Rugby Union: Boks pick Smith to pound Welsh

THOSE COLD-EYED realists who suspect that the reigning World champions from South Africa could play like total drains at Wembley tomorrow and still beat Wales by 50 points are equally of the opinion that Nick Mallett, the Springbok coach, could ask Donald Duck to fill the one vacancy in his line-up without compromising a single moment of precious pre-Test shut-eye. As it is, Mallett has picked Franco Smith instead, which is bad news for Disney fans and no great fun for the Welsh either.

Smith, a 26-year-old high veld centre who soaked up valuable experience with the Griqualand West and Free State provincial sides before joining the Blue Bulls of Northern Transvaal at the start of the southern hemisphere season, scored a debut try against Scotland at Murrayfield last year before sharing in the 96-point annihilation of Wales in Pretoria in June. He may not hit quite as hard as Pieter Muller, the man he replaces in the Bokke midfield, but he is no one's idea of a pushover.

Muller's shoulder injury was the only physical price paid by the Boks for their clean sweep in the 1998 Tri-Nations and Mallett was more than happy yesterday to keep the remainder of his first-choice side together for their one-off Wembley experience. His decision meant that Bobby Skinstad, the most explosive young gun to hit South African rugby in a generation, would once again start a major international occasion on the bench.

The theory that Mallett might involve Skinstad from the outset by pushing Andre Venter into the second row and dropping Mark Andrews, his most experienced forward, remains on the back-burner. Andrews, hardly at his best this season but a formidable proposition nonetheless, will win a record 50th cap at Wembley and clearly plans to extend that priceless collection to 53 by the end of the Grand Slam tour.

"I feel so proud every time I pull on the Springbok shirt that I never want anyone to take it away from me," he said yesterday. "I want my name to become synonymous with the No 5 jersey but I'm quite aware that unless I produce the big performances, someone will relieve me of it." Along with the great Wallaby, John Eales, a fully motivated Andrews is probably the most potent lock forward in world rugby. Thanks to a sharp volley of criticism back home, he suddenly seems more motivated than at any stage in his career.

Mallett and his countrymen won a small but satisfying victory yesterday when Jason White, the Glasgow Caledonians flanker, received a 16-week ban for stamping on the head of Braam van Straaten during Tuesday night's tour opener at Firhill. The Scotland Under-21 captain so enraged the Springbok coach, not to mention Van Straaten, with his illegal footwork that the visitors cited him within minutes of the final whistle. White will not play again until 2 March.

The Welsh, meanwhile, left for London yesterday without their No 8, Scott Quinnell, who broke ranks to join his wife Nicola in her hour of maternal need. Steele Quinnell arrived to tip the scales at 8lb 8oz during the afternoon - a happy event made all the merrier by his exquisite timing, which forced a postponement of Quinnell's appeal into a 14-day suspension and, by extension, cleared the way for his appearance in tomorrow's Test.

Quinnell was singled out by Andrews as a serious threat to the Springboks' 14-Test unbeaten run. "Unless we subdue him early, he'll make us pay the price," predicted the line-out specialist from Natal. "Scott has the ability to put his team-mates on the front foot and if he does that tomorrow, we'll be the ones defending for our lives."

Dean Ryan, who led Newcastle to the Premiership title last season, has surgery on Monday on a disc in his neck and will miss three months of rugby.

South Africa: Montgomery; Terblanche, Snyman, Smith, Rossouw; Honiball, van der Westhuizen; Teichmann (capt), Venter, Erasmus, Andrews, Otto, Garvey, Dalton, Kempson. Replacements: Du Toit, Van Straaten, Swanepoel, Skinstad, Boome, Le Roux, Drotske.