KEY POINTS:
Not for the first time, New Zealand referee Paul Honiss finds himself a central figure in the lead-up to tonight's Tri-Nations test at Telstra Stadium here.
Springboks coach Jake White has already offered Honiss a friendly reminder about the Wallabies' perceived scrum illegalities while the hosts warned of off-the-ball tactics from the tourists who are pronounced underdogs with 20 frontliners staying at home.
A year ago, Honiss was slammed by White for his performance in one of the Springboks' worst efforts, a 49-0 loss in Brisbane, and the referee wasn't shy about returning fire.
"I thought Honiss blew poorly," White said of his rulings at the scrum and breakdown in Brisbane.
"Who am I the scapegoat for this week? Obviously Jake White," Honiss shot back.
White sought a meeting with Honiss this week to discuss the scrum; the one area where the under-strength Springboks feel they can get an edge.
Last Saturday's 20-15 win by the Wallabies over the All Blacks featured numerous scrum collapses, resets and penalties in the first half as referee Marius Jonker struggled for control.
"I think the scrum for me was a non-issue, there weren't scrums, every scrum was a short arm or a penalty," White said this week.
"That is something that concerns me. To be fair, I think the Australians seem to be doing something different from all the other teams."
Wallabies forwards coach Michael Foley said such comments "insulted" his pack.
The fiery pre-match banter could continue on the field as the Springboks look to disrupt the Wallabies, rated $1.22 favourites to the South Africans' $4.
The Wallabies are braced for heavy work at the breakdown. "They're going to target guys physically," Foley said. "If there's anything illegal, I would expect the referee to sanction it immediately."
In the absence of John Smit and Victor Matfield, Springbok No 8 Bob Skinstad is back at the helm, captaining the team for the 11th time in a test, his 38th overall.
He was confident the match would not degenerate. "Any test match is a heated affair. During the past couple of years, the physical component has increased," Skinstad said.
"We believe we have to be dominant in the forwards, besides that there're no extra plans to make it spill over on the field at all."
The Boks will hope tonight's test, the last for Wallaby legends George Gregan and Stephen Larkham on home soil, follows the same pattern as the first two Tri-Nations matches - where the team that played a tough match the previous week tired badly in the final 20 minutes.
However, that could be offset by the home crowd farewelling Gregan and Larkham while the Wallabies are also desperate to set up a series decider in Auckland on July 21.
The Wallabies are without injured No 8 Wycliff Palu and hooker Stephen Moore from last weekend's win, while Lote Tuqiri has a two-match suspension for breaching team standards after a night out.
"They've got the best backline in world rugby, certainly the most organised backline in world rugby," Skinstad said.
The Springboks will rely on field position and the accurate boot of Bulls sharpshooter Derick Hougaard. But they are largely unrecognisable, with wing J.P. Pietersen and halfback Ruan Pienaar the only survivors from their home tests.
Telstra Stadium, 10 tonight
Australia
15. Julian Huxley
14. Mark Gerrard
13. S Mortlock (c)
12. Matt Giteau
11. A Ashley-Cooper
10. Stephen Larkham
9. George Gregan
8. Stephen Hoiles
7. George Smith
6. Rocky Elsom
5. Daniel Vickerman
4. Nathan Sharpe
3. Guy Shepherdson
2. Adam Freier
1. Matt Dunning
Australia: Sean Hardman, Al Baxter, Hugh McMeniman, David Lyons, Phil Waugh, Scott Staniforth, Drew Mitchell.
South Africa
15. Bevin Fortuin
14. Breyton Paulse
13. Waylon Murray
12. Wynand Olivier
11. JP Pietersen
10. Derick Hougaard
9. Ruan Pienaar
8. Bob Skinstad (c)
7. P Wannenburg
6. W van Heerden
5. Johann Muller
4. Johan Ackermann
3. Jannie du Plessis
2. Gary Botha
1. CJ van der Linde
South Africa: Bismarck du Plessis, Eddie Andrews, Albert van den Berg, Jacques Cronje, Michael Claassens, Peter Grant, Jaco Pretorius.
- NZPA
