Steyn for James was the eyebrow-raiser regarding the Bok team

Maybe it was the close-range Butch James penalty attempt that wobbled adrift at a crucial time of the game at Kings Park last week, maybe it was an influential word from stand-in captain Victor Matfield in Peter de Villiers’ ear, or maybe it is indeed all part of the grand plan that James’ restoration at flyhalf would last just one match and then Morne Steyn would be reinstalled.

The impression had been that James would be given two games to impress – he was given one, and yesterday De Villiers suggested that the penny had finally dropped as to the only hope the Boks have of winning the World Cup.

“Butch is a brilliant flyhalf but, hey, it looks to me like the destiny of the World Cup will be dictated by penalty goals, and we sit with a 90 percent kicker in our country. I might be wrong but that is how I see it going,” the coach said.

“How will we know what stuff we need to work on with Morne Steyn if we don’t play him with the best players, and work on the little stuff we know can make a difference?” De Villiers explained. “I can’t disqualify him for trying to do his job overseas in the Tri-Nations without players he knows well. Morne needs to be assessed when he is around guys that he is comfortable with, and he has not had a chance to play with the top Boks for six months, so this was not a difficult choice at flyhalf, and it is the right one.”

Steyn for James was the eyebrow-raiser in the five changes made to the team that lost 14-9 to the Wallabies in Durban. The only injury-enforced change was at fullback where Patrick Lambie has come in from the Currie Cup cold to leapfrog Gio Aplon, who replaced hamstrung Frans Steyn midway through the Durban Test.

Danie Rossouw, who like John Smit has started in all three Tri-Nations matches, was always going to make way for Willem Alberts on the blindside flank, just as Smit is benched for Bismarck du Plessis, and there was mild surprise that in-form Beast Mtawarira has stepped down for Gurthro Steenkamp.

“If you look at the changes you will see our World Cup plan in operation,” said De Villiers. “If you take 30 guys to the World Cup, you have to give all 30 guys hope that they can play in the World Cup final. Back in May, I promised them all that they would get a fair chance, so it would have been stupid not to give them their game time now.”

De Villiers explained that he knows what he has in Aplon at fullback, and Lambie at flyhalf, but wants to have a look at Lambie at 15 at Test level.

“I played Gio against Australia in Australia, and he came on last week at fullback, he is an elusive runner, we know that. Lambie on other hand has so much talent, he is a fullback that can play at flyhalf and 12, which is great for us because it gives us options, so I must make use of this chance provided by an injury to Frans Steyn to have a closer look at Patrick.”

Smit has been at home in Durban recovering from flu but has been picked on the bench, and as far as his coach is concerned, Smit is back in form.

“John is ready for the World Cup. He did not have much game time in Super Rugby and if you look at how he played in Sydney in the first Test … well, he has improved steadily in each match. We have achieved exactly what we wanted to achieve with him in giving him three full games to get back into the groove, but then we also want to keep the competition going at hooker, so Bismarck gets his chance. I could not in good conscious go to the World Cup without having given Bismarck a fair go. That would have been unfair on him, on the team and the country. We planned this a long time ago and the whole country is looking forward to see what he can do.”

Likewise, De Villiers said that he needed to test Alberts against the best opposition because the Sharks flank is critical to the World Cup game plan.

And the thinking behind benching Beast was to give Steenkamp much needed game time after almost a year out injured. CJ van de Linde is promoted to the bench to provided cover at tighthead prop, the coach admitted (after Smit battled there last week).

Springboks: 15 Pat Lambie, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Morne Steyn, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Willem Alberts, 6 Heinrich Brüssow, 5 Victor Matfield (capt), 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Gurthro Steenkamp.

Substitutes: John Smit, Beast Mtawarira, CJ van der Linde, Danie Rossouw, Ashley Johnson, Francois Hougaard, Butch James.

MIKE GREENAWAY IN PORT ELIZABETH