PRETORIA // South Africa forward Victor Matfield's 100th Test will be celebrated by 30,000 masks of the lock being handed out at today's Tri Nations game against Australia. Matfield will become the third South African to win 100 caps, after Percy Montgomery in 2008 and John Smit, who reached the milestone last weekend. "He's quite an intimidating man, so to see 30,000 of him ... hopefully they are not all out on the field," said Australia fly-half Quade Cooper.
Aside from the look-alike supporters in the stands, however, Rocky Elsom, the Australia captain, said he is expecting a strong backlash from South Africa during today's match. "The Boks are going to absolutely charge out at us," Elsom said. "Judging from the opening minutes of last weekend's Test, they will be hovering around all of us." South Africa, the world champions, are on a four-match losing streak having failed to register a victory in the competition thus far, with a loss to the Wallabies a month ago mixed amongst three against New Zealand.
History, though, will be against the Australians, who are without a win on the country's Highveld for almost 50 years - their last win came in 1963 at Bloemfontein. Peter de Villiers' South Africa side, currently bottom of the standings with a solitary bonus point to show from their four games, were outplayed during the away leg of the tournament, taking a battering against the Wallabies. But Elsom was impressed with the way they played against the All Blacks last week, a match they lost 29-22 in the closing two minutes.
"In the first two Tests against the All Blacks, they couldn't get a hand on their full-back, Mils Muliaina," Elsom said. "Then last weekend he had a pretty tough day at the office. "No doubt they will come out in a similar fashion against us, so what chances we get we have to take." Robbie Deans, the Australia coach, has made just one change to the team that last played on August 7, when they lost 20-10 to New Zealand in Christchurch.
Cooper, the Queensland fly-half and a player currently the subject of heavy media attention over his future in rugby union, returns after suspension with centre Anthony Faingaa making way. Matt Giteau shifts to No 12, while Faingaa joins uncapped forward Scott Higginbotham and Ben McCalman on the bench, where the injured Matt Hodgson, Rob Simmons and Cameron Shepherd make way. Cooper is mulling over a switch of codes after being offered a lucrative deal by rugby league side Parramatta Eels, but Elsom is convinced the 22-year-old will be fully focussed in Pretoria.
* Press Association