert has looked a pale shadow of the player who scored a hat-trick against the All Blacks in Johannesburg in 2004 and who was nominated as one of the five International Rugby Board (IRB) players of the year. He is also suffering from hamstring problems due to a lower back complaint.

De Villiers played on the wing most of last year and earlier this year.

Fourie has been a rock at outside centre this year and last played regularly on the wing in 2003.

The Springboks, who were to arrive in Dunedin today, will announce their team on Wednesday.

- NZPA